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Journalism of Courage
The Imperial Hotel on Janpath never ceases to amaze me. Step in and you zoom right back to the Raj. The marble-floored corridor, lined with old prints of Colonial India, leads you to the centre, or the Atrium. Natural light filters in through the translucent-domed ceiling, on to the potted palms and quaint cane chairs. At a quiet corner, a liveried waiter serves you Darjeeling tea or coffee. And to make it complete, they’ve started a pastry counter serving a variety of confectionery.
This is a prelude to the pastry shop and the counter is now open only on Saturdays. But a taste of the fare makes one wish it will take permanent shape soon. The fresh slices of cakes and pastries arranged under antique-looking glass domes, take you straight to the pages of Woman and Home or some such old-world British magazine. The cakes are satisfying, chewy, and the fresh taste of butter, brown sugar, in some cases wholemeal flour, is a delightful change from the overdone, products of most five-star patisseries.
The pastry shop also takes orders for larger home deliveries. The rates are extremely reasonable and there’s a range of wholesome sponge cakes like Lemon Cake, Upside Down Apricot, Streasel-Topped Butter Cake (streasel, incidentally, is a topping of brown sugar, honey and flour). These are all Rs 250 a kilo, like the Mocha Walnut cake. A rung higher at Rs 275 a kilo are the more exotic Almond Strawberry and Marble cakes.
The pastry shop also offers chocolate doughnuts (Rs 25 each), with “just the right amount of sweetness and chocolate.” Its other USPs: the most delicious brownies at Rs 200 a kilo; fresh pineapple pastry (Rs 20 a piece) and chicken patties (Rs 30). For parties, orders are taken for creme brulees, souffles, cheesecakes and truffles. So, indulge your sweet tooth and check them out one by one.
Spicy & SucculentThe Bistro Complex at Hauz Khas Village is holding a Kabab and Tawa Festival at its terrace restaurant, Top Of The Village. This is an ideal opportunity for hard-core meat lovers to dig into an unusual range of kababs and curried meats in the moonlit ambience overlooking the Hauz Khas monument. Present, as usual, were the foreign tourists who find the old haveli structure of the Bistro quite a novelty. Rajasthani folk musicians added to the ethnic air.
For starters, one should order from the kabab section all dry items. Then move on to the tawa preparations, which are served in gravy and can be ideally mopped up with naan or tandoori roti. We found the Bhuna Murg Ke Sholey (Rs 250) quite a different and delectable kabab. It consisted of lightly marinated, soft, boneless chicken steaks coated in egg and cooked in tandoor. The Gosht Shahi Kabab (Rs 195) turned out to be a shami kabab wrapped in a fried egg. It is ideal for a spice-lovers, but was a bit dry. The Subz Sheekh Anarkali (Rs 115) is a good choice — these vegetarian seekhs are flavoured, with pomegranate seeds lending a tangy flavour.
The tawa items all weredifferently marinated fish or meat, stirred up on a tawa with gravy. Jhinga Lasuni (Rs 525) was soft and juicy tiger prawns cooked in an onion gravy with a predominant ajwain flavour that goes well with fish. The Bheja Tawa Masala (Rs 230), on the other hand, was strong on fresh black pepper and is sure to be a hit with those who like fiery food.
The Gurda Kaleji (Rs 240) also had a rich and spicy gravy, but the liver and kidney were tender and succulent cooked just the right amount to retain their softness. For a vegetarian choice, we sampled Khumb Tawa Masala (Rs 115), which was button mushrooms cooked in a tomato gravy. The food was meant for those who love rich and spicy flavours, and at the end of the meal and one wished there was a little less of it to be able to savour the well-cooked meals.
Stealing part of the show were the tak-a-tak items. These are cooked on large tawas and pounded with two spatulas creating the tak-a-tak sound. Each serving is flambed in a spectacular manner with a chilli-onion garnish. This rooftop meal is a satisfying experience if you want to have good North Indian food with no compromises made on oil, ghee and spice.
