Restaurant Review - Purani Delhi, South Bopal, Ahmedabad

I was driving through one of the by-lanes of South Bopal when this signage of "Purani Delhi" caught my attention. It was a new restaurant in this area (I live nearby) and there are not many restaurants in this side of the city. We have plenty of small eateries and pick-up places, and any new eating place is always welcome. :) This is started by a well-known food chain Gwalia


Gwalia is reinventing itself from the sweet mart and snack set-up to full-fledged restaurants. Some times ago, they have opened a South Indian buffet restaurant, Vannakam in Ahmedabad. I had been to that place once, and I remember the experience. The staff, ambience, menu and food, all were excellent.

One fine evening, in my late evening romantic drives with RB,  I thought of trying out this new place. The name was so tempting and I could feel watering in my mouth thinking about those Delhi flavours. I am a diehard foodie of Delhi flavours. It was 6.45 PM. As I entered the place, I liked the scale and ambience of the place better than any place around. It is a rooftop eating place with indoor and outdoor set up. There was no one inside. I was told that the buffet will open in 15 - 20 minutes. 

A gentleman, who appeared to be the owner or boss/ manager explained to us that they are a newbie in the area. They offer only a buffet and will be ready in some time. He asked us to make ourselves comfortable till they are setting the servings up. We opted out and told him that we will be coming back soon. This area has undergone lots of development and I need to keep myself updated, so I would like to have a round around the area. 

The mandatory selfie @Purani Delhi

And we entered again. As we peeped in, we saw a few people inside and some activity. As soon as we stepped in an over-enthusiast manager jumped over -

How many people?

RB - two.

Issue them token for two, he asked another employee. (Anyway, we never got any tokens.)

RB - Token? 

Sir, will you make payment by cash or card?

RB - Cash.

We made the payment.

This conversation was very inhibitive. Anyway, we moved ahead and were told that the chaat counter is outside. Thinking about Chandani chowk chaat, I crossed the restaurant and went out of the open terrace, with spring in my steps, where they have their chaat counters ready. 

And as I read (the counters') Bengali khomcha and jhalmuri, I knew that I am in the wrong place. These are not the Puraani Dilli flavours. They are from Bengal. I ordered a serving of Bengali Khomcha. It was terrible. The only flavour was chilli. The next was Tikki. I went to the counter and asked the person to make one platter. A very argumentative person. instead of listening to my choice, he was arguing so much about what they will serve that I  left the counter. I ignored it once, but he repeated it again. With such staff and such reaction, I do not think anyone can enjoy food. I and RB left the chaat counter and came inside the restaurant with the intention of having the main course.


The boss fellow must have felt something and came to us. I told him about the incident and advised him to counsel the staff. To elaborate on the kind of inputs, I told him to train them in soft skills and teach them  to listen to customer's requirements. A restaurant or any service industry can not be a success with such a high-headed attitude of people who are directly interacting with the guests / customers. 

The spread was good. Though, I do not understand why chana, rajma, and daal makhani are all together? The taste was Okay but nothing like Purani Dilli. The rotis were the best. The veggies were okay. The small-size kulcha, nan and tandoori roti were the best. The accompaniment like pickles and salads was ordinary. The desserts were fine too. The menu selection is very ordinary. 

Check my reel about this restaurant here

Lot more imaginations are needed in menu and lots of efforts should be put in to bring the authentic dilli wala taste. 

Yeh naam hi dhokha hai. 






Comments

  1. The name Purani Delhi sounds good.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I too feel same. Tasteless buffay and super chill panipuri.

    ReplyDelete

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