City Food – Chor Bizarre Restaurant, Asaf Ali Road Food Landmarks by The Delhi Walla - October 14, 20240 A classic returns. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Tiffany lamps. Everlasting love songs. Tasty tabak maaz. Affable stewards… it seemed like this Titanic would never hit the iceberg. But it did. The world locked down with the arrival of Covid-19, and so did Chor Bizarre. When the world re-opened, the restaurant didn’t. A closure notice came up on the glass door. The restaurant on Old Delhi’s Asaf Ali Road was part of Hotel Broadway, which too became history. Now, four years later, Chor Bizarre is reopening—this Wednesday—says restaurateur Rohit Khattar, whose company Old World Hospitality owns the restaurant. The hotel’s reopening will follow in the next few months. A pioneering figure in Indian fine dining, the US-educated Rohit inherited the Broadway from his mother Vijaylakshmi Khattar. In 1990, he converted a good part of the guest lounge into a themed restaurant. The name was chosen to assert his passion for collecting old heirloom “kabar” discards from the many chor bazars, the so-called thief markets, of Indian cities. (The hotel building itself is an art deco spectacle, designed in the 1950s by eminent Harvard-educated architect AP Kanvinde.) A quick survey of the restaurant this afternoon shows that almost all the former elements remain intact. The same old bhoole-bhisre gaane are playing on loop. The decor has its familiar madcap curios—the vast eclectic collection was borne out of a lifetime of chor bazar expeditions undertook by Rohit’s wife Rashmi, who is Old World’s design director. The spirally staircase is still here, still going up to nowhere. The 1927 Fiat is parked on the same spot. (The car will be the restaurant’s chaat counter, showcasing the snacks from Old Delhi.) And last but not least, Chor Bizarre’s masala shkianji–served chilled to The Delhi Walla–is as punchy as before. Alterations and additions include a bigger bar, a lengthier menu, and even more curious such as a stately sword stand from Rajasthan. You must ask to be seated at the new Kashmir Table, where the upholstery bears Kashmir’s crewel embroidery. While the restaurant always had regional cuisines from across the country, it was distinguished for its Kashmiri khana. During a rare visit to Delhi, the then Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif arrived “very late night” at the restaurant, demanding the Kashmiri Tarami (so ironic that Rohit’s nana Tirath Ram Amla, who founded the hotel, was born in Muzaffarabad, which is in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir). The place indeed is crammed with memories of its famous regulars. Film actor Shashi Kapoor always asked the waiters to “give me whatever you feel like, but please give from the heart.” New memories are already being made. Rohit and Rashmi (school-time sweethearts, long-time spouses), are currently checking out their newest acquisition. The lovely thing that looks like a piece of fine delicate china, is it a sauce boat? A tea kettle? It is a foot warmer. The collector-couple looks pleased. See photo. FacebookX Related Related posts: City Landmark – Chor Bizarre, Asaf Ali Road City Obituary – Restaurant Captain Shamshad Ahmad, Chor Bizarre, Hotel Broadway City Obituary – Hotel Broadway, Asaf Ali Road City Food – Shabnam Restaurant, Motor Market City Food – Phirni, Around Town