Brahmputra Complex, Sector 29, Noida

Post courtesy Akshaya (link)

This is road-side eating at its best - the evening food stalls at the Brahmputra Complex, Sector 29, Noida is just fabulous. The food at these around 15 stalls offers great variety while being not heavy on your pocket. You have to eat standing up or in your car but you will not regret coming here just for that.

In vegetarian food, there are momos, soups, chaat, aloo-tikki, steamed corn and bhelpuri. The aloo-tikkis are crisp and good on your tongue. Bhelpuri is also spicy and you would surely ask for second helping. In non-vegetarian food, the variety increases a lot. Numerous stalls offer different tikkas, seekh kebabs, boti kebabs, shammi kebabs, chicken/mutton korma along with roomali roti and chicken/mutton biryanis. The tikkas and seekh kebabs are specially worth trying along with mutton korma. But there is a warning here - some of the stalls serve very spicy food, so be ready to deal with it. And then there are two good juice shops if you feel to beat that heat on your tongue or in your throat. Plus, you can always try some sweets from Evergreen later on to complete your dinner.

Surely, worth a place for good enough food at reasonable price - provided you are not too keen on ambience.


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Roshan Di Kulfi in Karol Bagh

For people living in Karol Bagh, Roshan Di Kulfi is one of the most famous places in Karol Bagh for eating, and has been there for a very long time. As the name would suggest, it is very famous for the Kulfi (and charges a decent amount for it as well), and one would say deservedly so. People are so fond of the Kulfi that they will go again and again for it.
The shop is now much more approachable, since it is located around 500 meters from the Karol Bagh Metro station, on Ajmal Khan Road, and you reach the shop. If you don't have the inclination to walk, rickshaws are very easily available. Of course, you might get distracted since you will cross Ghaffar market, and it is one of the best market for bargains on electronics and mobiles.
The shop now serves all kinds of food, including Pizzas, but the traditional stuff of chaat and chole bhature are very good. Lassi is also pretty good. And on the subject of Kulfi, try it with the vermicilli like falooda, and you will realize how good kulfi-falooda can be.
What kind of food does it serve? Streetfood (Chhole Bhature, Chaat, Kulfi)
Address: 2816, Ajmal Khan Road, Karol Bagh
City: New Delhi
Phone(s): 25710045
It does not take credit cards, and is not air-conditioned, but most people who go there do not expect anything like that anyhow.


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Delhi Eating: Food Court of 'Great India Place' in Noida

The Great India Place is a massive mall located just off the Sector 18 market in Noida. It has a huge number of shops and showrooms catering to a number of different brands in clothes, apparel, accessories, shoes, etc. You name the brand and you should be able to find it there. To cater to all this, it has a massive capacity in terms of car parking, with the entire huge basement for car parking (although the car parking is expensive, costing Rs. 30 per visit).
On the 3rd (top floor) of the Great India Place, you have the eating options as well as the bowling range. The food court is a bit stylish, although the chairs and tables are all place close together and can get cramped. You have a central dome and a circular area around which the chairs are arranged, and on one side, you have the food court options, while on the other side, you have a vegetarian restaurant called 'Yatra'.
The food court has a variety in terms of Indian (South and North Indian) along with Chinese, Mexican, sandwiches, pizza, burger and other such food. You get a variety of drinks over there (all non-alcoholic).
And then there is the Yatra restaurant, where you have a vegetarian thaali. Here you actually get to sample 2 types of vegetarian cultures, and you can really enjoy the food. Quantity is unlimited, and it costs around Rs. 150 on weekdays and Rs. 170 on weekends, and is a good place to eat.


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Delhi Shopping: Kamla Nagar Market

This is a fairly busy market located in North Delhi, and one reason it can get very busy is because it is located right next to the North Campus, and is the favorite haunt of college students. The market is located very close to HansRaj College, and is actually the best market in that area of North Delhi, especially for clothes and accessories.
So now what does this market contain? It has a road called Bungalow road where a large number of clothing, bags, chappals, footwear, etc are located on the ground floor of the buildings, with the upper floor being used for residential purposes. In addition, there are a number of restaurants and snack joints located in this area. The market is also famous for its momos, with the famous places being Momo Point and Momo King (next to the Barista and Nike shops). You will also get chaat joints, juice places, etc.
So ladies, if you want to buy trendy kurtis, shirts, coats, jackets, skirts, jeans, suits, salwar-kameez, etc, then Kamla Nagar market is a great place to browse through for the variety it offers.


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Ansal Plaza in East Delhi: The discount mall

Just spent some time in the Ansal Plaza in East Delhi. This is different from the original Ansal Plaza in South Delhi. This one is a discount mall, offering a number of factory outlets for clothes and shoes.
Where is this located? It is right opposite the Dabur intersection in East Delhi. If you are approaching from Nizamuddin Side, then continue on NH 24 after crossing under the flyover on Noida link road crossing, and then keep on going straight for around 1.5-2 km. At the third red light, take a left turn at the crossing (just before the Fun cinemas) and go straight on this road. After around a kilometer, you will come to a red light where Dabur is to the left and Ansal Plaza (a brightly colored front) is visible to the right. You will have to carry on stright, and then take a U-turn. If you are coming from the Anand Vihar ISBT, then take the road from Anand Vihar ISBT that passes in front of Pacific Mall, and then at the next red light, take a left, and then take a U-turn. The mall should be directly visible.
This mall has a PVR cinema with 3 screens. But the most important point of this mall is the shops. There are a number of retailers over here selling their stuff either as factory outlets or on sale - Some of them being Cantabil, Cotton by Century, Provogue,Vishal Megamart, Reebok, Mega Mart, Allen Solly, Allen Cooper, Bata, Bizarre, Hidesign, Liliput, Van Heusen, VIP, and a few others.
In addition, there is an okay food court with Sagar Ratna, Bercos, places that serve pizza, burders, Dhaba, etc. Not very great because the food court is located to one side. There is chaat and a coffee/pizza shop right in the middle of the mall.
An additional point about the mall is that they sell stuff made by SOS, an NGO, so you will get a variety of artificial jewellery including tops, chains, malas, beads, and so on.
There are places for kids to play games as well, but nothing very bid on the line of a bowling alley.


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Delhi Eating: Food Court at Spice World, Noida

For people in Noida, this is a good option. Earlier, this food court, located on the 2nd floor of the mall was not crowded, but I had gone there today and it was decently crowded. Which in most cases is an indication that things have improved, and that people actually like the food.
So where is this located ? In Noida Sector 25A (next to Noida Stadium), there are only buildings, both multi-colored. One is a software company called Adobe Systems, the other is Spice Mall. Once you reach Spice Mall, go to the second floor.
What are the options available ? Unlike other food courts, you have only around 5-6 different counters available, with the choice being between a Chinese place, 2 places selling different combinations of Indian, Mughlai, another place selling South Indian food, another place selling different rolls, and another counter selling different types of fast food such as chips, burgers, pizzas, sandwiches, etc. I have eaten at all of them, and quantity and quality seem to be fine. In addition, there is also a chaat joint, and a place selling coffee, sandwiches and sweet stuff such as cakes, pastries, etc.


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Delhi Shopping: Lajpat Nagar Central Market

The Lajpat Nagar Central Market is very famous among shoppers in Delhi, and people from all over Delhi come here to shop. If you need to buy clothes (suits, salwaar kameezs, chunnis, shirts, trousers, jeans, etc), shoes, and other form of clothing, then this is a great market. It is an open air market, and hence can get a bit hot during the summer months. However, it is a great market when it is slightly cooler, and hence can pretty busy during the evenings even in the summer months. You can get a variety of shops ranging from the branded clothers to normal everyday clothes that don't cost the earth. For ladies, you get a variety of trendy clothes such as kurtis, leggings, etc at decent prices. In addition, during winter, you can get a large variety of winter clothes such as cardigans, sweaters, jackets, pullovers as well as quilts.
The access to the Lajpat Nagar market is located under the Sriniwaspuri flyover, and is next to the Moolchand flyover. There is a fair amount of parking available, right on the road, although it would seem fairly chaotic for somebody who has not been here before. In the same market, if you feel hungry, you can get a lot of roadside eating options, some of which are fairly tasty.
Next to the central market, you will get 3C's, which a medium sized mall with movie halls, eating joints, and a fair amount of branded showrooms such as Shopper's Stopper and the like.


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Great eating options in East Delhi: Pacific Mall

Pacific Mall, located just next to Anand Vihar ISBT is fast becoming a very attractive eating destination for people living in the area. The top floor of the mall, in addition to a movie plex (Adlabs + an Imax theatre), is also the hub of the eating destination.
There is a food court over there with choices ranging from Chinese, South India, North Indian (Punjabi, Mughlai, Rajasthani, chaat, etc). For kids, there are a range of burger and other such snacks available. A recent addition has been Italian and Mongolian. Some of these are pretty good, and can be availed of as a repeat service. There is also coffee and drinks (non-alcohlic) available, and some amount of sweet stuff including pastries, muffins, brownies, etc. How the food court works is that you get a central swipe card after paying money, and you can use this card at the various food counters, this works out to be very convenient.
In addition to this, there are stand-alone eating joints such as Moti Mahal Delux, Yellow Chilli (now with a bar), a coffee joint with small eating stuff, Chinese Chopsticks, and another eating place called Ocean. One level above, you have a fine dining restaurant called Bridge and a Rajasthani thaali place called Trinkets.
But be warned, on weekends, this place is so popular that you may have to wait, even though overall the seating capacity is pretty large. The food is good though, so I keep on going back.


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Delhi Restaurants: Haldiram

Haldiram's is not exactly one restaurant. This is a namkeen chain that sold a number of different delicacies and sweets. Those fond of such stuff (including me) would really enjoy these, and not worry too much about their health even when eating some of these fried, salty stuff :-). But I am as guilty as anyone else about enjoying these, so will leave it. Their namkeens and sweets are available widely in the retail chain, and with different sizes available, are a fair hit.
Haldiram's has also started a chain of restaurants in Delhi and NCR. These make available a variety of foods and mocktails at decent rates, thus giving a good option for most people. One thing you need to be aware of is that these restaurants can be extremely busy during office meal hours, so pick your timing with care. You get North Indian, South Indian, Chinese, Continental, and a lot of chaat items here, served hot and ready. In addition, you get the normal drinks (non-alcoholic).
Haldiram's is located in the following locations in Delhi:
1. In Mohan industrial estate in south-east Delhi. This is on Mathura road, after you cross Apollo Hospital and then the flyover, after around 1 km, you will find Haldiram to the right amidst a number of car showrooms and other offices.
2. In the heart of Old Delhi. Right next to the fountain and the gurudwara, just get off the Old Delhi Railway Station from the Metro, and look around, or ask.
3. Noida: The spice mall in Sector 25A has a Haldiram at the ground floor.
4. NH8: As you move on the Jaipur highway from Gurgaon, you will find it on the left side.
5. South Delhi, Ring Road: This Haldiram is a bit more controversial since it has been sealed a couple of times, but is now open for business. This outlet is located in Lajpat Nagar, just next to the flyover.


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Dilli haat

What is Dilli haat ? Dilli haat is a cultural complex, located in between AIIMS and Safdarjung flyover, right opposite the INA market. It is located in six acres, and if you are culturally inclined, it is a treat to visit and spend time over there. Be warned, on weekends it is so crowded that it will take some time to get parking. However, there is a fair amount of parking available, and finding parking should not be a problem. No valet parking available though :-)
What is inside Dilli Haat ? Dilli haat primarily has 2 main features - stalls having artisans from a wide section of the country and food stalls representing the popular cuisine of different states.
What do the artisans display ? Various types of jewellery (note, you get some pretty good low-priced fancy jewellery (silver based as well as traditional, but not heavy gold types)), clothing from different areas of the country (good place for ladies to try to enrichen their wardrobe - I did not see too much stuff for the gentlemen over there though), different types of footwear, wall hangings, table settings, cermaic bugs, etc (you get the idea, I am sure). These artisans are rotated every 15 days so that artisans from all over get a chance to be here, and every time you come, you will see something different. In addition, there are region or state specific festivals where you can hear the regional music and other fine arts, in addition to a specific focus on the clothing and other wares from that region.
Now if you get hungry, what do you do ? There are a large variety of stall from all over the country. You want some type of Rajasthani thaali, or some momos from a North-eastern state, or some South Indian ware ? All is available. In my experience, the difficult part was to decide which one to select. Finally, we selected one where there was some free seating space.


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Chaat - at UPSC (Delhi)

The pleasures of eating different kinds of chaat is unmeasurable. For the converted, eating chaat is an essential item to get the required spice and tang in life. Popular types include bhel puri, dahi puri, panipuri, dahi vada, papdi chaat, and sev puri. There are numerous types of chaat available, can refer to the following links for more information on the types and some recipes. Learn about chaat at Wikipedia. Check out a few recipes here, and here.
Anyhow, one famous chaat place in Delhi is the UPSC chaatwalla next to UPSC, Shahjahan Road. It is very famous, and very acclaimed. If you don't know the location that I am referring to, it is the Road between India Gate and the Taj Man Singh.
Now there are numerous other chatwallahs in Delhi, and I don't want to risk getting into a war in terms of which is better and which is not. Some other places that are good are the outlets of Bikanerwala, Haldiram and Nathu's. These are spread all over Delhi, so they should be close to wherever you live.


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