After a firm handshake, Sous Chef Sumit Sabharwal at the Radisson Blu New Delhi Pashim Vihar, takes us to his favourite spot in the hotel’s all-day restaurant, Level 2, on the second level. There, he sits us down in a private dinette close to the makeshift structures resembling the walled city of Delhi. Inside its precincts are all the edible treasures you would find in the confined bylanes of Chandni Chowk. So, like Sabharwal says, ‘‘If you’re in West Delhi, Purani Dilli is only a few yards away. Come to Level 2 and have your fill from a plethora of popular street favourites, brought to you in an organised, hygenic and air-conditioned space, away from the heat, dust and crowds as part of our Chaska Dili Ka offering, ’’ he says, adding, ‘‘As you can see, even on a lazy Tuesday night, when business at most restaurants is slow, ours is bustling with guests wanting to try the food, just like they would if they were in Old Delhi.’’
Paani Poori, Dahi bhalla, Aloo Tikki, Paranthe, Lassi, Masala Chai, Kulfi, Langcha—you name it and you’ll have it on your table, though, it’s best if you go to the specially created counters for the promotion to try small servings of these popular items. ‘‘Old Delhi has options galore, but what we’ve done is include the best-selling items from outside the walled city too. So, the festival gives you a chance to sample all kinds of street foods of Delhi, especially Chandini Chowk,’’ he says.
A miss for us from the promotion, however, was the ambigious absence of any kind of non-vegetarian street fare—an important component of street food culture. The steaming momos, succulent kebabs, spicey egg, mutton and chicken rolls and the likes of it. Guess, the meat-eaters will just have to make do with the offerings from the buffet on the side.