After Rahul Gandhi, Al Jawahar to now play host to BJP event: ‘We welcome leaders from all political parties’
At the entrance of the restaurant, customers are greeted with a huge tandoor and large, heavy-bottomed vessels. With origins as old as the country itself, Al-Jawahar has been a favourite among politicians and celebrities alike.
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At the entrance of the Al-Jawahar restaurant, customers are greeted with a huge tandoor and large, heavy-bottomed vessels. (Express/Abhinav Sinha) As evening falls, the narrow lanes around Jama Masjid in the Old Delhi light up, inviting people from all over the world to try heirloom recipes. One such eatery is the popular Al-Jawahar Restaurant, which is located opposite Jama Masjid and has been serving authentic Mughlai food since Independence. At the entrance of the restaurant, customers are greeted with a huge tandoor and large, heavy-bottomed vessels. With origins as old as the country itself, Al-Jawahar has been a favourite among politicians and celebrities alike.
Recently, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi visited the restaurant to enjoy its food. “We were proud to have Mr Gandhi make a surprise visit to the restaurant. As we served his great-grandfather, Pandit Nehru, we were also happy to serve the third-generation leader of the family. We welcome leaders from all political parties,” said Akram Qureshi, the third-generation owner of Al-Jawahar.
Interestingly, on Thursday, BJP announced that it will organise a public programme to commemorate Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 100th Mann Ki Baat near Jama Masjid and include the same restaurant in the celebration as chosen by Gandhi to savour a meal. The posters with Modi’s photo and titled ‘100th Mann Ki Baat Muslim Samaj ke Saath’ were put up for the April 30 event.
The restaurant was founded by Akram’s great grandfather Badruddin Qureshi in 1947. He was also a freedom fighter and, according to Akram, was very close to Nehru, who inaugurated the restaurant. My great-grandfather, in a gesture of faith and friendship, had named the restaurant Al-Jawahar, after Nehru, said Akram.
The restaurant was founded by Akram’s great grandfather Badruddin Qureshi in 1947. (Express)
He adds that Al-Jawahar has not compromised on the quality of its food since it started in 1947. It sources the mutton from its own meat shop and buys chicken from the market, instead of depending on a supplier. “The secret of our success is our quality,” he added.
Even the preparation of the food hasn’t changed since the inception of the restaurant. “If we change the preparation, then the food will no longer remain Mughlai. Today’s generation doesn’t prefer more ghee or oil in their food. Those who don’t want to eat it can remove the excess oil or ghee,” he said.
When it first began, the restaurant had several private cabins with curtains for customers to enjoy their food in privacy. “But ever since the advent of smartphones, these cabins were used for the wrong reasons. Therefore, we redesigned the restaurant’s seating arrangement. Nobody can enter our restaurant with an open cold drink bottle, only sealed bottles are allowed as we do not want people to consume alcohol in the restaurant,” said Akram.
While Akram feels that all their dishes are popular, the mutton stew is up there in the list. “Apart from that, people like mutton korma. Our speciality, the mutton nihari, used to be prepared only in the morning. Due to customer demand, we now prepare it throughout the day. Among the roasted items, we have mutton and chicken barda. Recently, we have also started to prepare Afghani chicken tikka and customers seem to like that too,” said Akram.
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