Bukhara, the iconic restaurant at ITC Maurya New Delhi, recently celebrated 45 years of success, and I had the pleasure of joining the festivities. As I immersed myself in the celebration, one question lingered on my mind: Is Bukhara truly the most iconic restaurant in India? Bukhara undoubtedly claims this title when considering factors like its illustrious list of state head visitors and its perpetually bustling ambiance that doesn’t even entertain reservations. With a menu that has seen minimal changes over four and a half decades, eschewing cutlery in favor of a hands-on dining experience ..read more

In the era of millets and a focus on organic foods, one area that has seen little change is non-vegetarian consumption. Unfortunately, the quality of meats consumed has declined in terms of nutritional content. Where our forefathers consumed free-range chicken and fish, today we consume artificially bred, space-constrained birds and animals. They are fed chemicals for faster growth, their feed is no longer natural, and in some cases, even the color of the meat is artificially enhanced. During a recent visit to the beautiful Rajghat dam on the border of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, interac ..read more

I asked Aishwarya, the owner of Zanzi by Dramz at Mehrauli, for the meaning of the word ‘Zanzi’. She smilingly replied that it means ‘unique’. Zanzi by Dramz offers a unique take on a Japanese restaurant. The interior features a deliberately tattered and distressed look on the walls, portraits of English emperors, large chandeliers, loung-ish sofas that may be a bit uncomfortable, and camera-style lamps, setting it apart from other Japanese restaurants I have visited. On the food front, there are some distinctive elements as well. For example, we were served an amuse-bouche that included Kai ..read more

There is something truly special about enjoying a meal crafted by home chefs. Perhaps it’s the freshness of their ingredients, or maybe it’s the unique recipes they bring to the table. Most importantly, it could be the love and care they infuse into their cooking, as the saying goes, “your emotions reflect in your food.” For over a decade, I have been a strong advocate for the work of home chefs, a passion that led me to establish The Big F Awards around 11 years ago. This platform aimed to recognize and celebrate the culinary talents of home chefs and bakers, providing them with a well-deserv ..read more

With a history going back to 1931, which any restaurant would die for, the iconic Kake Da Hotel at Connaught Place, New Delhi’s colonnaded shopping-cum-commercial destination, needs no introduction. Its loyal following swears by its authentic Punjabi spread, but the long queues and the cramped space often deter potential diners. To avoid the crowds, and have a meal in comfort, I recently visited the restaurant’s relatively new outlet in Gurugram, which has been serving patrons for about six months. One of the first things I noticed about this outlet was that it is more spacious than its origi ..read more

To celebrate the special occasion of my wife’s birthday, we chose to dine at Cena Pranzo located in the Grand Hyatt Gurgaon. The restaurant, which translates to “dinner” and “lunch” in Italian, offers fine dining Italian cuisine for both lunch and dinner. With a seating capacity of over 60 guests, the restaurant provides a sophisticated indoor and alfresco seating. We began our evening with cocktails, noting that at Rs1050, Cena Pranzo’s cocktails are competitively priced compared to the straight alcohol; perhaps they want to showcase their cocktails. Complimentary bread platters accompani ..read more

Gone are the days when restaurants were just eating out places. Today they serve as destinations to enjoy good food and drinks apart from entertainment. This could be in the form of games, sufi music, stand up comedy or even as a dancing venue. In our Facebook group, Gurgaon Food Freak, I have read many queries regarding people wanting to enjoy food along with ghazals and Qavalli but there weren’t any options that I could think of. Finally, there is a restaurant called Qavalli at Worldmark Aerocity. We went to Qavalli along with another couple on a Friday night. These qavalli nights happen eve ..read more

For Sunday dinner, as a family we went out to Dhansoo Cafe at Ambience Mall. With my daughters becoming much busier than me, this is pretty rare these days. This is my 3rd or 4th visit to Dhansoo Cafe and I must say that they serve some amazing food. Starting from the complimentary bun-maska (you just can’t but love them) to their cocktails, almost everything was amazing. I must also mention that their special cocktails at Rs395 are pretty pocket friendly as well. We started with bhutte ki kees. This Indori special dish was served in a pav bhaji style. Buttery, creamy and that sweet flavo ..read more

Fish market at Abudhabi is a place that sells amazingly fresh seafood. One also has an option to get it cooked at nearby restaurants and eat them there at AED 15/kg (approx Rs325). We picked up jumbo prawns, sea bass, lobster and local fish called hamour. Prawns and sea bass delighted. We asked for lobster to be cooked in butter garlic. But the people conversing with us were from Egypt they didn’t understand. What we got was lobster in very mild garlic sauce. It wasn’t bad but not what we were expecting. We were slightly overcharged on the cooking and my friends mentioned tha ..read more

One thing that I watch most on YouTube and Facebook is videos about Pakistani food. I can’t travel to Pakistan given our diplomatic relations. However, I have eaten few Pakistani dishes, courtesy some chefs including Osama Jalali. And that is why Pakistani Kadai was on my mind when I visited UAE. Someone suggested Ravi restaurant in Dubai and we went there for lunch today. Pronounced as ‘Raavi’, it is a popular Pakistani restaurant located in the Old Dubai area called Karama. Serving almost 400-500 guests from a 50 seater restaurant speaks highly of their efficiency. On request I could even v ..read more