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
