The University of Delhi is not what it used to be. I am not talking about the many ups and downs it has been witnessing in the recent past –– though, of course, those are worrying signs of changing times. I am referring to the area around the university. There was a time when there were just a few shops and houses in the neighbourhood. Then Kamla Nagar started changing, and now it’s a food hub like no other.
Even some years ago, Kamla Nagar was known only for a few good eating places though those were so good that they were always bursting at the seams. One of them was Chacha, whose chhole bhaturey was to die for. Then there was Billa, who gave us the most delicious puri chhole and lassi. And, of course, there was Sharma Restaurant, where you could have a meal for a few rupees, and where you got the most authentic home-like vegetarian dishes, such as stuffed bitter gourd and bhindi ki sabzi. Sharma has closed down, but the Vaishnav Chaat Bhandar opposite the eatery is still going strong.
But the biggest changes have taken place around Bungalow Road and Vijay Nagar. My friends who live in the area or whose offspring study in DU have been telling me about various kinds of food that you get there –– Northeast Indian, Chinese, European and so on. A foodie friend teaching in a DU college told me about two places –– Ricos and Big Yellow Door (BYD), which has an outlet in Satya Niketan, too –– and urged me try them out. The other day I finally went to BYD, and was most impressed by the food and the place.
You’ll spot BYD’s big yellow door if you turn right at the crossing after Miranda House on your way to the Arts Faculty. It’s a small place, but with tables and chairs set inside. A huge crowd stands outside, waiting to be seated. It serves baked dishes, pastas, burgers, pizzas and salads, apart from desserts and shakes. My friend, Harsh, and I went there to bring some food back to his house in Mall Road. And since they have a teenage daughter, we ordered everything we could think of –– pasta, burgers and grills. And what a nice meal we had!
I asked for a stuffed chicken breast in a fresh herb sauce (Rs.175), served with fries and grilled vegetables. Then there was a simple chicken burger (Rs.75). The BYD cheese BOMB burger –– with a double patty and lots of cheese –– was for Rs.130. Harsh is a potato freak, so he wanted a juicy burger with potato (you can have it with a chicken jalapeno patty, too), for Rs.65. And the teenager wanted butter chicken pasta (yes, yes, what do you do about the young?).
My chicken grill was excellent. The veggies were fresh and crunchy, the chicken breast was tender, and the sauce was buttery. The BOMB burger, I learnt, was superb –– with soft buns enveloping a spicy and crisp patty, with a layer of cheese. I made fun of the butter chicken pasta, but when the niece wasn’t looking, I tried it out and found that it was rather nice. The pasta had soaked in the flavours of a well cooked butter chicken.
BYD is a symbol of the changing times, when Sharma Restaurant gives way to the food demands of the young. I like what it serves, and hope to go back there for seconds. But I will be happier still if Sharma comes back one day, and bharwa karela and grilled chicken live happily ever after –– together.
Add: Vijay Nagar, Delhi
Tel: 7042294299
