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

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 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. (Also See: Three restaurants with a special Iftar menu)

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).

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.

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