Nowadays when every new eatery in Delhi is selling fusion food , the three-month old The Masala Trail is offering a refreshing change. The restaurant is celebrating street food of virtually every Indian state with not only its starters but also its majestic street art. It is also offering hitherto lesser known regional dishes, which have been prepared with authentic flavours.
First thing which strikes one while entering this eatery on Janpath is its aesthetic ambience. The right side of wall is covered with outer contours of an auto-rickshaw. Its beauty is enhanced as it is decorated with an old timeless Kolkata sari. One cannot miss a scooter hanging from the ceiling which adds to the nostalgia. Not to mention street seller with his cart hanging right above me. The ambience was a trip down the memory lane.
The Masala Trail serves comprehensive vegetarian menu which has come about due to meticulous research, lengthy interviews and interacting with food experts in cities like Agra, Kanpur and Kolkata to prepare regional cuisines and roadside eateries which are pride of these places.
There is no compromise on authenticity as it is a matter of regional pride for Purvanchalis, Bengalis and Rajasthanis living in Delhi and its outskirts.
Tower Chaat
In starters, one started off with pleasing looking Banarasi tamatar chaat. The chutney was rich and its thick reddish gravy was creamy and its toppings was something to devour with relish. It was far better than the tamatar ki chutney I am accustomed to eating. It gave me a delightful, pleasing taste .
Cashew nuts, roasted makhane and the crunchy lemony taste of namakpare made it an ideal starter.
As the exuberance of enjoying street food started, a delightfully decorated mattar ki tikki was placed on table. The patty was exceedingly delicious and its softness due to white peas stuffed in it gave it a unique characteristic. Soaked in dollops of curd, the taste of comfort food – dahi bada was palpable It made the patty more flavourful and the patty and curd combination took mattar ki tikki several notches up.
Its goodness was due to its light, crispy and sweet and tangy flavour. Spiciness was minimised as gulab jamun’s chashni (sugar syrup) was poured over it. This one was certainly a lip smacking delight.
Looks matter
Presentation and packaging play a big role here. Tower ki chaat, came in long glass and looked aesthetically pleasing. In presentation, it looked similar to famous towering glasses in Mussoorie which are filled with ice cream and fruits. I have knocked off several of those in the hill station but over here eating the tower ki chaat looked like an adventurous exercise. It shared similarity with the hilly sweet dish as it too was served cold but the sweetening cream was replaced by curd, a mix of sweet and piquant, thereby making it a stunning starter.
The origin of this appetising starter, I was informed by our affable host and proprietor of this restaurant, Osama Jalali, came from Kanpur. “It was inspired by a guy from Kanpur, who sits outside Kanpur College. My uncle gave his reference and then I discovered this preparation.”
Long Chalukya dosa from streets of Mangalore looked dainty in its appearance. Not an archetypal dosa for most people, it lived up to its legendary name. Its tangy, spicy and piquant taste was an invitation for taste buds. Initially, I had reservations for this main dish as the ubiquitous potatoes – a must in masala dosa – was absent but two bites were enough to conclude that it had the right variants of spices and condiments. The three varieties of coconut chutney that came with it made it a thoroughly enjoyable eating.
An Indian meal is incomplete without partaking sweet dish. I was given a choice between Haji Ali ice cream and good old phirni. I opted for the creamy dessert and was not disappointed. A cross between what is served on mud bowls in the Walled City and five star hotel, it was irresistible.
To make the sweet dish a memorable affair, I rounded off phirni with a piece of gulab jamun. The contrast was evident. The phirni was outstandingly good; I did not mind extra saccharine in it as it worked wonderfully well with gulab jamun, which was less in sugar but high on taste.
Certainly, this eatery has been designed to whet the appetite of those who cannot resist the temptation of desi food.
