City Food – Roller Wali Ice-Cream, Somewhere in Delhi
A rare summer treat [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Sniff it, this strange vision in pink. The cool intense fragrances rushing out of it hint to apple and mango and possibly kiwi. This is actually fresh ice, infused…
City Food – Five Spots, Gurugram’s Sadar Bazar
5-star culinary tour. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Food tours in Old Delhi—nice, but now such a cliche! Do a food tour in old Gurugram, for a change, especially in Sadar Bazar. And be sure to stop by…
City Food – Game Wali Kulfi, Turkman Gate
Summertime heritage. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Citizen Nizam doesn’t think much of himself. “What is special about me?”—he asks, genuinely perplexed on being photographed. Well, good sir, you happen to be among the last flag-bearers of an…
City Food – Rooh Afza Sherbet, Old Delhi
In cold red. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Delhi’s monuments are usually made of red sandstone. One exception is a red sherbet, its origins tightly entwined into the dense tapestry of Purani Dilli’s rich history. Say salam-namaste to…
City Food – Khajla, Old Delhi
Taste of ramzan. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] A hand reaches out in the night sky, plucks the full moon, plunges it into a cauldron full of hissing hot oil. The moon swells up, turning brown. You may…
City Food – Fig & Honey Ice-Cream, India International Center
Legends of a legend. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] The chef is refusing. He wants the recipe to remain a secret. Chef Vijay Kumar Thukral is a living landmark of Delhi’s iconic India international Center, and the recipe…
City Life – Rajbir & Joseph Stein, Around Town
A tale of two citizens. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] A chilly afternoon briefly brings two citizens into close vicinity. He is a street vendor. He was an architect. Rajbir. Joseph Stein. Rajbir is standing beside a central…
City Food – Gajar ka Gur, Around Town
Like a rare metal. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Gajar ka halwa is red. Because gajar is red. This is the case most of the times. Perhaps you might have heard of white gajar ka halwa. A rare…
City Food – Poet Ghalib’s Daal, Somewhere in Delhi
On the poet’s birth anniversary. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Happy Birthday, Ghalib! You turn 226 today. It’s not easy to crack Delhi’s greatest poet. The most sophisticated Urdu intelligentsia find his poetry formidable, for Mirza Ghalib is…
City Food – Tasty Trinity, Gurgaon
Gaalis in the galis. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] In foggy December, one of the few consolations during the gloomy thandi can be the company of jalebi, pakori and adrak chai. Every pincode in the big wide Delhi…
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