Despite being a Delhiite, I never thought I would come across any five star property in or around trans-Yamuna region.But to my great surprise, Shahdara has opened its doors to five stars now. Park Plaza is one of them. Having debuted recently, I was curious to try out food at its Indian restaurant, aptly named Chingari.
I found the ambience quite Indian and the seating quite comfortable as well. The live kitchen is beautifully set up with tandoors visible, whose aroma I am addicted to.
The staff at Park Plaza was very courteous and responded well to my needs. Executive Chef Devinder Kumar, a gentle and modest man, took me through the menu and explained to me the reason for the predominance of vegetarian delicacies in the menu. It’s the effect of the sizeable Jain community around, he told me.
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I was served a thandai shot to start things off; it was soothing and refreshing. It was followed by piping hot yakhni shorba which was perfectly seasoned; it had tender, small morsels of lamb. Just as I was about to finish my bowl of soup, a platter of starters arrived. I was surprised by the vegetarian delicacies; they were delicious. Soya malai chap cooked in clay oven was exceptional. The melting cheese stuffed in the chap gave it a smooth texture. It was better than many chicken malai tikkas.
The menu is quite selective and offers unique dishes. Khatti meethi seekh made out of anjeer was crunchy and tasty. Tasting the non-vegetarian ones was also worth the effort. The malai tikka was special but the seekh kabab lacked that Awadhi aroma and flavour. Bhatti da murgh was perfect and went well with the mint chutney and sliced onion. In main course again the veggies won. Achari baingan was mouth-watering, as was Chingari special lahsooni arhar dal. The hot phulka from the live counter made it taste even better. Adraki chap, a lamb preparation, was fine but the badami qorma where the chicken was stuffed with minced chicken was better.
The only let down was the dessert section. Phirni in sakora was below average and not served in a sakora. Even its texture was quite liquid. On the other hand, shehad-e-jaam, a honey stuffed dumpling, was exceptional.
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Meal for two: Rs. 3500