City Food - Jalebi Porn, Old and Famous Jalebi Walan, Chandni Chowk

City Food – Jalebi Porn, Old and Famous Jalebi Walan, Chandni Chowk

The family sweeteners. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] With the sudden closure in July 2015 of the historic Ghantewala confectionery in Old Delhi’s Chandni Chowk, it has become more urgent to record the daily grind of the area’s…

City Obituary - Ghantewala Confectioners (1790-2015), Chandni Chowk

City Obituary – Ghantewala Confectioners (1790-2015), Chandni Chowk

Rest in peace. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone. Prevent the cat from mewing with a juicy bone. It’s dead, it’s dead. The iconic Mughal-era mithai shop Ghantewala in Chandni Chowk…

City Food - Wimpy Burgers, Aurobindo Market

City Food – Wimpy Burgers, Aurobindo Market

The taste of yesterday. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Until October 13 1996, when the golden arches were first raised in the city (in Basant Lok Market), we Delhiwallas were McDonald’s virgins. You can still make a return…

City Food - Keyboard Biryani, Around Town

City Food – Keyboard Biryani, Around Town

Dining by the desktop. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] What does your keyboard likes to eat? The keyboard, as we all know, is the most humane element of the computer. Despite the development of other forms of input…

City Food - Momos, Around Town

City Food – Momos, Around Town

It’s not Tibet. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Monuments and the English language are not the only examples of how effortlessly Delhi handled foreign influences and made them its own. On makeshift stalls in South Extension market, migrants…

City Food – Beef Kebab, Gali Suiwallan

City Food – Beef Kebab, Gali Suiwallan

The man thing. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Can Old Delhi be tasted? Set up by the Mughals, this crammed quarter of filthy lanes and improvised housing remains elusive to all but the most persistent explorers. A touristy…

City Food - Odd High Tea Ritual, Old Delhi

City Food – Odd High Tea Ritual, Old Delhi

The mystery couple. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The pavement tea stalls of Old Delhi are famous—or notorious, according to the individual’s taste—for their extra-sweet, extra-milky, extra-gingery chai. If you are a tea seller’s regular patron or if…

City Food - Tasty Toast, Triveni Tea Terrace

City Food – Tasty Toast, Triveni Tea Terrace

The unchanging indelicacy. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Triveni Tea Terrace in central Delhi’s Mandi House is known for its delicious shami kebab and carrot cake. Another famous item in the menu – Tasty Toast – is believed…

City Food - Honey Ginger Lemon Tea, Appetite German Bakery

City Food – Honey Ginger Lemon Tea, Appetite German Bakery

The divine addiction. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] This city of sweet milky chai has a place that makes this humble drink without the traditional ingredients, and it is still deliciously addictive. The Delhi Walla is talking of…

City Food - Wenger's Cake Shop, Connaught Place

City Food – Wenger’s Cake Shop, Connaught Place

The Capital’s oldest surviving cake shop. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The most beautiful place in Delhi is not Humayun’s Tomb but Wenger’s. The landmark bakery in Connaught Place’s whitewashed A block appears crowded in all seasons, at…