Restaurant Review: Delhi's Khan Chacha

So I was told that this place serves the best biryani in Delhi with the most authentic mutton biryani and sheek kebabs. I got to go and see for myself. Khan Chacha is the restaurant in question. There are several branches in Delhi and I was at the one near Connaught Place and we were in for a pleasant surprise. The restaurant is a small shop with an upper deck to take your plate and munch on. As it was a self serviced eatery, there were not many people pushing you around. Once we found a table to sit down, we looked at the menu and decided to try the biryani and the famed sheek kebabs. 

Even the Aam Admi comes here for the kebabs

The decor was done up well with contemporary look and minimalist approach. The relish was the pictures of the celebrities who frequented the place and almost everyone I know has been here. The awards from the foodie world (most of them) had given a high rating and were proudly displayed behind the cashier. Once you have placed your order they foood was made fresh in the kitchen and you could see through the glass. I liked the simple kitchen and by keeping the product offering to a fixed menu, they were able to churn out multiple dishes and service many people.

A hygienic kitchen where fresh food is made to order

The taste was very similar to the Mughalai style and was slightly bland for my taste (I like it with a lot of spices and masalas) but the texture of the kebab was consistent, was dripping with its juices and served hot. The magical dish was the mutton biryani and was delicious. I was glad we had come there as I could taste probably one of the oldest recipes in India for the Mughalai mutton biryani. 

Apart from the non-vegetarian dishes like fish tikka, paneer tikka, chicken tikka you also have a vegetarian paneer tikka, aloo tikka and vegetarian biryani and the rolls are the best sellers. The recipes are passed down from generations when Mr. Khan who started the restaurant in a small shop and grew to what it is today.  Salim and Javed are Khan Chacha's sons who are running the show now and I should say, quite successfully. 

Mutton Sheek Kebab

The Delhi crowd likes it as they are serious about the quality and freshness while being true to the authentic taste of Delhi. The Kebab is the showstopper with its softness, flavours, masala, appropriate chewiness achieved with the right amount of marination. 

I liked the way they adopted the modern fast food culture to an Indian restaurant where they have a self service system as it helps in reducing the burden on service and is loved by the college crowd. If you are Delhi, you must drop in and taste their Kebabs.

Ratings:
Ambiance: 4/5
Parking: Street
Food: 4/5
Taste: 4/5
Cost: 4/5 (about 12$ for two)

For more restaurant reviews click here.

Mövenpick and the art of Swiss Ice cream

What happens when there is a passion for gastronomy and you have the resources to access the best of nature? Now add in the legendary Swiss perfection and you have one of the best food brands in the world. And when you know that their ice cream is one of the finest in the world, you don't mind traveling 10 kilometers for over 3 hours in jam packed Bangalore traffic on a rainy day, especially when it was one of the highest rains of the year. 

We were invited by Blogger's Club for an exclusive preview tasting of Mövenpick ice creams at their flagship store at Lavelle Road, Bangalore and it was truly a delight.

Mövenpick's products are made from all natural ingredients without artificial additives, flavorings or colors! With this all natural policy they have developed several innovations over the years, ever since they started in 1948 by Ueli Prager, with a philosophy that - “doing simple things in an extraordinary way”. 

The Movenpick ice cream boutique is the only third outlet in India (with 300 outlets across the world) and is targeted at the affluent consumer base and the ‘newly conscious of natural products’ young adults. Dennis Koorey (Country Business Manager) flew in from Australia to oversee the launch and was also our guide for the day as we explored the various flavours they had to share!

Fresh baked hot Belgian waffles served with Movenpick Swiss Chocolate Ice Cream and Stracciatella ice cream

The colors are slightly different from what you see outside, Dennis explained, as we use only natural fruits from each country and then ship them to Switzerland where the ice cream is made in the central factory and then the finished product is shipped back to the market. So you can be sure about the quality, taste and the texture of all the ice creams to be the same. 

Spiced Viennese Coffee with a strong hint of cinnamon

All Mövenpick recipes are only made out of carefully selected natural ingredients that are processed in a clearly defined manner. Exclusive food treatment procedures have been developed with all their suppliers to ensure that there is no chemical additive in the ingredients. Only natural starches are used as thickeners in fruit preparations and lemon juice replaces citric acid. 100% fruit and vegetable concentrates and/or extracts are used for colour which retains their natural colour. 

Peach Melba with Vanilla ice cream, poached peaches drizzled with raspberry sauce garnished with whipped cream, ripe peaches

Swiss Chocolate Obsession with a Stracciatella ice cream. Watch out for their chocolate sauce and shavings.

Raspberry Sparkling Sorbet

What you should not miss is their Swiss chocolate ice cream. This is their best selling of all flavours across the world! It is like a perfectly layered ice cream with sheets of fine Swiss chocolate in between sponges of soft ice cream that keep bursting in to your palette as you bite in to it. The coned caramel delight version won my heart too. 

Tiger and Dennis Koorey

You must visit them at 4/1-1 Lavelle Road, Lavelle Heights, Near Vittal Mallya Road, Bangalore, India 560001 or call  080-41679720 

Website: http://www.moevenpick-icecream.com

For more pictures, visit our facebook page.

Tiger's ratings:

Ambiance: 4/5

Product spread: 4/5

Value for money: 4/5

Taste: 4.5/5