Friday, December 14, 2007

On Chole Bhature

Just the other day I was reading a mouth watering review about the connoisseurs of Chole Bhature, and the next week I am in CP Delhi ordering the yummy greasy dish from just there. Right next to the Park in CP is a joint called Kwality who for years have been dishing out the soft golden fluffy Bhature with scrumptious Chole. Now I am no Chole Bhature expert but I have eaten enough to tell this was by far the best. Neither ambiance nor service is exactly their USP. One look at the place is enough to tell. Their old pot bellied waiters are clearly old timers there. They talk noisily amongst themselves, don’t even fake a smile to glean that extra tip and know they don’t have to try hard. Kwality probably became hugely popular for their chole bhature and then converted the grimy place into a full fledged restaurant, however, one can’t miss the reminiscence of the bygone era. The ambiance is rather contrived and forcefully fit with the in your face motifs, ugly chandelier and not to mention really crammed seating. But then again, everyone going to Kwality knows he is only paying for the Chole Bhature. The place is surprisingly affordable in an up market place like CP and it gives you that ideal break from all the shopping to well replenish all your lost calories.

Now Chole Bhature is a Punjabi dish and is usually had for breakfast, after which, one such as myslf would happily skip lunch and dinner. But in Punjab, it’s a different story. The Chole is made of chick peas, and at Kwality they add some potatoes to make it luscious. The Bhature is made of maida, on that note let me warn you that while hogging on Chole Bhature kindly pay no heed to the calorie meter that would be on a rampant rise. However, in more recent times Chole Bhature has transcended from its original breakfast status to a more roadside fast food evening snack status. It is only yummier when one doesn’t cringe about the oil used. The greasier the better.

Kwality’s mission is to churn out yummy mouth watering Chole Bhature that'll talk for itself and not be hassled by all the exterior frills.

The rest of the menu looks equally appealing and going by what I ate I am guessing the rest is as yummy. I did try the dal makhni and it was made just right. The place has housed itself at a very prime location and attracts a whole lot of tourists from the hotels around.

Lassi would be an ideal way to wrap up the meal for it helps dilute the greasiness and probably makes you feel less guilty about binging. If you are the calorie counting type then you should make an exception just this one time as it’s not worth missing the yummy Chole Bhature at Kwality.