The sins of our fathers.
[Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi]
It is extremely creamy and is embellished with canned pineapple. Its bulwark is of stale white bread. The Kwality Special Pudding is served in a restaurant of the same name.
Opened in 1939 in the Regal Cinema building in Connaught Place, Kwality originated as an ice-cream parlour and went on to specialize in continental and Indian cuisines. It is famed for its chhole bhathure. (One silver-haired patron told me that the standards of this unhealthy and delicious dish remain unchanged.)
But the pudding, priced at Rs 250, could certainly improve itself by being less rich. It could also get better by doing away with canned fruit.
Instead, Kwality Special has stayed loyal to its origins and prides itself in not tempering with its overly sweet flavor, which broke the hearts of an older generation but is nothing more than sugary kitsch to us.
The raisins are generously dispersed across the cream, but the only after-taste you might experience is of milk.
Ah, the unreasonableness of our fathers! And yet, there is something comforting about the endurance of this classic. It survives as a tradition – complete with an industrial cherry on the top – that has still not been allowed to become obsolete. Most likely, we, in our turn, will lovingly pass on this outdated dish to our sons and heirs.
Where 7, Regal Building, Connaught Place Time Noon to 11 pm Nearest Metro Station Rajiv Chowk
The sweet heritage
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