My friend and I walked into Boju’s Kitchen on a lovely, sunny winter afternoon. A small, unpretentious Himalayan kitchen with limited seating, run by the charming mother daughter duo – Arati Thapa and Chitrangada Gupta who hail from Darjeeling. The size of the kitchen is in contrast with the large hearted, warm women. Boju means grandma and that is the source of all recipes that one can see on their menu and the secret behind the hearty, no-fuss and authentic Nepali food. Started as a home kitchen during the first lockdown, this restaurant now sits at a very pretty location at 32nd Avenue, Gurugram.

From cooking herself, Arati now has a chef from Nepal running the kitchen but the recipes are still hers.

We sat at a table outdoors and the first thing we had was the first flush Darjeeling tea. So mellow and yet so flavourful. This was followed by their chicken thukpa that we divided into two for ease of eating. The broth was light, fresh and delicious with a touch of chilli oil. The experience got elevated when we learnt that the noodles in it weren’t made of maida but healthier rice flour. I could imagine myself sitting with a large bowl, slurping the broth, on a cold winter evening. Like a hug that warms up the coldest cockles of your heart. That’s how good it was.

Next up was their chilli pork. When it was brought to the table, my first reaction was – oh that looks gorgeous! And it tasted exactly the same. Gorgeous!

I was full by then but there still was the pork curry meal which we had already ordered. A bowl of steamed rice with pork curry and alu dum served with a side of aloo pickle and fermented leafy vegetables. We requested the kitchen to up the spice levels of the aloo pickle and they gladly obliged. The fermented vegetables were new for both of us and you can think of it as a Nepalese kimchi. Look at the dish this way – pork, potatoes and rice, together are a match made in heaven. We couldn’t have asked for more.

This meal was exactly what food dreams are made of. Laidback atmosphere, delicious food and recipes straight out of mumma’s cookbook. There is an indescribable sense of comfort when one eats at restaurants born out of love. And when you have a grandma, her daughter and granddaughter at the helm, you know that you are up for a happy and satisfying meal. One thing I can say for sure. I will definitely go back especially for sadeko momos.

Address

Boju’s Kitchen, The Highline, 32nd Avenue, Sector 15 Part 2, Gurugram

Phone number:  95820 81749

The post Boju’s Kitchen, Gurgaon: Delectable Himalayan Cuisine appeared first on Indian Food Freak.

There are four things that distinguish a good pizza from a not so good one. Here they are:

1) Base: A well cooked and a well aerated base is the first and foremost requirement. The litmus test of a good base is if you can eat the edges without any accompaniment

2) Sauce: The second most important component of a good pizza is its sauce. It should neither be too sweet nor too tart. I love the garlic flavour in it but I’ve seen many kids who don’t appreciate it. One has to keep kids happy as they are one of the biggest influencers, if not the consumer of pizza.

3) Cheese: Ofcourse, I can’t imagine my pizza without cheese. And more the merrier. The quality and mix of cheeses plays a huge role in making a pizza gourmet. Those liquid cheese are definitely avoidable.

4) Toppings: In addition to the other three characteristics, quality and quantity of topping also defines a good pizza. I can’t stress enough on the freshness of veggies or the quality of meats.

You must be wondering why I am talking about pizzas. This is because, for lunch today, I tried pizzas from Slyce, a new, delivery only brand from Zorawar Kalra’s kitty. He is someone who knows his food. With so many brands under his belt, he is sometimes unable to give enough time to each one but I have seen how much time he devotes when a brand is still building. And this attention shows in Slyce which is entering a very cluttered and low entry barrier segment – pizza.

Now, for the big question – are pizzas from Slyce any better?

The answer. A resounding yes!

I think pizzas are best eaten at the outlet, just out of the oven. Like a Neapolitan loses its gooey base and can’t be repeated properly in a delivery format. And this is where most outlets go wrong. They deliver the same product that they serve in their dine-in format. Slyce is a delivery only product and they have done their homework right. It ticks all my boxes for a good pizza. With six accompaniments including regular oregano and chilli flakes (both of which I didn’t try as pizzas were delicious without having to add anything), I loved the addition of pepperoncini, red paprika, toum sauce and jalapeno mayo. Pepperoni pizza that I ordered was one of the best I’ve had. The crust didn’t sit heavy on the stomach and didn’t cause bloating after finishing the meal. Had I received chilli oil with the pizza, it would have been sone pe suhaga. 

While pizzas are gourmet, pricing is not. I paid Rs.1118 (after Zomato discount and delivery charges), 2 medium size pizzas – Artichoke veg and 2X pepperoni and it felt pretty reasonable.

Slyce is available on both Zomato and Swiggy.

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