Great eating-out and party places in Delhi

List of must-visit places for foodies in Delhi. Courtesy Kiranjeet Kaur aka KK - the Queen of Foodieland!

Eating-out in Delhi:

The Big Chill Café (Khan Market, DLF Mall Saket, Kailash Colony) – Offers excellent Italian food, desserts, and shakes. Chocolate truffle pastry, mud-pie, and blueberry cheesecake are out of this world. The place has a unique ambiance with movie posters all over, and looong waiting lines on weekends!

Amici (Khan Market) – Famous for delicious Italian food, good and friendly staff!

Culinarie (GK-2, S-Block) – A nice, little open-air restaurant in GK-2; famous for incredible Chinese and Thai (non-veg) food. The place serves the best honey chicken in town!

Olive Bar and Kitchen – Famous for Page-3 parties, Olive Bar and Kitchen is the place if you are looking to enjoy an expensive Mediterranean meal.

Aqua (The Park, CP) – The poolside restaurant and bar at The Park; perfect destination for romantic dinners! Average food and service.

Lodi, The Garden Restaurant (Lodhi Road) – An awesome eating place with outdoor seating in the middle of Lodi Gardens. The restaurant is famous for its European cuisine and is ideal for brunch as well as quiet candlelight dinners.

Magique (Garden of Five Senses, near Saket) – An Asian fusion restaurant and bar within The Garden of Five Senses. Open air ambiance is the USP of this place!

Sevella (The Claridges, Aurangzeb Road) – Known for elegant ambience and expensive Mediterranean food!

Shalom (GK-1, N-block market) – Lounge bar that offers fantabulous Mediterranean cuisine. The place draws good crowd on most days, and turns into a happening party place on Saturday nights!

Yellow Brick Road (Ambassador Hotel) – 24X7 restaurant and coffee shop, This is a good place to head out for late dinner, desserts, or just coffee – “Bull’s Eye” is to die for!!

Diva (GK-2, M-block market) – Famous Italian restaurant in town with plenteous eating options for vegetarians. Good food, good service, and good crowd!

The Living Room Café and Kitchen (Hauz Khas Village) –This funky lounge café in Hauz Khas is an ideal place for leisurely meals and conversations. TLR invites musicians and bands for in-house gigs on Saturday nights.

Tonino (Mehrauli) – One of the best restaurants in Delhi that offers fantastic Italian food and wine options. Famous for its elegant ambiance and fine dining experience!

Cilantro (Trident, Gurgaon) – A fine dining restaurant with beautiful ambience and amazing food. The place is a bit expensive.

Party places:

Hype

F Bar

Smoke House Grill

LAP

Jynxx

Lure

Manre

Ai

Capitol

Agni

Rishikesh (India): May 2011

Rafting: Check
Cliff-jumping: Check!

River rafting in Rishikesh is among the first things that come to mind when thinking of weekend getaways around Delhi. It is funny how long I had to wait to get my hands on it; this was my umpteenth visit to Rishikesh and even this time it seemed I'd have to return from Rishikesh a raft-virgin as our plans almost went horribly astray.

My travel group this time was a mix of friends and friends-of-friends. Three of us drove down from Gurgaon to Rishikesh on Saturday morning; four others were already in Rishikesh since the previous day. Although the distance is just around 270km, it takes a good 7-8 hours to cover due to traffic bottlenecks near Meerut bypass and Purkazi. The road condition is also not great; perhaps the only thing to look forward to is the famous "Jain Shikanji" restaurant along the highway in Modinagar (60km from Delhi), which serves fizzy lemonade and some yummy Indian snacks. There are a handful of such restaurants each claiming to be the "original" one; we stopped at one without bothering to investigate!

We reached Rishikesh at around 3pm and met up with our friends who had arrived there a day earlier. Rafting takes place from Shivpuri (16km upstream from Rishikesh) to Lakshman Jhoola, a suspension bridge on the river - the most popular landmark in Rishikesh. We had booked a "beach camp", a tented accommodation on the river bank at Shivpuri. We parked our car at the Lakshman Jhoola parking and went to our camp on the rafting agent's vehicle. The idea was to stay at the camp overnight, come down rafting from the camp to Lakshman Jhoola the next day, pick up our car from there and head back home.

Rishikesh usually has pleasant weather but the May heat was taking a toll on us. The campsite had 30-odd basic-style tents each with a double-bed, mattresses, pillows and quilts - that's about it. We did not get the logic of quilts at that time of the day but thanked God for them only a few hours later. Of course there was no electricity, and mobile network was patchy (Vodafone worked, Airtel didn't). The loo tents were pitched at one end of the campsite. There was a single kitchen-tent where they lay out food buffet-style. We had some late lunch and then decided to cool off in the river. The water was very cold and it was a great respite from the heat. Several rafts from upstream camps passed us by; we were to wait till next morning for our turn. The flow of the river is quite fast at this time of the year as the glacier melts rapidly in the summer heat.

In about an hour, things changed dramatically. Wind picked up speed and pretty soon a light shower started. The weather worsened exponentially from thereon. Wind became so strong that several tents collapsed. The seven of us gathered under one tent and held the bamboo poles tightly in place to keep them from collapsing. The campsite was located such that a sort of funnel was forming with hills sloping upwards from both sides of the river. Hence the intensity of the wind and the rain. Even as the torrential rain was showing no signs of letting up, it started hailing. Temperatures dropped drastically and we were feeling very cold in our wet clothes. We were all wondering at the same time, irrespective of what man achieves, how helpless he is in front of nature.

Rain and wind finally subsided in about half-an-hour. We looked at the quilts in the tent with new-found respect. We were also wondering what had become of the rafters who had set out in this weather; we met some later in the evening and they said it was great fun and adventure!

There was tea and biscuits after the rain, and a bonfire and drinks later in the evening. Dinner was served in the same kitchen-tent. The food was simple and tasty. We had a sound sleep tucked beneath our cosy quilts.

We woke up next day to a bright sunny morning and hung out our wet clothes to dry. The original plan was to set off in our raft at 10am, however the rafting agent informed us over phone from his office in Rishikesh that the road from Rishikesh to Shivpuri (the campsite) had been blocked and there'd be a delay of a couple hours. We were still fine with it and decided to while away time at the river. However there was no progress - it was also quite difficult to coordinate with the rafting agent due to the poor mobile network. We needed to head back to Delhi by afternoon considering the 8-hour drive, else we'd not be in a very comfortable position to attend office the next morning. There was also some miscommunication regarding whether we would board the raft at the campsite, or at a designated boarding point about a kilometer downstream from the camp. This latter boarding point is the hub of rafting activity and most rafts start off from there. I was beginning to give up all hope of rafting in this trip too as the clock struck 2pm. Thankfully we finally came to know that the raft was ready for us. We cheered up and rowed off along the lively, cold waters of the river, under the supervision of our raft's "Captain" who gave us a boring treatise beforehand on the techniques of rowing and the meaning of commands he would use during the course.

We negotiated a couple of rapids with relative ease even as the raft tossed wildly. Then a big one came - it's named the Golf Course. A huge wave crashed on the raft head-on, almost overturning it. Half the persons on board were thrown off the raft into the river. There was no danger of drowning since we all had life-jackets on; however, the danger of smashing on the rocks in the river bed was quite real. The current was so fast that it was impossible for even experienced swimmers to keep control of direction. Two persons were directly underneath the raft and had to hold their breath for a bit without panicking to be able to come up to the surface. Using a rope and our oars, we were able to pull up all the folks into the raft, except for one who we could not reach and another raft behind us picked him up. He was "transferred" back to our raft five minutes later in calmer waters.

Some nerves were indeed frayed but we all pulled ourselves together and negotiated a few more rapids. The highlight of the rafting was the cliff-jumping where we jumped from a 20-feet high rock into the river. It has got to be the most exhilarating thing I've done till date. The chill that runs down your spine on looking below from the edge of the "cliff", the courage you summon to take the plunge, the three seconds of free-fall, the loud crash with which you hit the water, the first breath of air you inhale after emerging from underneath - it's all priceless. These things remain with you for life.

This cliff-jumping point is towards the end of the rafting route and is also called the "Maggi Point" as a vendor perched on the rocks sells Maggi noodles and cold drinks to the rafters. He must make preposterous amount of money on good days (read most weekends) - you have to see how crowded it gets there and how hungrily the starving rafters gobble the food after two hours of heavy rowing exercise.

We de-boarded the raft at Lakshman Jhoola, had a quick bite at the popular German Bakery at one end of the suspension bridge, picked up our cars from the parking and rolled off towards Delhi by 6pm. We reached our place at 2am, caught a few hours of much-needed sleep and went to our offices the next day.

It was indeed a very happening weekend trip. It had way more adventure than I'd have imagined, but it couldn't have come at a better time. God knows I needed this!!


Expenses:

Overnight accommodation in tent (twin-sharing) + 3 meals + morning & evening tea + rafting: Rs. 1850 per person

We drove down to Rishikesh and incurred the usual fuel expenses

Jim Corbett National Park (India): January 2011

I recently went to the Jim Corbett National Park with my office gang from Delhi. This famous tiger reserve is located in the Kumaon region of Himalayas in Uttarakhand state, and has become a popular weekend get-away from Delhi.

So we were exploring the jungle in our safari jeeps when all of a sudden there was a ruffle in the bushes and this huge tiger came out of nowhere onto the track right in front of us. It was absolutely majestic, and it did not look dangerous (you can guess by their body language). Even as we were struggling to decide if we should breathe, hide or click pictures, voila! Another one came out of the thicket, moving ever so slowly and royally, to join his pal on his lazy evening jungle walk.

Suddenly someone shook me up. “Wake up, we’ve arrived at Ramnagar station”.

Our group comprised of 12 people, including my boss Jimmy, in whose honor this trip was planned. Hence also this choice of place – “Jim” Corbett. We left on Friday evening after office. Although with 12 people, taking a mini-bus would have made sense, but we had learned a thing or two about the condition of the road connecting Delhi to Kumaon (Nainital/Jim Corbett) during one of our earlier trips to Sat Tal. So we decided to take the convenient night train this time.

Something about the train: ‘Ranikhet Express’ starts from Old Delhi station at 10:40pm. It splits into two at Moradabad – one set of coaches heads to Kathgodam (train station for Nainital) and the other one to Ramnagar (train station for Jim Corbett), both reaching their destinations at 5am. The opposite happens on the way back – ‘Corbett Park Link Express’ departs from Ramnagar at 9:45pm and merges with the ‘Ranikhet Express’ coming from Kathgodam at Moradabad, and the combined set of coaches heads to Delhi, arriving at 4am.

So we arrived at the Ramnagar station early morning on Saturday and hired taxis for our resort. We had booked rooms at the Infinity Resort, located 9km from Ramnagar station at Dhikuli. Several other resorts (including Wild Crest and Club Mahindra) are located in the same area, on a strip of land sandwiched between the road and the Kosi river. That’s how they all say on their websites that they have a river flowing through their backyard and their rooms are “river-view”.

We had pre-requested for early check-in and were shown to our rooms promptly. The resort is lovely – our luggage was carried in a cool hand-cart, we were greeted by a huge elephant as soon as we crossed the reception area, there are swings, a TT table, a pool table, a tiny pond with pet ducks and a charming wooden foot over-bridge. Their central dining area is called the Gol Ghar (round house) where they also arrange bonfires in the evening. This opens into a terrace where you can dine beneath an open sky that comes fitted with a fantastic view of the river. With a little effort you can climb down from the terrace and walk right into the river bed. We did this twice during our weekend stay and it was absolute fun.

The rooms are tidy, each room has a balcony, and of course, they’re all “river-view”. Surprisingly there’s no TV in the rooms. The use of woodwork is noticeable throughout the resort. I must also mention their swimming pool (which I could not enjoy due to a bad cold that I caught right before the trip) – it is one of the few which is reasonably deep at one end, and offers pleasurable pool-side beer experience. (Although they could do with a smarter guy serving drinks.)

Our itinerary was open for the two days we were there. There was a lot to do inside the resort itself – river frolicking, swimming, TT, carom, pool, swings, cards, and partying. And of course, FOOD. Theirs was the best buffet I’ve come across at a resort. We all overate and loved it.

On Saturday afternoon we went for adventure sports at Garjia, a little further down from Dhikuli. There’s a suspension bridge on the Kosi river at Garjia where a couple of adventure sports operators offer adrenaline rush by tying you to a rope and making you jump from the bridge into the river. They even promise you money-back should you smash your head on the rocks in the process. I again had to give it a miss as I could not afford to get wet in the cold, though my office pals had great fun jumping from the bridge at Rs. 150 per person. Fortunately we did not have to seek any refunds. We procured booze before returning to the resort and had a great party at night in our rooms.

We had also pre-requested for a late check-out on Sunday. We checked out post lunch at 2pm; our train left only after 9pm, so we left our luggage at the resort and went for a jungle safari.

Something about the safari: There are several zones inside Jim Corbett National Park where you can do a jeep safari, the most popular being Dhikala, Bijrani, and Jhirna. Dhikala is the innermost part of the reserve with the maximum chances of sighting a tiger (which is still fairly low). You can do a jeep safari here only if you stay in the government’s Forest Rest House at Dhikala. Only staunch wildlife enthusiasts must stay at Dhikala (or for that matter, at any other Forest Rest House) – they do not allow booze, loud music and non-vegetarian food, and there are no “river-view” rooms; yet Dhikala gets booked months in advance. The other two – Bijrani and Jhirna – are popular among tourists staying outside the reserve. Further, there are two safari timings – morning (5am) and afternoon (2pm). The jeep safari lasts 3 hours, and happens in 6-seater jeeps where the driver is your guide. Permits are required, which can be easily arranged by the hotel/resort you're staying at.

Our afternoon safari at Jhirna was nowhere close to my dream in the train. The forest cover was low, it was quite dry and dusty, and the only wildlife we saw was deer, peacocks, a creepy lizard, and a mammoth tusker, which appeared to be twice the size of our resort’s pet elephant. We stopped for tea near the Jhirna Forest Rest House where a hyperactive gang of monkeys was entertaining everyone with their antics. On our way back we returned the binoculars we had rented at the entry gate, but not before clicking cool pictures flaunting them.

We had a quick dinner at a restaurant near Ramnagar station and boarded our train well in time. We played poker for a bit before retiring to our berths. The train reached Delhi early morning where we split, only to meet again a few hours later in office.

Overall it was a fun weekend trip, and we were glad we took the train this time as it was far less tiring. We did not see any tigers, and none of us complained.


Expenses:

Train return ticket: Rs. 500 per person
Taxi between Ramnagar station and resort: Rs. 400-500 (9km)
Resort stay: Rs. 5000 per room per night (2 persons) incl. all meals
Adventure sports: Rs. 150 per person per activity
Jeep safari: Rs. 3500 per jeep (6 persons)

Overall expenses: Rs. 5000 per person