Enjoy Delhi » Food

Delhi gymkhana – one of the oldest clubs in the country

ashish — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 18:23:48 +0000

The Delhi gymkhana is one of the oldest clubs in the country and a hallowed institution where there the waiting period for an admission is usually 30 years. This was started in 1913, as Delhi Imperial Gymkhana, and Spencer Harcourt Butler was its first president. After independence the word imperial was dropped and it has been called Delhi Gymkhana henceforth. Usha Nath was the first Indian president.
This club is primarily a sporting club and boasts of 26 grass courts and 7 synthetic and clay courts all of which are flood lit. The grass courts are compared to the best in the world and are the best kept. An overwhelming preference for synthetic courts recently has also increased the number of the same. May tournaments of national and international repute has been played on these courts. Apart from tennis, the club has great facilities for billiards, squash and swimming. It has 3 squash courts and a large indoor swimming pool with heating facilities.
The gymkhana is situated in the heart of the city, in Safdurjung road which is the heart of a posh residential colony. It was designed by Sir Edward Lutyens as per his vision for New Delhi. In-fact the whole Gymkhana is built over a land filled with stones and was supposedly a battle field. Its colonial architecture and facade lend the old world charm to its hallowed precincts.
Delhi Gymkhana has the great food to offer to suit you palette. The dining rooms are spacious and the decor is reminds that of an army mess anteroom. Apart from the members dining room there are family dining rooms and a Kashmir Lawn restaurant. Dining is a pleasant experience in the Gymkhana club.
The library is one of the largest in the country with over 30,000 titles. The reading rooms are pleasant and the Gymkhana has a special reading room for children. The library also conducts special workshops for children during the summer months.
For those members on the move, the Gymkhana also provides accommodation. The stay is pleasant and guests can be entertained at a minimal cost. The party scene is the best in Delhi with Thursdays being the appointed day. Various events are organized for members and if one can wrangle an invite from the attendees you can have a rocking Thursday night of your life.
The health club has the state of the art equipment and trainers who help you get the work out you would cherish. Apart from all the activities the Gymkhana organizes enlightening talks on the current political and social issues. It also drives socially relevant activities like a blood donation camps for the members.
The membership is for the who’s who of the country. The Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh and the Delhi chief Ministers are members of the club. The young turks like Rahul Gandhi has been admitted in to precincts recently. The membership fees range from 30000 rupees for a government official to 60000 rupees for a non government personnel. The waiting list is long and the club can be deemed the creme-DE-la-creme of the society.

The contact details are as follows
Phone :011- 23015531 – 35, 011-23012773
Address: Delhi Gymkhana Club
2, Safdarjung Road,
New Delhi – 110011

Fax : 23010584
URL: www.delhigymkhana.org
Email : delhigymkhana@hotmail.com

Location on Google Maps:

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If you believe in the epithet “work hard and party harder and play golf always” then Delhi Gymkhana is the right fit for you.

Karim Restaurant in Indirapuram – get some great non-veg food

ashish — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 09:04:15 +0000

Karims is a very famous restaurant, with the one near the Jama Masjid being the most famous. It rates very high for its non-vegetarian food, and people travel long distances to get there. However, Karim has not opened so many branches as you would expect such a famous restaurant to do, with only a few branches having been opened.
A couple of years back, a new branch of the restaurant was opened in a slightly shady location, inbetween Indirapuram and the Ghazipur chowk (closed to Indirapuram), just next to NH24. It is actually located in Khoda Colony so most people I know get food from there on order rather than going there to eat.
The food is good, serving a mixture of Vegetarian, Non-vegetarian, Chinese cuisines. Good range of Indian, South Indian, Chinese and Mughlai. The insides of the restaurant are similar to what you would expect, although the outside would leave a lot to be desired. Average meal for 2 would cost something like Rs. 700-800. Some of the delicacies are: Tandoori Bakra (need to place an order previously), butter chicken, rogan josh, Brain Curry, and many other great non-vegetarian dishes. Accompanies by some great parathas, keema naan, butter naan

Address: Makanpur Check Post, Indirapuram, Ghaziabad, 201012., Near Wine Shop
Phones – (0120) – 6490716, 6490717, 6490718

Delhi Restaurants – The Emperor’s Kitchen – located at One Qutab, and started by Natasha Chaudhri and Shilpa Gupta

ashish — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 06:27:51 +0000

This is a restaurant set up by the founders after some of their previous efforts ran into legal issues one after the other; however, they seem to have got it right with this one. This restaurant gives you a great view of the Qutab Minar, having been launched in 2009 November. The restaurant is open for lunch, high tea and dinner. This is a restaurant with a great decor, with the first view being of a courtyard with palm trees. The glass is separated by white columns. The insides are much more colorful, with the interior decor being painted in bright shades of gold and purple.
The restaurant is spread over 2 levels, with the upper level providing a plush tent based location combined with a special grill menu. The restaurant overall offers a Pan Asian menu, with a focus on Oriental Thai & Chinese) with an extensive Dim Sum menu. Some of the dishes that are found here are Chicken kungpao, traditional Thai curries, an array of dimsums and one would also find Chengdu spiced lamb, chicken coconut chilli and crispy vegetable salad with a coriander dressing. And to top it off, desserts such as bitter chocolate cake, crème brulee’s and lemon grass mousse.
This is a Fine Dining restaurant, with an average meal for 2 costing between Rs. 1500-2000. Some of the features are Large Group Friendly, Late Night Eats, Notable Wine List, Private Area.

Contact details:
1, Qutab 1501, Mehrauli
Delhi-110030, India
Phone : 011-26642600, 26642601
Email : mail@emperorskitchen.in

Toast restaurant, West Gate Mall, Rajouri Garden, West Delhi – Bar and restaurant

ashish — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 17:22:36 +0000

Toast restaurant is also a Grill, offering a variety of international cuisine, such as Mediterranean, American, European and Lebanese. And of course, if you have a well stocked bar, what more could you want. After 11 PM, it converts into a nightclub, with an ash wooden floor that can be used for dancing. The restaurant has 2 private areas as well, with a private lounge, if you want to hold parties or celebrations. The lighting is soft and diffused, giving an overall great ambience.
The food here focuses on more of grilled and roasted stuff, and in today’s world where we worry about too much fat and high calorie, these are better dishes, with the food being light and easy on the stomach. However, the place is a bit expensive, with a dinner for two without drinks being around Rs. 900-1000. The bar has a big selection, and you can get a huge varieties of drinks and cocktails over here.

Contact details:

Shop no. 43,44, 3rd Floor,
West Gate Mall, Ring Rd,
Tagore Garden Extension, New Delhi, 110027,
Phone number : India? – 9971990644, 9971990643, 011-43513773, 43513776

Happy Hours: 3:30 PM TO 8:00 PM, Restaurant open from 12:00 Noon TO 1:00 AM

Toast restaurant (Bar and Grill) located in West Gate Mall, Rajouri Garden – Location on Google Maps

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West Gate Mall, Rajouri Garden, West Delhi – a pretty good place to spend some time

ashish — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 17:18:43 +0000

The West Gate Mall is one of the larger malls in the area of West Delhi, being one of the 5 malls located in the general area of Shivaji Place District Centre, Rajouri Garden, West Delhi (and located very close to an important road, Ring Road). The other malls located nearby are City Square, TDI Mall, TDI Paragon, Shopper’s Stop. The Rajouri Garden metro station is also nearby. This mall serves as one of the destination points for the localities nearby, such as Punjabi Bagh, Rajouri Garden, Tilak Nagar,Mansarovar Garden, Kirti Nagar, Paschim Vihar and Patel Nagar.
West Gate Mall is pretty large, having 2 levels of basement parking (although there is a huge open air parking just next to the mall that is preferred by most people), and also has 6-7 movie halls located on the top floor. In between the basement and the top floor, there are a large number of shops and eating joints that draw a number of people.

Clothing / accesories shops: United Colors of Benetton, Lacoste, Next, Guess, Adidas, Reebok, Nike, Van Heusen, Levi’s, Jockey, Franco Leene, Urban 10, Taniya Khanuja, BE ME, Leela’s Studio, Lyallpur Instyle, Art Karat, Etam, Max Fashion Retail, Allen Solly, Lee, Straps, Freiburg, Shaw Brothers, Just She, G & B Fashion Pvt. Ltd, Bossini, Arrow, Latin Quarters, Planet Retail Holdings Pvt. Ltd, Lacoste, Puma, Kipling, Portland, GFO, Dremz, Mark and Spencer, Kazo, Pepe, Satya Paul, Pantaloon,

Restaurants: Food Court, TGIF, Ambrosia, Freeze (a luxury bar with the temperature at -10 Celsius), Papa Johns, Golden Dragon, Toast, Moti Mahal, American Hot, Quik Bites

Miscellaneous: Elvy Lifestyle Private Limited, World of Titan, Aryan Lifestyle Private Limited, Ambience, Gelato Vittorio, The Mobile Store, Food Bazaar, The Body Shop

Location of West Gate Mall, Rajouri Garden, West Delhi on Google Maps:

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Address: Plot No 4,5,6, Shivaji Palace dist Center Rajauri Garden, New Delhi, 110027.

Rajinder Da Dhaba in Safdarjang Enclave, next to Kamal Cinema

ashish — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 19:45:44 +0000

Regular Delhi residents have their own favorite eating places staked out, and can make getting a place to sit difficult during the night and during weekends. Something similar happens to this Dhaba (and it is not a fancy place calling itself a Dhaba, but is an actual Dhaba with service levels not anyway comparable to a restaurant), where you know that people love the food if you find it difficult to get a place to sit during the weekends. As a result, you will find people getting food packed for a takeway. Also, like other Dhabas, if you need a place where the hygiene seems tip-top, then maybe this place is not for you.
However, the food is very good, and that is the reason why it continues to draw a large number of people on a regular basis. You want to get some good non-veg food, you are at the right place. Order some tangri chicken, or fish tikka, chicken tikka, tandoori chicken, mutton seekh kebab, and who can forget the butter chicken (a rich calorie laden food, but heavenly) and dal makhani. And the nans are hot, tender and great to eat along with these items. You will not get any alcohol at this place, but the food is great and very inexpensive.

Contact details:
Address: AB-14, Kamal Complex, Safdarjung Enclave, Delhi- 110029
Phone: 011 26100355 | 9868088961
Landmark: Opposite Safdarjung Club

Location on Google Maps:

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Breakfast @ Café Style, Noida

ashish — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 18:10:11 +0000

It was a relatively free Saturday today, after few last weekends, when we decided to have breakfast outside. We have thought about having breakfast out of home earlier as well but there were not enough (read good) options for that in Noida. In Dehli, there are better breakfast and brunch options for the weekends but traveling to them and that too empty-stomach is not a good thing to do for me:)

But I have read about this place in Sector 18 Noida, where they have good breakfast menu. So, we decided to check it today. The place is near Superstars and called ‘Café Style’. It is a new joint but has received good reviews wherever I have read about it. It is quite laid-back, spacious and ‘stylish’. The first thing that you notice on entering the place is the whole concept. The sofas are comfortable and the chairs are more than spacious. The place is spread in two floors and they have some outside sitting as well. They have some old artifacts (mostly from UK of 50s and 60s) spread across these sitting area – a 1954 scooter, a 1962 car and more.

Since we were there for breakfast, we decided to stick to their breakfast menu only. The breakfast menu is available from 8 AM to noon and has well thought variety. There is a Punjabi style breakfast (Alloo parantha along with curd, pickle, butter and tea), a Mumbai style breakfast (Pao Bhaji along with tea), an English style breakfast (three egg omelette of choice – masala, mushroom, cheese, toast, salad), an Obama style breakfast (bowl of cereals with milk, fruit salad, sausages, croissant and choice of juice) or just plain old cornflakes.

We order one Punjabi style breakfast and one English style breakfast. All the preparations were well done – paranthas were not oily at all and appropriately stuff, toast were properly ‘toasted’, omelette was also wonderful. And this all topped with masala tea was wonderful. Overall, we had a good experience. We did not go further than the breakfast menu – something left for next time.

Contact Information:-
Café Style
K-1, Dharam Palace,
Sector 18,
Noida
Ph. 0120-4548472

TGIF, Great India Place, Noida

ashish — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 20:09:19 +0000

I have always been fond of Tex-Mex cuisine mostly due to lots of cheese in it:). I liked going to Ruby Tuesdays earlier but they just got their menu all wrong and when I saw that they have removed Chimichanga from their menu, I stopped going there. I recent times, TGIF Noida has been my favorite place to eat food and have beer.

TGIF is a chain of restaurants worldwide and the whole concept of having old artifacts, different assorted items, bar and sitting setup is more or less same at all outlets. The overall feel is like of a relaxed Friday’s evening when the work has finished for the week and you want to start weekend with some food and drinks. I really like the setup. The music is also not very much loud – one more thing which I like in an eating place. Overall, for me, a good place to go either with family or with colleagues. They have recently changes their menu – and Chimichanga is here now

Since I have been there a lot of time, I have nearly tried most of the stuff. My recommendation would be

For vegetarians – try ‘Grilled Pita Dipper’, ‘Fried Mac & Cheese’ or ‘Dynabites’ in appetizers. Try ‘Broken Noodles’ pasta or ‘Quesdillas’ or ‘Chimichanga’ as the main dish. Top it up with ‘Fridays Sundae’ – Vanilla ice cream topped with hot fudge, caramel sauce, nuts and cream. Yummy :)

For non-vegetarians – try ‘Chicken Fajita Nachos’ or ‘Three-For-All’ scheme where you get three appetizers in one serving. For main dish, try ‘Sizzling Chicken and Cheese’ or ‘Fridays Shrimp’.

The menu keeps changing and there would always be some offer at the Noida outlet since they are new and want to establish themselves. For example, they are currently having buy one and get one free offer on food and drinks both.

Contact Information
T.G.I. Friday’s
319-320 (3rd Floor),
Great India Place, Sector 38A
Noida – 201301
Tel: 120-4221 000
Email: t2238@fridaysindia.com

Pind Balluchi – Now in East Delhi

ashish — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 19:52:47 +0000

For the citizens living in East Delhi, starved of some good restaurants, there is a new one that has opened up and promises to improve the overall cuisine standard. Till now, there were the restaurants that were open in the various malls, and now you have a Pind Baluchi that has opened up in the Karkardooma market on the main road (not the best of locations, but it’s okay). The restaurant is small compared to the other Pind Balluchi’s in other parts of the city. It is spread over 2 floors, but overall seating must not be more than 60 people (a guess).
The restaurant has similar interiors such as the other Pind Balluchi’s. Our experience was mixed. We had ordered some Shammi kababas, along with Malai Kofta, Khumb Pyaaz Bhujiya, and rotis (along with raita and onions). The other stuff was all great, except for the Malai Kofta which was pretty much declared uneatable by my companions. We got the waiter over and told him the issue; he was pretty much discomfited, and eventually offered us another dish. We had done with the mail, and did not want another dish, and eventually, after a lot of confabulation with his other staff, he offered us some free deserts, which were superb.
Overall, except for the malai kofta, the rest of the meal was great. The restaurant offeres non-veg and veg, with dishes such as various Kababs, Tikka, Tandoori items, Paneer dishes, spring roll, various north Indian meat dishes, and a good sampling of veg dishes. The Gulab Jamun was superb. No liqour.

Contact details:
Karkardooma Village (next to the Metro station),
Vikas Marg, East Delhi
Phone: 011-22378686, 011-22378787, 9999777881/2/3
They do home delivery.

Vegetarian restaurant – Govindas at Iskcon temple in Delhi

ashish — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 19:09:47 +0000

If you desire some great vegetarian food, then probably one of the best (and not very expensive place) is a place called Govindas. The food here is great, with the focus on serving vegetarian, healthy food (the food is cooked as per principles, with no garlic or onion in it). How does food taste without any onion or garlic ? Well, my experience was that at a minimum, portions of the food were palatable, and some of the food items were great. How would I rate the overall food experience ? Well, rate it as above average. The gentry was good, with families sitting there carefully in a well decorated interior (the eating tables are at a slight depression to the buffet tables). We had actually booked a party at the same restaurant (and they had given us a small ante-room that was good enough to seat around 40 people). The food at the party level was good enough that the guests liked the good (even the people fond of non-vegetarian food enjoyed the vegetarian food laid out).
A plus point was that the restaurant is located within the premises of the ISKCON temple in East of Kailash.
Address: ISKCOM Temple Complex, Sant Nagar Main Road, East of Kailash, New Delhi – 110065.
Timings: Noon-3.30 p.m. & 7.00 p.m. to 10.00 p.m