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Going Nepali at Bhansaghar ...

This week for our JAM session we were missing the J but we decided to have the AM session anyway. Jasjit has been burning us with pictures of the food he has been tucking into and we decided to return the favour with something spicy, he would be craving that.

Bhansaghar is right in my neighbourhood of Safdarjung Enclave but somehow has missed my attention all this while. Today both Manav and I needed to be in the area so we decided it was the day to get into some Nepali food. The location couldn’t be easier to find, if you walk along the NCC school in Safdarjung Enclave, you will bang into the door of Bhansaghar if you don’t open it and walk inside. The place is small but well made and has all the necessary frills, about 20 people can eat in comfort. Before someone jumps up and chimes in about the authenticity of the food, thats not what we are ever after, just great tasting food.

The menu is quite large and we wanted to eat so much that invariably we ended up ordering more than we needed, not a problem :). Started with Rice Beer, which while I didn’t particularly like in the first sip, it kinda grew on me by the end of the meal. Since there is not too much kitchen staff, the food comes by table and when our turn came, the food all came out together.

The Pork Jhol Momos were outstanding, with the spicy jhol adding enough of a kick to the perfectly cooked momos. I can eat a couple of plates of this alone and go home happy. Next was the Chicken Bhutwa, both Manav and I love the innards and off cuts so we loved this stuff. We were just thinking about eating this with stale paranthas right out of the fridge, yum. Since I got some back with me, I might just try it. The Buff Chilli was flavoured great but some bits were chewy as sometimes Buff can get. We liked the taste of this nonetheless. Last up on the starters list was the Pork Shabalay. An lovely little fried dough pocket filled with the goodness of delicious pork. Accompanied by a fairly potent sauce this was our second favourite item.

Which brings me to our favourite one. By the end of all this eating we were in no shape to get into a whole thali but we really wanted to try one of their curries. Sarovar who was taking our order suggested we try something with Rai Saak (Mustard Leaves) so we settled on the Mutton Curry with Rai Saak. We were sooo happy we got this one right. The mutton was cooked really well and was tender with the curry having everything you want from a good Mutton Curry. The meat was the way all meat should be, skin on.

Any passion project is usually great food so its no surprise at this eatery started by Sarovar and his friends, the food is great. While its actually one of them in the kitchen cooking, we found nothing amateurish about the food.

When the mouth is watering as much as the eyes and nose, the food is awesome :). We would certainly be back and anyone looking for some great Nepali food should certainly check this place out.

An awesome lunch had an even better ending. We always chase our meals with an iced espresso and headed to the newly opened Blue Tokai cafe. As we entered we ran into our good friend and kick ass chef Ruchira Hoon-Philip who gave us a sneak peak into whats cooking at the Pianoman/Dirty Apron :), more on that later.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A taste of Punjab , the food of Sweety Singh

When I got an invite for lunch with the instructions of a light dinner and no breakfast, I spent a restless night in anticipation of what was to come. While I had heard a lot about the food of chef Sweety Singh, I had not had the pleasure of eating it. He was doing a pop up at Setz with some of his dishes and I was finally going to eat his food.

As son as I met him I knew his name is apt for him. A sweet modest man with a heart warming smile, the only thing he likes more than cooking great food is feeding people. He has the look of a young Santa Claus and we being very nice children were about to get some great gifts :).

He has a solid reputation of making crazy good classic Punjabi food which is partnered with an equal solid reputation of feeding, his hospitality is just as good as his food and he makes you feel like you are dining at his home as a guest and not as a customer.

We had preselected some things from his menu at the Setz and with some discussion on preferences we ordered our food mixing some Fish, Chicken and Lamb. I had the privilege of dining with some other people who were just as crazy about food as I am and we were discussing food even after the lovely lunch we had.

The pictures don’t do any justice to the sight, smell and taste of the food that came to our table. From the starters to main course, every dish was lipsmackingly good and while you may have eaten this kind of food before, he has the special sauce to elevate the dish to a much higher level.

My favourite dishes were the mutton items with the meat so tender the bone came out clean with very little effort. The meat itself was was packed with flavour and not overly spiced. The Saag Meat, the Amritsari Ghosht Tariwala both delicious and so distinct. The Meat Chawal was amazing with every grain of rice singing the song of mutton flavour. The Bheja Masala, which I love, was done without losing the buttery texture of the brains and the masala was not overpowering.

Its the kind of meal after which you just want to laze on a charpoy with your feet up. Because of the posh setting of Setz sadly we could not do that. But that said, while we ate a lot we didn’t leave feeling bloated or heavy due to the ingredients used.

In his own words, everyone uses the same ingredients and the same recipes, its the love for cooking and feeding that is his special secret sauce that has you licking your fingers after every bite. I am now a big fan of this chef and I am looking forward to the next meal from him.

Do your tastebud a favour and go eat his food at Setz, his pop up is there till the 15th of September.