The second Go Foodiezz outlet in South India is right here in the capital city. Something to build an appetite for those craving the authentic flavours of North Indian street food – read the perfect crunch when biting into that paani puri. That they also have the softest paneer and the fluffiest tandoor roti only comes second. There’s no making sense of the zany names of their dishes till you’ve tried them.
Proprietor C. Padma couldn’t wait till she finished her management degree to give wings to her entrepreneurial skills. The menu has already found a steady stream of loyalists, some even placing the same order every day. “One of our customers orders Cottage Cheese Salsarozzz and Chow-merican Chopsuey daily for dinner,” says Padma’s brother Venkatraman who is managing the restaurant with his aunt Radha while Padma completes her course in Bangalore.
The menu has a drool-worthy list of appetisers in generous portions as well as platters. These include chaats –something that’s long been missing in the city’s street food culture. “Our biggest assurance comes from North Indian customers who tell us it is just like the chaats they have back home,” says Radha. Platters allow customers to choose between chaats such as Dahi Gappazz, Papdi Poppers and Go! Gappazz. As I work my way through the dishes on the menu, head chef C.P. Varma’s skills become apparent. Go Foodiezz is a chain popular for quirky combinations and fusion dishes through Indo-Chinese, Mexican and the like. “It was the Honey Chilli Potatozz that won me over,” Radha confesses. Venkatraman says he recommends the lemon and coriander soup whenever possible as it isn’t a regular feature on menus in the city. There’s also pakoras and tikkas with the Indo fusion range extending to paneer/broccoli/mushroom dimsums, papad tacos, Indo-Mex Burritos and more.
The fusion range pours into the main course too. Combo meals and thalis seem to help the families that troop in make their choices quicker. “Customers are fond of our sizzlers too. The pastas and pizzas come in regular and fusion versions,” Radha says. But I also spot good old dal and rajma dishes on the menu not to mention paneer, mushroom and chole. “Our chef insists on making the paneer himself. We were convinced about the difference it made when Varma and his team gave us a tasting session,” she says.
Chef Varma beams at me expectantly as I take a taste of his peanut kheer. “There’s cucumber kheer and garlic kheer too as our daily desserts specials,” he informs before adding, “Don’t worry, you won’t taste garlic in it at all.” Radha tells me it is their paan ice cream which remains the top favourite among customers. I did warn you it was an unlikely marriage of sorts, didn’t I?