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The truth about Paharganj

The way to a man's heart may be through his stomach, but Rahul Verma knows a few downtown streets as well

ILLUSTRATION: TONY SMITH

These days, I ignore the phone when it rings. For, nothing, clearly, satisfies my friends. When I write about the little eateries in the walled city, the South Delhi-types moan. When I focus on South Delhi, the rest of the city sneers. I thought I had found a way out of it by focusing on Paharganj. But now it seems that even that won't do. Enough of Paharganj, the carping critics tell me. Just move on.

Banquet table

I will, but after I have had my say. Paharganj, for those who came in late, is a veritable banquet table. It has excellent Continental, great desi food and all kinds of world cuisine to offer. And the best thing about Paharganj is that it's pretty much a secret, carefully guarded by those who like their food. Barring a few foodies and sundry tourists, not too many people know about the culinary delights of Paharganj.

This, however, is the last of my Paharganj series, at least for the time being. And this week, we shall do a tour of Malhotra restaurant on Laxmi Narayan Street, in Chuna Mandi.

There was a time, long years ago, when this was a little dhaba. We used to go to Imperial cinema to see a film, and then hop into Malhotra's for a late-night dinner. Malhotra's was just opposite the movie hall, and we loved it for its tasty food. I had a set menu - comprising scrambled paneer, mutton curry and rotis.

Malhotra is now quite a palatial building, but the paneer bhujia (Rs.60), mutton curry (Rs.80) and rotis are still there. But like the building, the menu has expanded over the years. The usual suspects are all there - tandoori chicken (Rs.130), fish tikka tandoori (Rs.120), butter chicken (Rs.225), kali dal (Rs.40) aloo mutter (Rs.40) and so on. But now the restaurant has a Chinese component and a Continental section, too. Apart from the usual sizzlers and steaks (Rs.110 to 150), there are quite a few things you can have for breakfast.

Chips seem to figure prominently at Malhotra's. You can have them plain, with salads, fried eggs, bean and eggs and so on. Likewise, mashed potatoes. For Rs.25, you can have a plate of plain mashed potato; for Rs.40, you can have it with beans and eggs. What I like about Malhotra is the yoghurt section. There is plain curd, papaya curd, pineapple curd, banana curd and so on. And the prices are reasonable - ranging from Rs.15 to 45.

Now that business is booming, Malhotra's has also opened up a new South Indian restaurant called Dosa Please. I haven't been there yet. But perhaps, in my next Paharganj sojourn — don't worry, it will be after a decent interval — I'll tell you all about the Malhotra special dry fruit dosa (Rs.75). Till then, it's goodbye to Paharganj.

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