Travel Diaries: Day 02 - Exploring Chawri Bazaar & Chandni Chowk - #DilliKeDehlviRang with JW Marriott Delhi Aerocity

Twitter: @nkandhari     Facebook: Review Of Restaurants     Instagram: Review Of Restaurants 

Day 01 was fantastic and the verdict for day 02 in Delhi, exploring #DilliKeDehlviRang with JW Marriott Hotel Delhi Aerocity was even better; elevating the experience and memories to scales hard to imagine. I've been to ‪Delhi‬ numerous time but none have been like the visit this time. It's been an experience to cherish. Half way through day 2, I was already looking forward to the next 24 something hours that were yet to come through.

What am I saying? What am I doing? 

It's probably the first time in around 100 odd posts, it's probably the first time that I'm starting an article with a conclusion. It was that bloody good. However, creating one memory at a time, I bring back my focus to the various diverse experiences from day 02 of this trip - 

- A wonderful breakfast at DBC to ensure we kick start our morning really well and set us up for the rest of the day.

- Drive in an ‪#‎Audi‬ & ‪#‎Mercedes‬ with Delhi Metro & a dedicated cycle rickshaw in between. (That's how diverse our experiences were)

- Touring the spice market to arrive at Chandni Chowk, Delhi 6 where the experience only unfolds further.

- Visiting the famous Natraj Dahi Bhalle walla, Parathewala - Paratha Gali, Chandni Chowk, Delhi - 6, 78 year old Daal ke pakode wala to name a few.

- Spiritual touch at the Gurudwara Sees Gunj Sahib, chandni chowk, Delhi (my trip to Delhi is never complete without a visit here). Oh! the walk out from the gurudwara with the Karah that's just out of this world. 

- Finding the famous doulat ki chaat (Yes! at this time of the year)

On the way back to the hotel, couldn't resist myself from digging into these carrots and radish that looked as fresh as ever.

A wonderfully curated and coordinated day thus far; were the thoughts running on my mind; yet acknowledging the fact that the penned down experience does no justice to what was really experienced with the group of blogger friends and the team from JW Marriott Delhi Aerocity. 

It had been a great first half of the day and I really looked forward to what's in store for the rest of the evening. I knew what it was, you know what it was but for now - Signing off to come back with more experiences to share. 

Always wishing you safe and fun travels!

Note: This event was attended on invitation from JW Marriott Delhi Aerocity. However, the opinions expressed are solely mine and are absolutely unbiased nor influenced by the brand in any way.

Travel Diaries: Day 01 - Jama Masjid Sojourn - #DilliKeDehlviRang with JW Marriott Delhi Aerocity

Twitter: @nkandhari     Facebook: Review Of Restaurants     Instagram: Review Of Restaurants 


Having lived the excitement of #DilliKeDehlviRang with JW Marriott Delhi Aerocity, I admit I have a lot to say and hence this post which is a follow up to the first one. Haven't read the first of this series? Click here.

Yes, the first post thought speaks of the overall experience, it is really just the tip of an iceberg. What really worked on this curated trip was that we were not restricted to just the hotel premises but the emphasis lay in getting down to the streets of old Delhi and experiencing the rustic offerings followed by the more modern and sophisticated dining.

On the first day, our agenda for the evening got us really excited and was surely something each one of us really looked forward to. It involved us taking to the busy street of Old Delhi to explore the first of the 3 sub cuisines that constitute the Dehlvi Cuisine - Mughlai. But before we get going with the food tour, it was important to understand the origins of this cuisine. 

Now that must be a good enough hint to where we might have started off? Delhi is rich in history and heritage; right from Tomar dynasty in 700 BC to Independent India starting 1947. It's wonderful to walk the streets which express pride in the history that's been lived here. We started with a visit to the historical monument and a place of worship; a marvel created during the time of Mughals who migrated to Hindustan not to loot the country off its wealth but to make it their home. One such result of it is the magnificent Jama Masjid. 

Yes, we did take a tour of the masjid guided by Kanika Pabby representing 'India City Walks'. This clearly set the tone for the rest of the evening around the periphery of Jama Masjid where we were food hopping from one place to another in search of that food nirvana of sorts. The road ran along Gate 3 of Jama Masjid on one side and not the other it was a line up of joints serving food either by the street or with some seating of sorts. This stretch seemed quite busy with the hustle bustle of motor vehicles, people walking around, cycle rickshaws making their way through all this rush. Complementing this was the diversity of food on offer. 

We could no longer hold the wait and started with a small joint called Qureshi Kabab Corner that kept rolling out sheek kebab like never seen before. Of course we stood there coz they are believed to dish out some of the best she's around. They served 2 varieties of sheek - Beef and chicken. While I don't eat beef, I settled for chicken. The sheek kebabs are served with a coriander - mint chutney and slivers of onions. The flavor of the chutney, the crunch from the onion and the succulence of the sheek complimented each other really well.  Had it not been a longer night planned, I'd have settled for these with a few roomali roots to go along. Voila!

Next on out list was the famous fried chicken. For this, we walked into one of the by-lanes to arrive at 'Haji Mohd. Hussain'. Like Qureshi Kabab Corner, this is a must visit too. Chicken was fried and served a really spicy chutney and accompanied with again slivers of onion and radish. The coating around the chicken was extremely crunchy, chicken moist and chutney really - really spicy. The heat of the chutney only got insane from the time we got started here. However, there was no stopping until it was time to head to the next course of our food walk.

After the long hours spent taking a tour of Jama Masjid, walking around the streets savouring delicacies a sit down meal was something I really sought. And here we were at Al-Jawahar for dinner. We were a group of about 20 and I'm sure this might have already given you a fair idea of the amount of food and the variety that would have made an appearance on our table.

There was mutton quorma, chicken stew, Chicken kalimirch, Kaleji Gurda and a lot more that was accompanied by fluffy and wonderful looking Khameeri Rotis. The Khameeri roti was excellent and of the gravies the most I enjoyed was the mutton quorma. The other dishes were nice but nothing really to speak off. I'm not sure if it was a bad day but I fail to really see a justification of the hype around this place.

As we walked around all evening, our eyes were fixated on Shahi Tukda for dessert and while it was available all over, we had a designated stall chosen for our visit. The shahi tukda at Haji Tea Stall was excellent. They also serve a variety of shakes, puri, sabzi halwa and a lot more. Desserts always hold a dedicated area in the stomach and so it was just a Shahi Tukda for the sweet tooth and then a paan from another stall by the corner to call it an evening. 

It was a lovely evening curated by JW Marriott Delhi Aerocity with experiences that really stood out to make it a memorable experience. Some of the key highlights and my recommendations from the evening were:
- Visit the Jama Masjid area in groups to make the most of the evening if food is your focus.
- Definitely visit Qureshi Kabab Corner for sheek kabab, Haji Mohd. Husain for fried chicken.
- Visit to Jama Masjid that ties culture, heritage, architecture and the bond between history and present.
- Do complete the evening with Shahi Tukda.

Signing off now with more travel stories. Safe & fun travel!

Note: This event was attended on invitation from JW Marriott Delhi Aerocity. However, the opinions expressed are solely mine and are absolutely unbiased nor influenced by the brand in any way.

#DilliKeDehlviRang - JW Marriott Aerocity's Way of Showcasing Dehlvi Cuisine, Delhi

Twitter: @nkandhari     Facebook: Review Of Restaurants     Instagram: Review Of Restaurants 

What comes to your mind when Someone asks you about food in Delhi? Butter chicken, butter naan, aloo gobi, paratha and may be a couple of dishes more.. Yes? or Yes?

Doesn't come as a surprise: these are probably the most commonly available dishes. But the next set of question I've always had on my mind is, Is this all that this cuisine has to offer? Which cuisine does this injustice? Every cuisine has a story/history; what's it for this?

Curiosity to learn and explore this cuisine in more detail had me accept the invitation from JW Marriott New Delhi Aerocity to join them on a specially curated tours to indulge in the flavours of Delhi.

My first learning on arriving was that the cuisine comprised of 3 sub- cuisines:

1. Cuisine of the Mughals in Delhi (Non-Vegetarian)

2. Cuisines of the Marwadi Community (Vegetarian)

3. No points for guessing this one - Punjabi cuisine

JW Marriott played gracious hosts to set stage for a perfect 2N3D experiential tour of these cuisines which amalgamate to form what is called Dehlvi Cuisine. Our experiences were diverse in every way; be it:

- Dining in possibly the finest restaurants housed in JW Marriott Aerocity to dining on the street side with barely any ambiance to speak off.

- Spending time at leisure in the plush hotel property to attempting to achieve the 'been there done that' in the really busy and bustling streets of Old Delhi.

- Commuting in some of the finest luxury car brands to exploring Delhi 6 on the famed cycle rickshaws.

This list can go on but in a nutshell, our 3 days in Delhi were a fun-filled roller coaster ride of diverse experiences; each better than the other. While I will share my detailed experiences in upcoming posts, here's a sneak peak of what is to come:

Day 01:

It all started on this fine day with lunching at K3 Restaurant housed in JW Marriott Aerocity which easily has the most extravagant buffet spread I've seen on my travel stints across the country. Trust me there is not one bit of exaggeration in the previous statement I make. My thoughts were running wild, "If weekday lunches were so extravagant, then how would the Sunday brunch offering be?"

Anyways, the evening was what I (well, all of us I'm sure) really looked forward to. We toured the magnificent Jama Masjid and then spent the rest of the evening around the periphery of Jama Masjid where we were food hopping from one place to another in search of that food nirvana of sorts.

At the end of this wonderful evening and a really really long day, I looked forward to calling it a day and crashing in the comforts of my bed back at the hotel.

Day 02:

After a really long previous day and the much needed sleep the night before day two, we kicked it off with a healthy dose of breakfast perfect to get us moving for another wonderful day of exploring another segment of Dehlvi cuisine. This time, it was a tour of the Chawri Bazaar aka spice market followed by the food hopping exploring the vegetarian take on this cuisine. Honestly, at first I was not really excited about this tour (When it's vegetarian; you know me ;) ) but the excitement only grew as time went by.

In between all the food, was another place of worship that we visited and I have to acknowledge that my visits to Delhi have never been complete without a visit to Gurudwara Sees Ganj Saheb. Food seemed to follow us where we went and here at the Gurudwara, it was the Karao Prasad that's undoubtedly inimitable.

Back at the hotel one does expect luxury and to be pampered and what better way then to unwind at the plush spa' is what I thought. However with the limited time available, I chose to  hit the very well equipped gym and take a plunge in the lovely open to air pool. 

Evening was a Jugalbandhi between 2 chefs -

Chef Asif presenting Kababs in our very own Delhi style

Chef Arif showcasing Kababs from the land of Kababs; Lucknow.

If someone said 2 worlds existed; JW Marriott Delhi Aerocity was the place hosting it that evening exclusively for us. Every course of meal offered 2 distinct cuisines from 

Day 03:

Originally planned was a drive to Murthal for the parathas and more at some of the famous dhabas but socio-political condition in that part of the geography played spoiled sport. With a goal to leave no stone unturned, the team at JW Marriott Aerocity headed by Exec. Chef G Krishnan recreated the experience in the hotel property with a special touch of the brands hospitality standards.

With rest of day 03 free and available at our disposal, I hit the street of Delhi to visit Karol Bagh for some chole chawal at Gafoor Market followed by a chilled glass of badam milk at Roshan Di Kulfi to beat the heat. By now, it was time to head back to the hotel pack-up and get set to say something I didn't wish to - 'Goodbye'.

Signing off now with more travel stories. Safe & fun travel!

Note: This event was attended on invitation from JW Marriott Delhi Aerocity. However, the opinions expressed are solely mine and are absolutely unbiased nor influenced by the brand in any way.