Incredible India thru my Lens

South Indian Food in Delhi: Malgudi Restaurant, Rajouri Garden

In recent past I have been hearing about the South Indian restaurants coming up in Delhi. That’s a good sign for people like me who don’t want to change their food habits even after spending few years in Delhi. I couldn’t visit this restaurant when I went to Rajouri garden a few weeks ago.

Today, I had to visit a friend in Rajouri Garden to get a missing accessory for my tripod. So, I assured myself to visit the restaurant for sure.

Took a metro from Qutub Minar and changed blue line at Rajiv Chowk and reached Rajouri Garden metro station around 4 PM. After finishing the work, I went to Malgudi Restaurant. It is hardly 150mtrs from Rajouri Garden Metro Station. Just before the Malgudi, there was Pind Balluchi as well, another favorite restaurant of mine. A thought went through my mind to visit Pind Balluchi instead of Malgudi, as I prefer non-veg. But then made up my mind and entered Malgudi.

When you enter through the glass door, you will be welcomed by a South Indian temple Gopuram on your left. They have two dining areas, ground and first floor. Ground floor seemed to be little congested, but it will be felt only when you have so much crowd. Seating was quite comfortable and the lighting was pleasant.

But the interiors were the ones which I loved the most. All sides are filled with the pencil sketches of Malgudi. I haven’t seen them all but it looked quite beautiful.

Ahhh..! Let’s now come to the main part. The menu looked quite exhaustive with so many varieties. I was astonished by the variety of Idlis they had, 23 in all. I have seen several varieties in Dosa/Uttapam but not in Idly. But the price seemed to be on the higher side. So, I first ordered ‘Kerala Parotta with Korma’ and the taste was good. Coconut was extensively used in the korma. Then, I ordered ‘Chef Special Dakshin Masala Idly’. I had never heard of this variety. As expected, it was different with excellent taste. In this dish also, coconut was extensively used along with garlic and green chilly. The sides Sambar, Pudhina chutney, Coconut chutney tasted very good. It was overall an excellent food experience. Total bill amount came to Rs. 221/-, little expensive though.

Quick Bites:

Located in: West Delhi
Nearest Metro: Rajouri Garden
Restaurant Type: Pure Vegetarian
Cuisine: South Indian (Chetttinadu, Kerala, Tamilnadu)
Meal for 2: Rs. 500/-
My Rating: 9/10
My Favorite Dish: Chef Special Dakshin Masala Idly

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South Indian Hotels/Food @ Delhi

Having spent around 28 yrs in South India, I am used to authentic South Indian food. Initial 15 days in Delhi was a nightmare as I couldn’t find out a good hotel to have South Indian food. Initially I was put up in a guest house located in South Extension for couple of weeks and routine was ‘parantha’ in the morning, roti + dhall & evening dinner at guest house – mostly egg briyani.

Then we moved to Kalkaji Extension and it took another week to get our things from Chennai. Till that time, we managed to find good South Indian mess in Munirka and were relieved a bit as we had dinner every night. After a month we bought our cute little car and started our hunt for South Indian restaurant. Finally managed to find a bunch of them and thought of sharing.

If you would like to have the similar cuisine served down south then you have to head Connaught Place or Green Park Market where ‘Hotel Saravana Bhavan’ and ‘Adayar Ananda Bhavan’ is located respectively. Both serve excellent food and don’t miss out ‘Mini Tiffen’ in both the places which is GVM. Other speciality dishes served are different varities of Dosas, Uttappams, Appam with Coconut Milk.

Second set of restaurants ‘Neivedyam’ in Kalkaji/Green Park, ‘Tamilnadu Tourism’ hotel in INA – Dilli Haat & ‘Sagar Ratna’ near Sarita Vihar serve South Indian food but can’t match with the taste of South. But still for a change you can have food there. I had food in ‘Sagar Ratna’ once and didn’t like the taste and never visited again and ‘Tamilnadu Tourism’ is no different from Sagar Ratna and hence not recommended for frequent visit. ‘Neivedyam’ serve food cooked with coconut oil and the taste is something different and good. Out of the dishes served ‘Tamarind Rice’, ‘Appam & Coconut Milk’ and ‘Kesari’ stand out. Don’t miss the ‘Rasam’ & ‘Papad’ served at the beginning.

Third set of restaurants server similar food as South India but it was more cheaper than the previous set of restaurants. The prices of the food were at par to the price down south with excellent taste. Most of these restaurants are located in and around Munirka. ‘Chennai Mess’, ‘Tamilnadu Mess’, ‘Kadirvel Mess’ in Munirka & ‘Chennai Briyani Center’ in R K Puram (near Delhi Tamil Sangam) to name a few. We visit all these places regularly as the serve more variety and excellent ‘Non-Veg’ food.

Last but not least, there were couple of state guest houses which serve authentic south indian food. ‘Tamil Nadu Illam’ in Chanakyapuri & ‘Andhra Bhavan Canteen’ near Ashoka Road serve good South Indian food. Don’t miss ‘Briyani’s’ in Tamilnadu Bhavan & ‘Fish Curry & Prawn Curry’ in Andhra Bhavan Canteen.

Enough details and now its time for some photographs.

Note: Most of the restaurants mentioned here are in South Delhi as I reside there. There might be more restaurants around Delhi, will update once when I pay a visit there.

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