Unlike what most people warned me of before I embarked on my trip, I did not come down with Delhi Belly or anything near it.
In fact, I ate Indian food almost 3 meals a day for the entire week, and enjoyed the most sumptuous Indian food ever. Even the vegetarian options were so deliciously good that I did not come near missing meat despite consecutive meals of herbivorous behaviour in Kolkata.
In Delhi, here are some of the memorable places that I visited and enjoyed a good meal at. In all cases, be prepared for huge cholesterol and calorie intakes – at your own risk!
1. Haldiram’s
This is India’s vegetarian version of MacDonald’s.
India is famous for its chaat – street food – and Haldiram’s brings you plenty chaat varieties and other Indian dishes all over the counter.
My favourite chaat dish is the aloo tikki – a fried potato patty covered generously with curd, mint and a medley of chutneys.
Haldiram’s does a decent aloo tikki, although if you dare to venture out, I think the authentic street hawkers do a better version.
Haldiram’s also has a very delicious choley bhature – a brown, spicy chick pea stew of sorts served with fried puffy bread.
The best part? Haldiram’s menu is really affordable. Almost all dishes are in the 50-60 rupees range. In fact, we had 2 dishes and 2 drinks for just a little over a 100 rupees!
They’re also a leading manufacturer of Indian snacks and sweets that come ready-packed – perfect for last minute gifts to take home.
2. Swagarth’s
For fancier Indian cuisine, Nick took me to Swagarth's located at the Defence Colony Market (the neighbourhood where the embassies are located).
Must tries: Shahi Paneer – cashew nut base curry with homemade Indian cottage cheese. Pair it with their chappati – unlike Singapore’s chapatti which is more like a tortilla, the chappatis in India are baked in the tandoori oven and come out like a hybrid naan with a crispier oomph.
Fantastic.
3. Lodhi – The Garden Restaurant
Step into the Lodhi Gardens (Delhi’s botanical gardens) and it seems that you’ve stepped into another world.
Suddenly, the noise of Delhi’s traffic vanishes and instead, tomb ruins, green grass and families picnicking greet you.
The restaurant is set in a little enclave that strike up more similarities to London’s Hyde Park than being in dusty Delhi.
You’ll find yourself rubbing shoulders with Delhi’s well-heeled crowd and expatriates.
The restaurant serves mostly western food (ie pastas – noodles are handmade – and grilled seafood/meats) but the appetiser selection has a good variety of asian and middle-eastern dips.
We tried the eggplant dip (something like babaganoush) that came with warm pita bread. Delicious.
Grab a table at the outdoor patio on the second floor, order a homemade ice lemon tea, and be at one with yourself and the world...
4. United Coffee House
A stalwart on Connaught Place (the centre of gravity in this bustling city), United Coffee House has been around for ages, is named in almost every guidebook, and being able to have a meal there is every young local’s dream.
To be fair, meals can get quite pricey in there. Main courses start from around 400 rupees each, and a meal for one could easily rack up 1000 rupees with appetisers and drinks thrown in.
Don’t expect a fancy shopfront though – you could just as easily walk by the fairly nondescript exterior save for the impeccably-dressed Sikh maitre d’ out front.
United is pretty famous for their Tomato Fish (a Delhi colonial classic) – essentially pan fried fish fillets coated in a homemade tangy tomato sauce.
However, I much preferred the Bengali prawn curry that we ordered – rich and coconut-ty with big pieces of fresh prawns– together with some tandoori-baked chappati.
Hugely satisfying.
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