Delhi’s monsoon brekkkie: Drive through, foodies!
Delhi-NCR residents scouting for some yummy breakfast while driving in the rains have all the reasons to head out to these ever popular joints. From Chhole Bhature in Lajpat Nagar to beaten coffee in Gurugram, here are some eateries that serve right at your car or bike.
Up on a cloudy morning and feeling lazy to cook? Well, why venture into the kitchen when the romantic weather beckons for pet puja while on a ride? Fighting the fear of Covid-19, Delhiites are out and about to revisit some popular food joints for a scrumptious breakfast in the comfort of their vehicle. “Weekend night pe party karne ke baad chhole bhature for breakfast seemed perfect,” says Chhaya Dhawan, a management consultant, who was spotted at one of these joints. And there are others who are indulging in bedmi puri, kachori, parathas as well as Dalgona coffee at several places across Delhi-NCR.
Here’s where denizens love to grab drive through breakfast, when it’s monsoon:
Wake up! Coffee or tea?
The aroma of hand beaten coffee permeates in the humid air, giving a perfect reason to wake up on a lazy monsoon morning. And if the same fragrance makes you crave for coffee/tea, head to this place that’s famous for its cold coffee. Food blogger Nikhil Chawla says, “They have been in the market for many years and have been serving hand beaten coffee since long. Even before the Dalgona trend came in, they were already serving it. They add chilled milk in front of you, without using any machine beaters, and that’s what makes it different and delicious!”
Where: Huda Market, Sector 56, Gurugram
Binge on Bedmi Puri
If you are a fan of the typical regional Indian breakfast dish, Bedmi Puri, this is the place for you! “Come monsoon and the urge to dig into break pakoda and kachori is so high that it’s difficult to resist,” says Ravi Thakur, a businessman from Gurugram, adding, “For such snack cravings, we mostly go to this place called Baljee, which is a very old and renowned shop. But what pulls me and my family there the most is a breakfast of freshly prepared Bedmi Puri that’s serves hot to our car! It’s a staple weekend breakfast for us, and the taste is just amazing, much better than what you get at many restaurants in the Millennium City.”
Where: Sadar Bazar, Roshan Pura, Gurugram
Punjabi style brekkie
Want a breakfast that leaves no space for lunch? Drive to this popular spot in south Delhi, for chhole bhature. “We are so happy to have the rush back,” says Naresh Soni, owner of Baba Nagpal Corner, informing, “We start making chhole bhature at 7.30am aur continuously 3pm tak banate rehte hain kyunki customer aate hain subah me, specially during the breakfast hour.” To ensure that the cars parked around this food joint don’t let to a traffic jam, often a personal guard is employed to clear the traffic. Arpita Tripathi, a software engineer who is regular at this eatery, says, “They have clearly the best Chhole Bhature in south Delhi! Eating here on Sundays is a ritual that my brother and I’ve been following since eternity. It’s like soul food to us! And the best is that it’s delivered by one of their staff members right to our car at the noise of a honk and a gesture to place an order.”
Where: Nirmal Puri, Lajpat Nagar IV
South Indian fare
For all your South Indian fans out there, we know that the day doesn’t begin without pipping hot idli, vada or garam dosa. And if you are craving a delicious plateful of these south Indian delicacies, then look nowhere else as Kesavan Kutty’s stall is the one good old place that has been a fav since generations! “I love having dosa and vadas with piping hot sambhar from this stall,” says Ramit Ahuja, a chartered accountant from Karol Bagh, adding, “It once used to be a daily affair for me and my colleagues. We would come here every morning for breakfast, and gorge on these freshly made delicacies it in our car. I missed this ritual during the lockdown period.”
Where: Shop No 6, Jantar Mantar Road
Shah Rukh Khan’s favourite, too!
A landmark for those who have been in Delhi for decades, this spot is known to be one of the favourites of actor Shah Rukh Khan; during his days in the Capital. And it comes as no surprise for who says no to freshly tossed paranthas! Now located right below the Moolchand Metro Station, this place is frequently visited by early morning walkers as well as travellers from other cities alongside locals. Divya Sanchit, a teacher from east Delhi says, “I had heard so much about this place that when we decided to start eating out after lockdown, my husband and I headed here. We saw a video of this place showing how one can be safe in one’s car and yet enjoy an amazing aloo paratha or egg paratha, and just love every bite of it.” Mahinder Khattar, manager of the eatery, adds, “Lockdown ke baad ab crowd phirse badhne laga hai. Sab breakfast ke leeye aate hai aur car mein ya scooty pe baithke hi khaate hai. We are following all precautions and are happy to see that people are back.”
Rajma Chawal tales
Those on the lookout for a brunch love to halt at Jain Chawal Wale on route to a romantic drive in the rains. Akshat Jain, manager, says, ”We open at 7 in the morning and have people coming in for breakfast. Most of them opt for rajma rice, kadhi rice and shahi paneer with rice. We are also in the process of getting our staff vaccinated and so far 70% of them have got the shot.”
Where: Baba Kharak Singh Marg, P Block, Connaught Place
Crisp kachoris, served garma garam!
And how can kachori and bread pakoda lovers be missed in this breakfast trail? Bhai Ji Kachori is your go-to place! Manika Verma, a teacher from Shalimar Bagh says, “My husband and me are big kachori fans, and this is our typical breakfast on any holiday. We’ve been driving down to this place for years for the outstanding kachoris they serve with aalo ki sabji. It tastes heavenly on days when Delhi is drenched in the rains!”
Where: Deep Cinema Road, Wazirpur Village, Ashok Vihar
Author tweets @anjuri