Now replicate the Shahpur Jat Potbelly experience at Bihar Niwas

You can now replicate the Shahpur Jat Potbelly experience at Bihar Niwas as well.

Bihari cuisine, Bihar Niwas, Potbelly Rooftop Cafe, Delhi food

“The administration came to us. The Joint Resident Commissioner had heard of Potbelly in Shahpur Jat, and invited us to run the dining space here,” says Puja Sahu, its co-owner.

Upon entering Bihar Niwas in Chanakyapuri, follow the vaguely yellow sandstone road to the green wooden fence. Enfolding a verdant garden, drenched in the winter sun, is the state house’s new dining outlet, run by The Potbelly Rooftop Cafe, the Bihari cafe in Shahpur Jat. The interiors are rustic chic, without being pretentious. Wire lamps hang in a profusion of lights and colours over a gentle, pastel-hued split-level area. The tables are well-spaced, assuring a certain intimacy in conversation, good-old rock and roll providing a soft soundtrack to the entire scene.

The cafe (not cafeteria) is about two weeks old. “The administration came to us. The Joint Resident Commissioner had heard of Potbelly in Shahpur Jat, and invited us to run the dining space here,” says Puja Sahu, its co-owner, adding that she still went through the procedure of proposing a tender, which is standard for running a restaurant in a state house. Bihar Niwas provided the basic infrastructure, including the godsend of a commercial kitchen and other elements such as flooring, everything else being handled by the Potbelly team.

The menu comprises Bihari cuisine beyond the usual litti-choka and chicken ishtew (both dishes are obviously present). There is a bounty of “baskets” — of pakodas, paronthas and baggias (stuffed rice flour pockets) — served with various chutneys. Apart from a slew of vegetarian thalis, there is an extensive selection of mutton and seafood as well.

We have the Keema Aloo Chop and the Maithili Thali. The chop comprises crisp aloo cutlets, stuffed with melting minced mutton served with buns and saboodana (tapioca) patties, with a tomato chutney positively fecund with the flavour of raw mustard oil. The thali consists of paneer and mushrooms diced in a creamy gravy, accompanied with cloud-like spinach pooris and ol ki chatni (just like nani makes). It’s not hard to understand the beatific expressions on the faces of our fellow diners. In fact, the menu here is identical to the one at Shahpur Jat outlet, albeit with a few alterations.

“When some bureaucrats came for food trials initially, they said the prices were too high, considering it was in a government space. But the point is we are serving much better food. And ever since we have opened, people have been flocking in, and no one is complaining,” says Sahu, over the low buzz of chatter providing veracity to her statement.

A meal for two costs Rs 800 (approx).
Address: The Potbelly, Plot No. 15, Bihar Niwas, Chanakyapuri
Contact: 9811122764

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