Be it Kerala’s roadside curries, Mumbai’s vada pav or Puraani Dilli’s seekh kebab, Desiya has sourced authentic delicacies from popular streets. Karan Bhardwaj sampled the fare
Are you too shy to check out those dahi wale bhalle at the quaint corner of your street despite keep drooling over themIJ Or you find that cutting chai or filter coffee quite tempting in your market but think it is too unhygienic to be savouredIJ Then Desiya is a place that might interest you! This latest outlet in Hauz Khas Village offers an extensive menu inspired by the street food of India, and interestingly, efforts are being laid to keep everything real and authentic, from the interiors of the place to the delicacies.
As you enter, the ground floor hosts a fancy live kitchen of chaat pakodis. We choose to settle down on the first floor which faces an amazing view of the tomb. As the moonlight falls on the tomb, the balcony gets a priceless view. The following dishes are only adding life to the experience. Masala shikanjvi instantly reminds me of my mother, as if she only gave them the recipe. Though the air conditioned setup and the Bollywood songs trivialise the authenticity of the place, we find the refuge at the balcony seats. The stools have cycle pedals though not in motion. The golgappa platter with an equal measure of khatta-meetha paani, saunth and other stuffing, is a true-blue representative of Delhi’s appetite for street delicacies. On the menu, you find Kerala’s roadside curries to Mumbai’s vada pav to Puraani Delhi’s seekh kebab.
According to the owners, the idea is to bring the street delicacies back into the popular food culture. “lately we realised that the culture of the street food is diminishing even though there is a significant demand of street samples in the middle and upper middle class. But they avoid it because either they feel too shy or find it unhygienic. There are places in South and West Delhi but they specialise in specific items. So we wanted to get everything under one roof ‘from gol gappas to butter chicken’. We have picked up food and small elements from streets from all over the country to make one extensive menu,” says Ankush Myint, corporate general manager, Desiya.
The outlet has kept its delicacies almost similar to what we find in the streets of Chandni Chowk. Sample their mutton seekh kebab. The meat is minced less to retain the roughness. Also, the sauth ki chutni has age-old recipe of jaggery. “There’s no major twist to our food. We are trying to enhance the authenticity of the food with street flavours plus texture of how it is made. Most of the outlets offering street food give you a fine dining feel. Food there is more creamy or lighter. But we have got ruggedness in our kebabs and curry. There’s no fine consistency usage of luxury items like dry fruits,” says Myint. There’s a cocktail bar which is expected to be functional soon.
According to the owners, Desiya’s major chunk of revenue is coming from the takeaways. “We give special attention to the packaging and a lot of young people and families are ordering food everyday. We are delivering packages within the radius of five kms,” Myint says.