NEW DELHI: "Sita Ram Diwan Chand". Say those words with an enquiring tone at the end in Paharganj and a dozen fingers will unerringly point you in the right direction (near Imperial cinema, in case you’re wondering). While the restaurant has been at its new location for less than a dozen years (still no mean feat in an industry notorious for its attrition), Sita Ram Diwan Chand and Paharganj have been synonymous for half a century, as it is in its bylanes that Delhi’s best Chola Bhatura has been sold for the last 50 years.
The story begins in 1950s, when Sita Ram and his son Diwan Chand Kohli pushed a cart around the neighbourhood of a local DAV school in the area, heating up and doling out Chola Bhatura to hordes of ravenous school kids as well as passersby. The fluffy bhaturas, still hot from the tawa, and the glorious, slightly greasy chola, redolent in spices, became a palpable hit with the old as well as the young, the latter carrying the memory of the street-side dish well into adulthood. Ask any old-timer at the present restaurant whether the taste has changed over the years and they give a stout rebuttal. But while its food hasn’t changed, Sita Ram Diwan Chand’s fortune, and that of its owners, certainly has.
Both father and son were keen to have a permanent shop and finally managed to scrape together enough resources to open their first store in 1970. However, following the turbulence of the mid-70s, with the Emergency clamping down on businesses, they were forced to switch shops in 1976, before moving once again in 2009 to their present location, which draws in masses of patrons over the entirety of its operating hours, 8.00 am-6.00 pm.
A simple, unpretentious place, without any seats and only standing space around Spartan metallic tables, the restaurant is still a warm and comforting space, helped in no small way by the delicious smells emanating from the kitchen and the polite, extremely efficient staff.
Pran Nath Kohli, son of Diwan Chand and grandson of Sita Ram, and his own son now run the business, and while they were not there when we visited, the sympathetic manager assured us this was a rare occurrence and welcomed us back at any time.
Glancing down at our wiped clean plate of what was formerly a full serving of Chola Bhatura (Rs 60), we’re happy to return. See you there.
No frills attached
A simple, unpretentious place, without any seats and only standing area, the restaurant is a warm space.
AT: 2243, Raj Guru Marg, Chuna Mandi, Paharganj