Haleem Trail: Sarvi, Banjara Hills

Sarvi’s haleem has always been a big favorite of mine. More than a decade ago I remember being invited by a doctor friend of mine from Mehdipatnam to try out their haleem. Since then I have never missed their haleem in any season. They now serve from their Banjara Hills outlet as well as a number of franchisee locations in Hyderabad.

The Sarvi ad in the Times announcing the haleem season

After my visits to Café Bahar,Basheerbagh and Cafe 555, Masab Tank, Sarvi was my next stop. We reached here around 6 pm and found the place very organized. A counter has been set up to sell Haleem tokens which you have to present at the delivery counter to get your booty.

Sarvi is also serving a special haleem (Rs 150) this year apart from the regular one (Rs 120). On querying I was told that the special haleem had extra onions, eggs and nuts.  Though I was tempted to go for it, I decided to try out the regular one.

Standard haleem at Sarvi

The first thing which struck me when I had the plate of haleem in my hand was the aroma of ghee in it. Sarvi had surely added extra ghee while serving the haleem. The other garnishings were much less than the Cafe 555 one I had, but that is expected since they have a higher priced special category offering this. The meat to wheat ratio was fine, and the spices were just alright. I was unlucky enough to receive a big sized bone in my plate, which effectively reduced the quantity of haleem. Though the taste of meat, ghee and spices were distinctively coming through, I felt that less fried onions, mint and no nuts handicapped the overall satisfaction.

The special haleem counter set up for Ramzan

I would definitely visit this place yet again. However, the special haleem at Rs 150 would be a better choice as they add more garnishing here. Unlike most of the other restaurants selling Haleem, they do not promise adding extra meat or anything fancy in their special version. The family pack which they say is good for 5 people is priced at Rs 450.

Location:  Sarvi is situated in a lane opposite CARE hospital on Road No 1, Banjara Hills

Disclaimer: The feedback and ratings are based on sampling on a particular day. In many such outlets taste is not consistent, and varies from day to day and branch to branch.


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Soda Bottle Opener Wala : Parsi Cuisine in Gurgaon

Soda Bottle Opener Wala (SBOW), which has recently opened in Cyber Hub, Gurgaon, is one of the two restaurants in Delhi NCR serving Parsi cuisine (the other being Parsi Anjuman). Not only has this restaurant managed to bring back the slowly fading Parsi cuisine to a huge population but also has earned a lot of goodwill through their much acclaimed Berry Pulao. With a fast service and trained and knowledgeable waiters, this place is one of the finest restaurants for a meal.

The décor of SBOW is a bit different than the usual restaurants; they have put a lot of random things which gel together unusually well to create a fantastic atmosphere. As soon as you enter, you are greeted by a counter on the left housing cookies and nankhatais which are kept in large glass jars just like the ones you see in the Irani cafes all over Mumbai. There are funny and witty Parsi quotes on every wall along with several antique items such as the rotary dialer telephone, miniature World War fighter jets and large cameras to keep you occupied throughout the meal. The restaurant also has a pool table for the ones who want to stretch a leg and play a game.

Though their menu is not extremely vast, they serve a variety of the Parsi specialities like Sali Ma Marghi, Patrani Machhi, Egg Kejriwal and Bhendi Bazaar Sheekh Parantha. They also have a blackboard on which rules and regulations of the place are written along with the specials of the day.

Patrani Machhi (before opening)

Patrani Machhi (after opening)

The first thing we tried was the Patrani Machhi, which is essentially steamed fish wrapped in banana leaf. It is one of the most popular Parsi dishes and is made to perfection in SBOW. Though the fish used should be pomfret, due to the restrictions on fishing of Pomfret during certain seasons, SBOW uses the Basa fish instead. Cooked in a green marinade, the Basa was slightly more fibrous than usual with a peculiar smell but the green marinade tasted really good.

Next up was Marghi na Farcha, the Parsi version of fried chicken. Though originally it is served with bone, SBOW makes the boneless version.  Coated with spices and red colour, the chicken is extremely soft and succulent, tasting better than any of the foreign versions of fried chicken.

Berry Pulao

The Berry Pulao is the most popular item in SBOW menu and sells like hot cakes. No matter what time you go, you can always find at least one serving of Berry Pulao being ordered on each table. The concept of Berry Pulao is quite fascinating too as it mixes the sweetness of the berries with the masala in the pulao. Topped with cashews and coriander leaves, this dish is a bit over-hyped but tasty nonetheless.

Bhendi Bazaar ka Sheekh Parantha

One of the oldest markets in Mumbai, Bhendi Bazaar is known for selling Muslim street food much like Delhi’s Jama Masjid, only on a much larger scale. Aptly named after the famous market, the SBOW sheekh kebab is delightfully soft and melts in the mouth while the crispy parantha makes you want to eat more.

Sali Ma Marghi with Pav

The Sali Ma Marghi and Kheema Pav are other specialities worth trying here. Sali Ma Marghi is a light tomato based chicken curry served with fine fried matchstick potatoes on top while the Kheema Pav is more of a masala gravy with sliced onions and lemon. Both the dishes are extremely well made and have the right amount of spice and consistency. The pavs were a bit different from the ones you get in the Irani Cafes.

Kheema Pav

From the desserts, we tried the Lagan nu Custard. Thick and creamy, the Lagan nu Custard is traditionally served in parsi wedding feasts and is basically a rich caramel custard with chironji seeds, almonds and raisins.

Lagan Nu Custard

Meal for two persons – Rs 1200/-

Address : 3, CyberHub,
DLF Cyber City,
Gurgaon

Telephone : 0124 6518801

Also See: Soda Bottle Opener Wala, Khan Market

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Haleem Trail: Cafe 555, Masab Tank

In 2013, the Hyderabadi haleem which was much sought after was that of Café 555. Tucked in a lane close to the Masab Tank flyover, this outlet had such a great word of mouth publicity by satisfied customers that towards the end of the season there used to be quite a queue there.

Cafe 555 Haleem Counter

Fortunately this year Café 555 has started offering their signature dish well before the Ramzan period. After last week’s not so satisfactory experience in another outlet, I did not waste time and raided the place at 5:30 pm on a weekday.
Though dusk was still quite some time away, a motley crowd had already gathered to taste the haleem. A plate of standard haleem this year is being offered at Rs 120. We immediately got hold of a plate and sat down to devour it. The haleem looked enticing garnished with cashew, mint, fried onions and liberal amount of ghee, as well as a piece of lime.

Haleem at Cafe 555

One spoon of this stuff, and I felt elated. The haleem here is on the spicier side, with an uniform consistency and perfect ratio of wheat and meat. The mutton bones were very few and the mutton in the haleem was adequate and soft. The aroma of the ghee and spices was pervading all over. I can safely say that the haleem here this year is definitely of the same high standard as last year.

A large container of ghee which is added to the haleem while serving

One word of caution though – some of you who like your haleem to be bland may find this a bit too spicy.

For the more adventurous food lovers Café 555 also has a special haleem (Rs 200) which has jabaan (goat’s tongue)  and few pieces of Chicken 65 added to it.  Though I normally prefer haleem in its original avatar, I was told by the person at the counter to come back soon and try out the special haleem here. Larger packs for take home are also available.

Cafe 555

Rating: 4/5

Location:  Café 555 is very close to Masab Tank flyover. From Masab Tank Flyover take the road which proceeds towards Banjara Hills. Café 555 is inside the first lane to your left.

Disclaimer: The feedback and ratings are based on sampling on a particular day. In many such outlets, taste is not consistent and varies from day to day and branch to branch.

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The Haleem Trail

In Hyderabad, a large section of the food lover population waits patiently for the Holy month of Ramzan, with a totally different perspective. The famous Hyderabadi Haleem, is widely available only during this month. The well-known Haleem outlets in town compete with each other to prepare the most admired haleem in town. In the evenings crowds throng these places and jostle with one another for tasting this dish.

This Ramzan season, Foodaholix brings Haleem Trail - a series of short reviews of the places serving Haleem in Hyderabad.

Haleem : Overview About The Delicacy

Haleem Trail 1. Cafe Bahar, Basheerbagh

Haleem Trail 2: Cafe 555, Masab Tank

Haleem Trail 3: Sarvi, Banjara Hills

Haleem Trail 4: Hotel Green Park, Begumpet

Haleem Trail 5: Paradise Hotel Secunderabad

Haleem Trail 6: Shadab, Banjara Hills

Haleem Trail 7: Pista House

Haleem Trail 8: Shah Ghouse

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Haleem Trail: Cafe Bahar, Basheerbagh

From the last year, a few places have started serving haleem a couple of weeks ahead of Ramzan. This year two iconic restaurants started serving haleem from the Shab E Barat night. On seeing an advertisement in the Times of India, I landed up in Café Bahar, Hyderguda to have a first go at haleem this year.

Cafe Bahar lit up for Ramzan

The restaurant was specially lit up for the special season. Haleem this year was priced at Rs 90 for a single plate and Rs 450 for a family pack (which they say can serve 6 people).

I immediately went and purchased a token and within a few minutes the plate of haleem was handed over. The dish was well garnished with mint leaves, fried onions and a piece of lemon. As I retreated into a corner and dug into the dish, I was very disappointed. The dish was rich in spice and low on meat. In fact it was mostly bones and no meat. The taste of wheat so overbearing that almost tasted like wheat porridge.. Ghee was also less. Overall the balance in the dish was completely missing.

Single plate of haleem

I had also got a takeaway version for my home, and my wife gave a similar feedback. I had been a fan of their haleem over the years, and sincerely hope that they do something to improve the taste – change the meat-wheat balance and add more ghee. I tried giving the feedback to the guy on the counter, but the feedback was brushed aside and not taken positively.

Normally the trend in some restaurants is that they serve their best haleem in the beginning of the season and quality goes down as the month progresses. But Café Bahar disappointed me from the word ‘go’.

Location: From under Basheerbagh flyover, take the road which goes towards Ramkote. Café Bahar is in a lane on the left side, barely 200 metres from the flyover

Disclaimer: The feedback and ratings are based on sampling on a particular day. In many such outlets taste is not consistent, and varies from day to day and branch to branches.
                 

Back To : Haleem Trail Index

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A Traveler's Food Diary - Jama Masjid, Delhi

When you talk to any street food lover of Delhi, an area which gets repeatedly mentioned is Jama Masjid. A heaven for non-vegetarians, the place has more than a hundred street food stalls.

A stall selling kababs near Jama Masjid

I had been to the redoubtable Karims during my earlier trips. However this time we wished to try out the smaller joints. With inputs from foodie friends such as blogger Chowder Singh, we started our food journey.

Bilal Hotel 

Our first stop was at Urdu Bazar. Enter the Matia Mahal lane past Karims and Al Jawahar and soon you are at Bilal Hotel. It is one of the best places for the famous Delhi Nihari, the meat dish which is slow cooked for hours.

Nihari at Bilal

In Bilal a plate of Beef Nihari costs you Rs 40. The stew is served with a large piece of boneless meat and is garnished with a piece of lemon and rounds of green chili. The meat is extremely tender and the gravy is quite spicy. It tasted divine with the soft tandoori rotis. During our discussions, I have been told the Haji Noora and Kallu’s which are a few blocks away serve as good nihari too. A friend had suggested that I visit the bylanes of Nizamuddin but we were completely satisfied by what we had in Bilal.

Aslam's Cream Butter Chicken

A few shops away on the same road is Aslam Chicken Centre, with a huge signage on top, so that it is not difficult to locate. Aslam serves Butter Cream Chicken. Chicken pieces are put on skewers and prepared on a coal grill. It is then dipped and served on a bed of cream and butter based sauce.  As they bring the dish to you, the aroma of butter overpowers you and the succulent pieces are polished off in no time. A huge crowd had already gathered there at 7 pm and the staff literally runs around fulfilling the orders. A small plate of eight pieces costs a paltry Rs 60.

Boti kababs at Lalu Kababee

I got talking to the person at the counter, and after hearing that we were sampling various small establishments here, he redirected me to Lalu Kababi at Urdu Bazar. As you turn into Urdu Bazar from Matia Mahal, you are virtually in kabab land. At least 10 to 15 vendors sell their versions of kebabs on the street – boti, seekh, shammi and chicken. Lalu Kababi is a small kiosk on the street where seekh and boti kebabs are being prepared on charcoal fire. A plate of Boti Kebab (Rs 40) has four skewers of 5 pieces each. There is no place to sit, and a crowd is devouring kababs on the street itself. I was slightly disappointed with the quality though – the kababs were not soft enough and slightly burnt too.

Seekh kababs on the charcoal grill

Our next stop was down the same road -  Seekh Kababs at Qureshi Kabab Corner. One Buffalo Seekh Kabab served with onions, a green chutney and a white chutney costs Rs 15. The buffalo mince was grilled to perfection and the kabab was extremely soft and delicious. Qureshi specializes in seekh kababs, claiming to be the best on the street. However the kababs on display in the neighboring shops looked just as inviting.

Qureshi's Seekh kababs

Our final stop after all these starters was for dinner at Al Jawahar as planned. But sadly, both of us were quite full by that time. We wanted to order multiple items but settled for Butter Chicken with tandoori rotis. The Butter Chicken was quite different from regular Delhi fare with a thick onion based gravy and butter sprinkled on top. It was a good finale to our sojourn and as we enjoyed a rickshaw ride to Chawri Bazar Metro station, both of us were satiated and content.

Chicken Masala at Al Jawahar

As per my estimate it will need at least three visits to Jama Masjid area to savour all the delicacies there.  Few of the places on my list which we could not visit were Anmol Chicken Centre on Urdu Bazar, BabuBhaiKabab Wale in MatiaMahal, and the niharis from Kallu and Haji Sharbati in Daryaganj. A good enough reason to plan another Delhi trip pretty soon.

Location: Urdu Bazar Road is the lane running along Jama Masjid near gate number 1. The Matia Mahal lane originates perpendicular to the Urdu Bazar Road around the same gate.

To reach this place on metro, get down at Chawri Bazar Metro Station, and proceed by walk or rickshaw. It is about half a kilometer from the Metro Station. Tell the rickshaw guy you want to go to Karims. That is the location where Matia Mahal lane starts.

Also read: Breakfast at Karim

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Dana Choga's Kitchen : A Home, Away From Home

Dana Choga's Kitchen is a chain of QSR (Quick Service Restaurants) which assures to provide the same quality and service as that of their famous restaurant in Gurgaon. Though it doesn't deliver fast food like burgers or fried chicken, Dana Choga's Kitchen manages to remain a QSR purely by their discipline. All their chefs and waiting staff are specially trained and hence are an expert at making and delivering tasty dishes in a jiffy. They even have an assured '45 mins. or free' delivery rule which is SMS regulated ensuring quality service for the price paid.

The name Dana Choga is derived from the Hindi word 'daana chugna' which refers to the birds pecking food grains which are thrown out to them in traditional Indian homes to feed them. Anukul, the owner of this chain and a graduate from Carnegie Mellon University has taken it upon himself to expand Dana Choga's Kitchen to every nook and corner of Delhi NCR ensuring consistency in service and quality with every new restaurant. With a capacity of 20-30 people, the decor of each outlet is simple but bright. Though the ambience is pretty minimalistic, they maintain authenticity by serving food in steel utensils which gives a "Home, Away From Home" feeling.

Paneer Tikka Makhmali

We started off with their kebabs first. The Paneer Tikka Makhmali is a must try. The texture was perfect; not only was it soft and velvety as advertised but we could also taste the masala inside the tikkas. Another dish which was impressive was the Soya Achari Tikka; the Soya was spiced up with a pickled gravy which is tangy and beautifully complements the sweetness of the Makhmali kebab.

Soya Achari Tikka

Amongst the non-vegetarian kebabs, the Afghani, Malai and the Reshmi kebab were all marinated in the same masala but had subtle differences which made them unique. The Malai kebab was cream marinated and had mild spices while the Reshmi had an egg coating. The Afghani was basically Reshmi kebab with full boned chicken bodies. The Tandoori Chicken was spicy and contrasted the taste of the creamy kebabs. However, we felt that the taste could have been better as the chicken was a bit dry and might have spent a bit too much time in the tandoor.

Reshmi Kebab

Afghani Chicken

Next, we moved onto the curries and paranthas.

Veg Makhanwala was the non paneer vegetarian version of Butter Chicken. With an assortment of vegetables, the dish was sweet but had optimum amount of spices to tickle the taste buds. Another dish which was good was the Paneer Adraki Dhaniya. The gravy had a flavour of ginger and the marination had seeped into the large but soft paneer pieces making it a delightful treat with the lachha paranthas. One thing common among all the dishes was that it was evident that they were prepared in pure desi ghee.

Veg Makhanwala

Paneer Dhaniya Adraki

The Chicken Chatkara which is a signature dish of DCK has a unique concept of putting whole onions, soaked in vinegar, in a spicy chicken gravy flavored with curry leaves. Not only does this give a tangy flavour to the curry but also manages to surprise the customer as he gets a varying degree of tanginess with each bite.

Chicken Chatkara

Chicken Kebab Masala is chicken tikkas put in a medium spicy curry. The dish tasted exquisite as it had the smoky flavour of the tikkas and the rich taste of the gravy.

Chicken Kebab Masala

The Rampuri Parantha which is made of red chillies - degi mirch, is one of DCK's signature dishes. Spicy yet tasty, it forms an extremely good combo with their Dal Makhni which is made with pure ghee. The Dal is quite filling by itself and has a creamy thick consistency.

Rampuri Parantha

Dal Makhani

The Mutton Rogan Josh was a slight bit disappointing. The Kashmiri Pandit preparation dictates that the dish be sweetish with a tinge of spiciness which hits you on the way down. However, the preparation here was pretty spicy which came at the expense of the sweetness. When we called the Chef and made this remark, he wanted to change the dish immediately but we were too full to eat another morsel so had to call it quits.

Mutton Rogan Josh

To combat the summer heat, DCK has also launched Gatta-gat drinks. There are two main flavours - Java and Mango. Java is a Jamun flavored tangy cooler while the Mango was sweet with a masala rich pulp. Though the drinks were watered-down, they were extremely refreshing.

Mango Gatta Gat

Java Gatta Gat

The restaurant also serves extremely affordable meals majorly for the college crowd. Priced as cheap as Rs. 99/- and served with Dal Makhani, Rotis and a Curry, the packaged meal is more than filling for a single person.

Meal for two persons – Rs 400/-

Address : 19, North West Avenue,
Club Road, Punjabi Bagh,
New Delhi

Telephone : 0124 6622333

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