Bukhara Restaurant, New Delhi, India
Contributed By - Satish Kosuri
Here I am going to talk about one of the finest restaurants (of course, in the world) that you may also add to your Bucket List. If there is one restaurant you wish to eat in before you take your last breath, then this is the one.
We are talking about Bukhara - ITC Maurya which is located at Chanakyapuri, New Delhi. Although hundreds of positive reviews are doing the rounds about this legendary outlet which is serving visitors by offering authentic and award winning delicacies for the last 40 years, here I present to you my personal experience at this exclusive Indian eatery.
The high point about entering this restaurant is that it will give you a feel as if you are going through an airport security. Naturally the entries are restricted and one can see that majority of visitors that usually fill up the tables inside are celebrities. The restaurant boasts of visiting guests such as high profile dignitaries like the Presidents of the US, Barrack Obama and Donald Trump. You will be amused to see that even some of the dishes are named after the Heads of States from around the world.
You will be greeted with a broad smile along with folded-hands Namaste gesture at the doorway and promptly escorted to your table by your host. In our case it was Ashok. Once you settle down, you will be handed a round menu. For appetizers, ordering their popular Tikka Platter consisting of Paneer Tikka, Tikka Cauliflower, etc. is the best bet. You should also sample the juicy Chicken Kebab. A unique thing that a diner notices is that there are no rice item on the menu. Not just that, they don’t give you any cutlery either. How often did you feel using a spoon, fork or a knife to pull the meat off our favorite chicken wing too cumbersome? Well Bukhara allows you to be a true Indian and let you pick your chicken wing up with your bare hands and enjoy that big juicy bite. I will not go into the scientific details here as to how eating with bare hands is good for our health. We know that already. It’s something for the Westerners to learn, not us Indians. And yes, don’t expect them to give you napkins either (save trees, any which way you can) so you get individual aprons and are free to spill juices, wipe hands and mouth on it while you devour their delectables.
In the course of your meal, you’ll be advised on your choice of dishes. The hosts are very creative once they come to know that you visited from faraway land and suggest their signature dishes. You could not help but notice that more than half the crowd is non-Indian. We had a family from New York sitting next to us. They seemed way too friendly and asked our advice on which items to order and ended up ordering the same dishes as were on our table. Don’t forget to order Bukhara’s numero uno dish in the world - the Dal Bukhara. This dish is stringently processed for 48 hours before being served on the table. Once you taste it, you’ll know that no Dal Makhani in the world is going to come any closer to this. Do go for their most spectacular dish, the Sikandari Raan - roasted leg of mutton for the main course along with some lajawab, Kulchas and lachha parathas.
Once the meal is over your host will take you for a tour to their kitchen. It is a totally different level of kitchen from the viewpoint of equipment or the preparations. You will be taken to the Tandoor section and if you are lucky you may get to meet the great Chef J.P. who has been profiled in the ‘International Who’s Who of Chefs’ amongst the Greatest Chefs of the World. You can have a dekko at how the giant Naan is made. This is a show-stopper naan and a single one is enough for at least four people. If you’ve a sweet tooth don’t miss the Kulfi. Rest assured in Bukhara you are in for a euphoric experience.
The undisputed pride of India, this culinary sanctum which has won several national and international laurels is one of the top rated Indian restaurants around the globe. Totally unique, very welcoming, high-class treatment, topping with finger-licking food, in short, is Bukhara for you. If you want to feel the phenomenal Desiness, try Bukhara. You will not stop cherishing
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