Rosang Café is a journey of the passion and hard work of a woman who came to Delhi from Mizoram a decade ago with her baby in her lap. She always wanted to give her daughter a good education and exposure to grow in life. Mary Lalboi opted to serve people with food of all the Northeastern States.
New to Delhi, she first started at Safdarjung with a small eatery. Mary recalls, “When a customer asked for water, I used to say ‘Fridge is on the left, go get it’, as my baby used to be in my lap all the time.” That’s a glimpse of the homely environment which Rosang is famous for. Then she shifted to Hauz Khas village market, which made Mary quite popular amongst youngsters. Mary, who was very active on Facebook, started uploading pictures of prominent people who used to visit the café quite often. But as sealing issues cropped up, Mary had to shut Rosang for the second time. But nothing could dent her passion and zeal and now she is back with a much bigger outlet next to the Green Park metro station.
As soon as I entered, I saw Mary sitting in a corner wearing a traditional North Eastern costume. Simple wooden furniture and pictures of the North East make up the ambience. The menu has all the major dishes from the eight States. Chicken dry, fried and stuffed with sesame seeds was my first bite and it impressed me with its flavours and crunchy yet juicy texture. Maroi bora, Manipuri style fritters, with chives from Manipur, also had a very distinct flavour. Tokhan, a chicken curry from Tripura, aksa meh with seasonal herbs, was redolent with flavours and went well with wild rice, a specialty of Rosang. Worth a mention is iromba chutney made out of fish paste which goes well with everything. There are no lamb or mutton dishes on the menu.
Two points to keep in mind: Rosang’s flavours are for people with an evolved palate. Secondly, end your meal with a wild rice kheer whenever you visit Rosang.
Meal for two – Rs.600
