Skewers of Joy @ Naresh Paneer Tikka

It is such an unassuming place, in clichéd terms can it can be described as a ‘hole in the wall’. Naresh Paneer Tikka is located in Paharganj, about a 10 minute walk from the RK Ashram Metro station. I discovered the place during an aimless exploration, crudely put – I was loafing around. Paharganj market is popular for cheap hippie stuff, and hopefully, after this discovery, for Naresh Paneer Tikka! 

It has a limited menu, and serves only vegetarian tikkas. Yes, you read that right. This sounds disappointing to a lot of non-vegetarians but those who aren’t complete a-holes will accept that vegetarian options are not so bad. When you have tried the tikkas here, you will know why. [I understand they are no comparison. So let us just not compare at all!]

The display unit with marinated tikkas stacked up is the most appealing sight, second only to the lineup of skewers on the grill. When you see them all together, you get confused what to order because you want everything. But since I was alone on all three visits, I had to limit my order to not come across as bakasura and frighten others around.

In the bustling market, the noise and the chaos do not add to the most exquisite dining experience. But that’s not why I was there, so I just order my paneer tikka and wait. In all honesty, I didn’t really have much expectations, just seemed like the average paneer tikka store. I have never been more wrong. 

I watched keenly as the marinated skewer holding pieces of paneer, capsicum, tomatoes and onions travelled from the display stack to the grill.  The coal was flaming at one end, and simmering in the other, and the farthest end was the cooling deck. The loaded skewer starts its journey in the flames. Blasts of heat and light char the tikkas and dress them with beautiful colours of black and gold while they are intermittently brushed with butter. As my eyes followed the attentively rotated skewers moving to the simmering coal I fell in love with the fragrance and colours that trapped me in a trance that singularly focused on the emerging tikka. Once off the grill, the glistening tikka does not go straight to the plate. Naresh slides the cooked pieces of paneer off into a bowl, tosses it with a dash of masala and a generous helping of butter. After the little dance, they are sent to the plate, a splash of fresh cream is added and the tikkas are served with sliced onions and mint yoghurt chutney.

                                              

                                              

The first bite of the tender paneer tikka burst into a million amazing flavours in my mouth. The twang of the marinade and masala, the creamy soft texture of the paneer, and the smooth saltiness of the butter combined to create the most wonderful sensations in my mouth. I was stunned for a while. What just happened? I was sent to heaven and still reeling under its magic, with every bite the world outside around me shut down. It was a perfect romance - tikka and me. Eternal bliss.

But like Axl Rose wisely said, “... nothing lasts forever... ”. The most heavenly paneer tikka was over. My heart was insatiable but my stomach said, that’s enough for today. I licked the disposable plate clean (especially the mind-blasting awesome mint yoghurt chutney) and promised to return, with a larger appetite.

On my second and third visit I tried the malai chaap, the haryali paneer tikka roll and the mushroom tikka. The malai chaap was so good that I had it packed for a friend, who gobbled it up in no time and shared the same celestial bliss I experienced! 

The hariyali paneer tikka roll was fantastic. Soft romali roti holding softer tender pieces of paneer. The romali takes away any sharpness of the masala you might feel, and tames the butter on the tikka. I highly recommend taking a romali roti with the tikkas or having it as a roll in case you find the tikkas standalone a bit too rich or overpowering. Or you could just ask him to go easy on the butter.

The weakest bit was however, the mushroom tikka. This was much to my dismay. I love mushrooms, and was hoping to get high on these tikkas. Sadly though, it paled in comparison to the other items on the menu. The reason I guess probably had to do with the size of the mushroom, they were quite large and the marinade and flavouring didn’t quite reach the inner portions very well. Maybe choosing a skewer with smaller mushrooms and wrapping it with romali roti will solve the problem.

On the menu, there are two types of paneer tikka – special masala and haryali, and two types of chaap – special masala and malai. A masala soya bean tikka, and finally a mushroom tikka. That’s it. Each of these are priced at a measly Rs. 60/- (It’s a steal!!!) You can add a romali roti at Rs. 5, he will also wrap your tikka order into a roll at the same price.

                                                    

Late evenings can get crowded. So be prepared to wait, but not too long though. If you like, there is coke and other soft drinks available to finish off your meal. Go in a group or have some company that can eat well, you get to experiment and try different tikkas and above all – share the joy!

Mr. Naresh, the boss, himself is very involved in preparation and serving the customers. He’s is ably assisted by a great team. My interactions have been mainly with Mr. Mohit and Mr. Rohan, apart from Mr. Naresh himself.  They not only deftly handle the grill, but also the crowds. A very cordial team who I must thank for cooperating and helping with the photo-op!

Now I guess I’ve got you drooling. Clean up and be on your way to Paharganj!

Naresh Paneer Tikka open 5pm – 11pm!

Happy Hogging :D

For The Love of Cheese!

Cheese Chaplin is the crystallization of Mr. Vikas’s love for cheese. It is not your run-of-the-mill restaurant. You are in the lab of a culinary genius whose sole obsession is cheese.

I was introduced to Cheese Chaplin by a fellow cheese lover (FCL) who vouched for the amazing pizzas and the only place she preferred red sauce pasta (No, she has not had the good fortune of sampling my awesome red sauce pasta). 

We found our way after asking around a bit. The easiest way to locate the place on this street (Old M.B Road, Lado Sarai) is to look for a neem tree opposite the HFDC Bank ATM, and there you will see the unassuming white board announcing - “Cheese Chaplin”. Take the flight of stairs down and enter cheese-land!

I was introduced to Mr. Vikas, the owner and as I looked around, I realized this was going to be the beginning of a very long friendship. You’re flanked by shelves holding an enormous variety of cheese, a lot of which are manufactured by Dairy Kraft, the parent company run by Mr. Vikas himself. There is Edam, Gouda, Mascarpone, Bocconcini... Smoked, flavored with garlic...  Okay, I will stop and contain my excitement. You get the picture. One shelf is full of cookbooks mainly dealing with Italian cooking and cheese cakes. There is also great stock of pastas, olive oils, olives, capers, and all that you would need for an Italian cooking soiree. (Napkin Chatter will host one soon!)

While our eyes were scanning through every inch of the display refrigerators and our mouths’ started salivating, Mr. Vikas promptly served us a portion of Tiramisu. There was total silence, broken only by the occasional “mmmm”... “aahh”. It was a beautifully dressed, tiny little cup layered with mascarpone, and coffee soaked ladyfinger (if you think its bhindi/okra, you need an education. Like I did in my younger days). Then it was over. As the empty cup stared right back at me, I drifted back to reality, only to enter the next paradise.

A savory dish to balance the sweet. What Mr. Vikas calls a ‘cheese boat’, is a filo pastry puff snuggly housing a family of cheese and olives, sprinkled with oregano, roofed with a cherry tomato and a basil leaf. The light and crunchy pastry sheets, giving way to the salty cheese and tangy olive and tomato, and the fresh basil joining in with the oregano treated my palate to one of the best experiences it has had in Delhi.

We then sampled a baked cheese cake, with a slice of freeze dried fruit. With that smooth, light texture, and not too sweet a crust this happens to one of the better baked cheese cakes I have had around Delhi and Bangalore. A bite of the freeze dried fruit gives the slight tartness to eliminate any possibility of monotony that a not-so-big-fan (me) of baked cheese cake might have.

Following that, comes the unique cream cheese blended chocolate brownie topped with a raspberry. I know, your face just contorted to that befuddled look – cream cheese + brownie? Well, the story goes that, apparently Mr. Vikas likes adding cheese to everything(like duh!); he thought of adding cream cheese to the brownie dough; yes, he made a face too, but being the experimental genius he is, he went ahead and conducted the experiment. Oh boy, I’m glad he did! The texture is quite different from your usual brownie, closer to fudge and cake but not so overpoweringly sweet. These mini towers of brownie were cleared off the board in the blink of an eye!

We broke the sweetness spree with the much reputed pizza! Seven inches of thin crust goodness topped with an array of veggies. (Sorry non-vegetarians this place is all veg!)  First up – The Chaplin Favorite Pizza. A crust with just the right amount of crunch, topped with generous portions of the most delicious kalamata olives, tomatoes, basil leaves on a thin spread of fresh pizza sauce cloaked in a sheer of melted mozzarella and a dash of grated parmesan cheese. It was love at first bite!

After a cup of coffee, we quite shamelessly, agreed to hog another pizza – Spicy Treat *beta (not on the menu yet!) It’s a blissful combination of cherry tomatoes, corn kernels, slices of onion, and a good helping of zesty, spicy jalapenos. We added a dash of oregano and wolfed it down.

The pizzas at Cheese Chaplin are the kind that the thin crust aficionados crave for; it’s perfectly baked with the best quality ingredients, and has a freshness that is unmatched.

While we reveled in the sins of gluttony, sad news arrived. FCL’s only place for red sauce pasta has stopped serving it! I think it was a wise move; otherwise it will be very difficult for Mr. Vikas to stop the gourmands from devouring everything his kitchen can offer.

Diverting our minds from any trace of sorrow, we were served a portion each of an apricot baked cheese cake. I approached it with skepticism only to be pleasantly surprised by its yumminess. 

  

This meal that started at around 10:30 am ended approximately 4 hours later. I’ve told you about the fantastic food. But it is not just the food that made this such a delightful experience. Mr. Vikas infects you with his rare brand of unconditional love and passion for cheese. It reflects in the taste and quality of all his products and dishes. The most splendid food peppered with nostalgic conversations, served with anecdotes and garnished with slivers of love takes your dining experience to a superlative level.

There were many more things to try, blueberry cheese cake, red velvet cake, a wide variety of sliced and flavored cheeses, more pizzas. But we were just two stomachs stuffed well beyond capacity. Making a mental note on things to eat on the next visit, and stuff to buy for a possible cook-off, we make our way out. The world outside was a sweltering mess burning in the harsh and unwelcoming Delhi sun – a stark contrast to the place we just exited.

A couple of details you may want to note before your visit:

If you’re comfortable on the floor, this place has the seating capacity for about 10-20 people (a balanced mix of big, medium and small human beings), and if you insist on furniture, there are two tables and four chairs. 

For those with highly active bowel movements, or ones’ who want to clear room for more food, there is a toilet near the entrance.

Like I said at the beginning of this post, Cheese Chaplin is not your run-of-the-mill restaurant. It could be called a super speciality food joint, attached to Mr.Vikas’s culinary lab. It works from 10am to 6pm; open only Monday to Saturday.

Closest Metro Station: Saket, Yellow Line.