Dhaba by Claridges dishes out scrumptious dhaba-inspired cuisines

I am a resident of Mumbai and last week, I went to Delhi to attend a corporate workshop which lasted for 7 days. It was the very first time that I visited Delhi and hence, after work, felt intrigued to try some roadside food for a change. As I steered my car off the road towards Hauz Rani, a boy around the age of 12 or 13 caught my attention and he waved at me as if signaling to follow him. After parking the car, I followed him and walked towards a table and sat. I enquired about the menu and the boy enthusiastically handed over a leaflet that had the names of dishes categorized into Vegetarian and Non-Vegetarian sections including the breads, salads, beverages and other eateries listed separately.

It was a simple menu which was by far least interesting and appetizing and hence, I looked around for other options. To my surprise the same boy suggested that I visit Dhaba Claridges which was just a few blocks away by car. He realized that I was probably looking at a better place to dine at and was also craving to relish some authentic dhaba-inspired cuisines.

To be honest, for a moment, before I realized that he was talking about ‘the’ restaurant, I heard Dhaba Claridges or something to that tune and hence, I assumed that he was probably telling me about some other roadside food joint situated nearby. Hence, I wasn’t a bit interested, but nevertheless thought that I should give it a try and so I took the directions and drove off.

The moment I arrived at Dhaba By Claridges, ‘fabulous’ was the only word that constantly hit my mind. Usually, one would imagine a roadside food joint as an open space with dim-lit thatched roofs under which a few wooden tables and benches are placed asymmetrically and largely occupied by truck drivers and highway commuters. These eating joints have consistently tempted people due to their rustic ambience and a serve of few dishes only but packed with flavor; call it soul food if you may like to give it a name.

However, contrary to the description above, Dhaba By Claridges was a complete surprise. Unlike the typical roadside food joints, this restaurant is located in heart of the capital city, within the DLF place, a South Delhi Mall. Its lip smacking menu complete with a truck mural, rustic interiors and servers donned in traditional Punjabi attire does pack a punch.