Delhi dil se....

Delhi, capital that it is, leads the country when it comes to consuming tea- or as it’s known here, chai. Chai turns up in many forms-chilled and clear, with a twist of lime; as fine Darjeeling in bone china; and with everything from vodka to lime cordial.

Nizam's Kathi Kabab serves North Indian cuisine. The speciality of the house being Kathi Kababs, Biryani and Roasted Kababs. Kathi Kabab owes, its origin to the North Eastern province of India. It started as a cuisine of the princely states of the province and found it's way to the common man's stomach as a quick wholesome bite. Delhi

A `haat’ is a traditional Indian bazaar- a typically rural marketplace which (even now) appears about once a week in most villages and country towns. Not a permanent fixture, but just a huge and straggly collection of stalls selling everything from locally woven cloth to agricultural implements, bags of organic fertiliser, and gaudy nylon saris. Dilli Haat, in the heart of New Delhi, is a much more refined haat- almost posh in comparison to its country relatives. A large complex of brick stalls, it spreads out across the road from INA Market, and is one of Delhi’s busiest, brightest places in the evening- and it’s open 365 days a year. And anybody who comes to Dilli Haat to go shopping ends up, after a hectic bout of haggling, at the food stalls which spread across the back half of the complex, beyond the handicraft stalls. Each state of India- and the country has 29 of them- has a stall here, serving traditional food. The food stalls are all pretty bare-bones: just a brick-and-cement kiosk, devoid of any decoration except perhaps a few tatty state tourism posters- and seating consists of plastic tables and chairs which are scattered across the courtyards around. You sit at a table, wander up to the kiosk you want to eat from, place your order, and wait for it to be brought- and what’s good is that if you’re in a group, all of you can actually place orders at different kiosks, sit at a central table, and eat together. With all that variety (29 states- and each with a distinct culinary style?!) you might have a bit of trouble deciding what you want to eat.