Kolkata Ke Puchkas, Bombay Ki Pav Bhaji, Mysore Ka Vada, Chennai Ka Masala Dosa, Delhi Ki Chaat, we all are well aware of these amazing street foods we get across the length and breadth of our country and sometimes we just wait for our travel plans to materialise so that we can savour these delicacies in their whole authenticity. Because sometimes we don’t get everything in our own cities or even if we get most of the times the authentic flavours are missing. But not anymore because Osama Jalali along with Keventers brings The Masala Trail to Delhi which not only boasts of street and regional foods from across regions under one roof but also infuse complete authenticity in the tastes.
To begin with we were served Tower Chaat, layers and layers of yummy dilli ki chaat presented in a tall glass. This one is surely a must have. Pakora Basket and Samosa Chaat were served next. The pakora basket had assorted pakoras and is totally worth it. Crunchy & crispy pakoras with green chutney make for a perfect evening snack. The samosa chaat too was good to taste. Banarasi Tamatar Chaat was something I had not tried before and hence found it very different, but could not acquire the taste for the same.
Moving on from North, we tasted some Western delicacies, Panki, a Gujarati snack prepared with rice flour between banana leaves was served first. Though it tasted nice, but it wasn’t something that I would fancy much otherwise. Dabeli Pav, again a traditional Gujarati dish, it is made with mashed potatoes tossed in masala toppings and sandwiched between grilled pav. This was definitely worth trying and I am sure you will like it. Mumbaiya Pizza Dosa and Chowpaty Pav Bhaji was something we tried next and both of these things were simply outstanding. I have always found a challenge with restaurants serving pav bhaji without the authentic taste, but here it was exactly the way its found in Mumbai and the same was with Pizza Dosa, it reminded me of the famous stalls near Mithibai College in Mumbai that serve these dosas. Even the Vada Pav was as authentic as it could be, retaining the original taste, your search for vada pavs could definitely end here.
Mysore Vada from the south and Kolkata Puchkas from the east were next, the vadas were nice and crispy but because I am not basically fond of South Indian food, I just tried these for namesake. Though the Masala Dosa looked tempting enough.The Kolkata puchkas were a bit of disappointment because I found them to be a little dry, the filling could have been better and even the masala water.
For mains we settled for Amristsari Kulchas and Dal Makhani with Naan. The Amritsari Kulchas were simply amazing, I loved them and one must surely try them. The Dal Makhani was easily one of the best I had eaten in recent times and you cant afford to miss it.
Another thing that you shouldn’t be missing is the Kesari Lassi and Matka Kulfi to complete your meal and it will be one soulful journey of food that you will end up experiencing at this place. I am very sure that this restaurant is going to give all vegetarian restaurants a run for their money, so don’t think much and visit asap.
