And I ate in the empire again.

Day 8: Pandara road, Gulati’s restaurant – Check.

“The perfect way to a man’s heart is through his stomach,” so feed him!

It is unimaginable, if you adore Mughlai food, to see the atrocities that restaurants in Wales subject the north Indian restaurants to. Needless I say, the Paneer (or the cottage cheese) in the ‘Kadayi Paneer’ we had at an eating joint, which seemed like a desperate impersonation of Gulati’s at Pandara Road, was not only swimming in a rich blend of artificial colours, it totally blew apart the taste as well!
And really, I think it makes sense if no one gets me started on the way those people respect the ‘Butter Naan’ (which in lay man’s terms is a flat bread made from flour) – it’s disguised as a loaf of pita bread! I mean, seriously, out of every Indian impersonation, please do not manhandle the taste.
One of the things on my list for my Delhi trip was to have a ‘proper’ north Indian, Mughlai meal; one that does not include artificialness or ingredients that overdo its texture. And this is where she makes an appearance: the beautiful, mouth watering and scrumptious meal at Gulati’s.
I won’t talk much about the jack that dad used to get us in while a flood of people were queued up on the waiting list, nor about the generosity the waiter showed after learning that currently I’m in the UK; we’ll talk about, THE FOOD!
Having Mughlai food after a tormenting 7 months of exposure to hideously presented north Indian food, the one thing on my mind was Butter Naan (and according to my sister, ‘Dal Makhani’, without which no meal becomes “complete”). After setting the base right, I decided to experiment a little. Among the vegetables, we ordered ‘Bhutta Palak Methi’, which when translated means Corn Spinach and Coriander, and Paneer dipped in thick gravy of vegetables and garlic.
It was a wholesome meal of exotic tastes to be honest. Picture this: a creamy layer of butter floating over the Dal’s surface, the sparkling glow of the gravy as you spoon it from the vessel and the ease and warmth with which it passes down your throat, flirting with your taste buds and seducing you like no woman can ever!
(Apologies for the overwhelming wave of words, but seeing heaven after that long can drive anyone crazy. Either that, or my friends rightly call me the drama queen.)
Out of the lot, the Bhutta Palak Methi contributed heavily to the aroma. Baby corn mixed with properly cooked coriander and spinach, to produce a smooth a thickly rich delicacy, served hot with cream on top.
The Paneer dish was again, an experiment, though it couldn’t level up to the spinach. Firstly, paneer, being given a chance to participate in every second dish on a Mughlai platter is inexplicable to me, and secondly, a heavy dose of garlic never does any good. It only ended up spoiling the romantic backdrop my taste buds were experiencing while engaging in a pleasant absorption of Dal and Bhutta.
Dal Makhani and Butter Naan – out of words for them; isn’t it magical when a curry, doped with an extravagant dash of butter and topped with cream, does not inflict your stomach with any heaviness? Can’t believe I overate.
Penultimate, and appropriately, a mouth freshener, or the “Sauf”. And no, you do not serve After Eight after a meal. Although nothing beats After Eight when it comes to replenishing the onion and garlic flavours left lingering in one’s mouth, but that is simply disrespecting the tradition!
Lastly, the perfection in sweetness was honoured by none other than a stick Kulfi. I have to agree it wasn’t the original stick kulfi, and pricing it at 40 bucks is upscale to click with Citywalk’s paradigm, and definitely nothing in comparison to the love I felt for it in Chandni Chowk. But having a Kaju Pista one and a Kesar one (both chosen by my mom and sister; I would’ve gone for blackcurrant) perfected the ‘yum’ of the yummiest.