Full points for décor, thumbs down for food
SDA market, New Delhi Meal for two: Rs 1500 Nestled in an already cramped SDA market, the Nukkad Café is surprisingly spacious and wins over most other joints in the area in this regard. Named deceptively, the joint takes up a fair share of space and is also easy on the eye. Its simplistic styling and comfortable seating arrangements win it brownie points.
What Nukkad lacks in terms of food, it more than makes up for by its exteriors. A front yard with ample space greets one upon entry. The exterior setting is ideal for a long drawn out evening. Like most places these days, Nukkad does try to be quirky every now and then. For instance; lamps made from teapots hang from trees, and graffiti adorns the walls. The innards of the restaurant are unremarkable and have the trademark “air conditioning turned up really high so that you don’t overstay your welcome” vibe going. So far so good.
Once in the washroom, you will notice that steel buckets replace bathroom sinks. The steel bucket presumably to lend that rustic aura that comes with improper sanitation which privi- leged people in cities seem to enjoy as a quirk. Maybe one day, there will be a fancy South Delhi restaurant with an adjacent field marked ‘toilet’. Now that would be the epitome of quirk!
Before the main course, snacks such as masala peanuts and kurkure chaat are competent and will keep you distracted from existential thoughts during the long period of time between when you order food, to when your food arrives; the period when your life really has no meaning. The vegetable biryani commits the same mistake that most outlets do these days; it goes overboard with the paneer. Paneer, which is now thrust into random dishes with no rhyme or reason, makes a rather unwelcome appearance.
If your idea of a fun night-out involves liver damage, the following will be a disappointment. The drinks menu is varied but sorely misses alcohol, much like my body at all times. On the brightside, one of the positives to their drinks is the surprising fact that they do not contain pan- eer. It is a mocktail-heavy menu. One out of these is Mirch Mumtaz, made out of orange juice, lime juice, blacksalt, rooh afza and green chilli. It seems to be a disaster on paper. But the sweetness combined with the green chilli provides a stark contrast and somehow works. The aam panna is overtly tangy and sweet and leaves a bad aftertaste. Some drinks that we couldn’t try have awesome names such as Pan Mojito, Rangeela, Aamsutra and Tadka Maar ke.
All in all, Nukkad Café is not a bad place at all, if you base it on appearances. If you’re not a foodie and care about comfort and ambience more than what’s on the menu, this place is for you. However, if you are looking for a dish that no other place has, you won’t find it here. And if you suffer from paneer dependence, the vegetable biryani is highly recommended. And for the non vegetarians out there, the chicken biryani was well cooked and the spices well balanced so do give it a shot as well. — Anubhav Parsheera