Delhi is popular for its street food culture. It has its own variety of foods. The people of Delhi love food and want masala in their life – in their food. Delhi is the city where people are not ashamed to have roadside food whether they are moneybags or not. Mouth-watering items such as gol gappa and dahi bhalle put a tangy taste in the hectic life of metropolitans.
In Delhi there are lots of places where people can go to have street food, some of which are quite popular. But a few places not in the limelight serve good food , but the public cannot enjoy these as they aren’t very well known. With this in mind I found a few places, which need some attention from street food lovers. Nowadays the young are fond of small eateries, which provide good food at cheap prices and where one can chitchat for hours. If you are looking for such a place, you must visit these hidden gems.
One place which must be visited is ‘Laxman Fast Food’, a roadside dhaba located in Qutab Institutional area. Opposite Indian Institute Of Foreign Trade, South Delhi.
A big Ranbir Kapoor poster welcomes you to the open roadside seating area, which is adjacent to a cremation ground (shamshan ghat). The location can give you goosebumps.
This place has been here for the last 14-15 years; initially it was a very small place where people could have tea, aggie and some bread omelette. It was started by Mr. Laxman, and is now run by Ishant, his nephew. I want to know how this dhaba manages to ward off competition from several other dhabhas that have opened in the vicinity. “What do you feel makes people flock to your dhaba over others, what is your speciality? ” I inquire.
A big Ranbir Kapoor poster welcomes you to the open roadside seating area, which is adjacent to a cremation ground (shamshan ghat). The location can give you goosebumps.
To this, he replies “Every thing is special over here, but the paranthas are the most popular.” He further adds that the fact that we have more customers could also be attributed to luck.
When I look over the menu I see some odd names like ‘Sexy Paneer and Sexy Chicken’, curious I ask Ishant the story behind such names. “There was a cook Shah ji who used to make these dishes and he was the one who named them such. After his death, we have continued with these names in his honour.” he replies.
After this, I had a conversation with the crowd, and asked them what they felt about the place.
Akash, a student of IIFT replied “This place is kind of a lifeline for the students and it is popular amongst them as its located in vicinity of the college. So most of the crowd you find here are the students. This place is also easy on the pocket.”
“Well it’s a life savior in the night when you are really hungry. It is not very lavish but food tastes good.” opined Ananya, another student.
I tried their mixed parantha with a cup of tea, both of which were really good. I also had the biryani, which was very spicy.
My next visit was to ‘Teasta the tea shop’, which is located in the Godawari complex in Sector 37, Noida. It’s a small tea shop which purveys a wide variety of tea and coffee as well as serving snacks, to accompany the beverages. There is no seating area and people need to stand around the place holding the beverages in their hand.
In a city, where coffee has become the essential drink, Teasta has managed to attract a sizeable following. The modest size of the tea shop, youngsters sipping tea and eating snacks, incessant voices of people chatting and sound of laughter accompanied with the aroma of tea, creates a perfect atmosphere for this tea shop. Run by Capt.V.K.Mehra (Retd.) since 1995, Teasta was the first store on the speciality tea shop concept set up in the NCR region. After retiring from the army in 1968, Mr. Mehra worked with some tea plantations in Assam and West Bengal.
‘’My wife started the shop a year before I retired from the army. Initially Teasta was operated form the garage of my residence in sector 37, until it was shifted to its current location. ‘’ Said Mehra. With this he added he procures the tea directly from tea gardens.
Not only are youngsters or office goers attracted to this place, but I can se that it also lures older people.
“This place never disappoints me. A must visit place with your friends especially when weather is nice. I loved their chicken momos and hazelnut coffee. The Muffins are also nice” says Priyanka, a regular patron.
Teasta offers variety of tea such as CTC’s, Green Tea, Darjeeling Tea, Jasmine Green Tea, Ice Tea etc. So if you are a tea lover, then you must visit this place.
If you want to refresh your soul and mind after the hectic schedule of your daily life or you just want to hang out with your friends. These places must be visited.
Easy on pocket, with a variety of dishes and beverages, they have quality as well as quantity, and what else anyone wants?