The Rooftop Kitchens of Chanakyapuri
Long before momos turned into a popular Delhi street food, Dilli Haat and Yashwant Place were the two major hot spots to savour these steaming delights. This time around we headed to the latter. There is a string of about 10-12 food outlets at Yashwant Place Shopping Complex (Chanakyapuri) and most of them offer a similar menu — primarily a mix of Indian, Mughlai, Chinese (Indian Chinese) and Thai food. The similarity is not just restricted to the menus, but extends to the entire setup with all having their seating area at the ground level, the kitchen on the roof and using a microphone system to announce the order to the cooks from downstairs. With each vendor constantly calling out to you, the scene is, in the words of our resident comedian Issmael Bhai, “very much like a brothel”.
We have had a hard time choosing any particular outlet and thus ended up sampling few of the places over multiple visits. While there is very little to differentiate between them, the one that we found to be consistently satisfactory is Chinese Bite. Not to say that they are the best of the lot, but we found their offerings to be consistent in quality thus reducing the chances of a disappointing meal.
We have tried their momos, mushroom chilly, soups, chowmein and thupka. Everything ranges from decent to good (except mushroom chilly which we did not like). The servings, at their prices, are generous. The succulent momos (accompanied by a spicy chilly sauce) were pretty well done. They are willing to accommodate your preferences for a dish and we had our chowmein cooked with garlic and mushroom — the result was quite tasty.
This place, being located at a prime diplomatic area of the city and in the vicinity of the once popular (and now missed) Chanakya cinema, is always bustling with a mix of people — families, bachelors, groups of friends or employees from nearby offices. While it would be unfair to expect authentic food from places like these, they do offer a satisfactory meal and a delightful experience. The seating areas are usually sparsely occupied, and with the worst of the winters yet to come, we think this is a good place to enjoy some hot soup and steaming momos.
Oh, and we made a short video.
Closest Metro Station: None very close, but the best option would be to get off at Race Course and then take DTC bus route 781 towards Chanakyapuri.
Damages: Rs 100-200 depending on your appetite. Momos (8 pieces a plate) range from Rs 70 (veg)/Rs 90 (cheese/chicken/mutton) to Rs 180 (prawn).
