City Food – Chankaya’s Momos, Central Delhi
Proustian experience. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Generations of Delhi people grew up with the magic experience of the old Chanakya movie theatre. If you were very lucky you just could even manage to obtain a front-stall ticket…
City Food – Proust’s Madeleine Cake, Around Town
Experiencing a great novel. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Do you like the madeleine? The little cake makes for the most important scene in In Search of Lost Time, a novel by French author Marcel Proust that is…
City Food – Green Chilli Pakoras, Gurgaon Railway Station
Hot and delicious. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] It is a universally acknowledged truth that food always looks tastier than it truly is to hungry passengers in railway stations waiting for their expresses and mails. So one must…
City Food – Longtime Golgappas, Radhe Radhe Chaat Stall
Explosions of joy. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Just a few years back it was a wildly popular chaat stall, but without a name. Success builds on success. No longer a cart on the pavement, the Radhe Radhe…
City Food – Alam Tea House, Kucha Chelan
Tea oasis. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Musty smelling. Pink walls. Toasted rusks generously smeared with Amul butter. And sweet milky chai. Alam Tea House feels like one of those Walled City chai khanas that must be a…
City Food – White Rasgulla + Double Roti, Around Town
An unusual pairing. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Lalta Prasad has been selling this unusual combo of white rasgulla-and-double roti (white bread) that obviously appeals. As a street vendor he’s hawked the specialty for more than 20 years…
City Food – Vanshas Candy Cart, Sadar Bazaar, Gurgaon
Childhood rekindled. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Some experiences belong to only premillennial childhoods. Like being able to spend, and enjoy, an entire day without the smartphone. Or, being addicted to unbranded candies, mouth fresheners and spicy churans…
City Food – Devi Prasad’s Chai Stall, Paharganj
The ideal tea stop. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Finally found! The pavement chai shop that arguably serves the town’s very best chai. But, first, let’s make something clear. There is no “best” chai shack in Delhi, because…
City Food – Baiju Tea Stall, Naya Bazar, Gurgaon
Bihar calling. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Baiju Tea Stall in Gurgaon’s Naya Bazar has all the romance of standard street-side chai shacks littered across the National Capital Region—the friendly owner, the chipped kettles, the tangy scent of…
City Food – Hazari Lal Jain Khurchan Wale, Kinari Bazaar
Sweet leftover. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Khurchan means ”scraped leftovers” in Hindi. The preparation sounds simple: boil the milk, scrape off the cream as it appears on the top, and eventually mix it with “bhoora”, or powdered…
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