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“Oh, you are coming from Nagpur, where are the oranges?” This is a standard greeting from people who I meet whenever I travel to other places. As the conversation moves around and it gets known that I hail from Lucknow I face a quiz on kebabs and biryani with an emphasis on Tundey Kababi-the fabled outlet of Mughlai food in the city of Nawabs.
Every city in India offers some dish which is unique to that place. Today food bloggers are reaching out to way back of beyond in their quest to dig out such local specialties. India with its sweet tooth has a mithai unique to each district as we crisscross the country. The bal mithai of Pithoragarh in Uttrakhand, the petha in Agra, peda in Mathura, milk cake in Alwar, sandesh in Kolkata or the Mysore Pak in the city from which it derives its name, are all sweetmeats which have made their towns famous.
Then there are also eateries that have put their cities on the food map of the country. A person visiting the national capital would have this urge to visit Gali Paranthewali to enjoy the ghee soaked deep fried parantha which dates back to 1870s. The chur chur Naan served at Kesar da Dhaba in Amritsar is a must after a visit to the Golden Temple, the foodies would not like to leave Mysuru without a visit to the Vinayaka Mylari hotel which is the birthplace of Mysore dosa and of course those arriving in Lucknow make a beeline for the kebab paratha shops and in Hyderabad for the Paradise biryani.
Undoubtedly these are a big tourist attraction but it has to be told that eating at most of these places can be a bit of a disappointment. The expectations with which one arrives at these iconic food joints sometimes crash the moment one sits down to savour the promised delicacies. The ambience leaves much to be desired. That is also because they started probably a century ago and are today tucked in narrow lanes of bustling marketplaces.
At Vinayaka Mylari hotel which is a small place with seating for barely eight people at a time, the recipe is still what it was eighty years ago when the place opened. The thin dosa served here is without stuffing and is made with butter and served with a runny coconut chutney. The owner says that he adds some ingredients his grandmother used when this place had first opened around 80years ago.
At Tundey Kebabi one has to jostle just to be heard. Most would say that the kitschy ambience is part of the charm. Ask the connoisseur and you will be told that better kebabs, curries and parathas can be found elsewhere and maybe in homes too. The assembly line packing and parcel service at Paradise in Hyderabad robs the biryani of all its royal connotations.
Elsewhere, most of these famous dishes have evolved over a period of time and have been improvised upon by chefs who like to experiment. What we eat at the restaurants close to our place are not pale copies of the original, rather they are an eclectic mix of flavours and condiments which give the dishes that much desired zing. Just as Indians are disappointed by the oriental food served in South Asian countries and crave for the Indian variation of Chow mien or Pad Thai, these places too, which found fame through their specialities often fall short.
These observations are not to take away from the quaint charm of timeless eateries like the 150 year old Leopold café in Mumbai which besides the multi-cuisines and cocktails also offers a bit of history. One visits Mavalli Tiffin Rooms (MTR) in Bangalore set up in 1924 not just for the simple south Indian style food but also to experience the entire process of being served there which includes collecting the reservation coupon at least two hours ahead of the desired dining time, walking through the kitchen (practice which existed for many years) to reach the table and being served in silverware. Its these experiences and not necessarily the taste, which makes dining at these iconic places so unique and memorable.
So may be the variety of dosas at Dosa@Twist in Kolkata could prove more gratifying but when you sit at Vinayaka Mylari hotel in Mysuru you get something to talk about.
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