Paul Levy, a writer of international fame and co-inventor of the word Foodie, has found India a good destination from the point of view of a food tourist. Although he like many others believes that to relish the enjoyment of authentic Indian cuisine, one has to go beyond the confines of establishment restaurants, and a tourist in India always faces the Indian food paradox in the sense that it is very difficult, if not impossible, for a tourist to relish and enjoy the best of Indian regional cuisine in its own area of origin. Still there are many good restaurants that offer a real taste of India. Some of the Delicious Destinations serving the authentic regional food of India from many places of India are given below:
For Regional Cuisine[]
Bangalore[]
- Dahlia
- Grasshopper
- Ponnuswamy
- Sunny's
- MTR
Chennai[]
- Benjarong
- Karaikudi
- Sarvana Bhavan
Delhi[]
- Basil & Thyme
- Karims
- Great Kabab Factory, Noida
- Moti Mahal
- Olive Bar & Kitchen
- Veda
Goa[]
- Mum's Kitchen
Hyderabad[]
- Abhiruchi
- Shadab
- Angeethi on Rd. #1
Hampi[]
- The Mango Tree
Kolkata[]
- Grain of Salt
- Kewpie
- Mainland China
- Nizam
- Oh Calcutta
- Tangerine
Mumbai[]
- Indigo
- Joss
- Mahesh Lunch Home
- Moshe's
- Sejo & the Soul Dish
- Urban Tadka
Big Brand Restaurants[]
Bangalore[]
- Italia At The Park
- Karavalli, Taj Gateway
- Citrus, Leela
- Blue Ginger, Tajwestend
Chennai[]
- Dakshin, ITC [1]: Dakshin means the South, and this restaurant is famed for authentic South Indian cuisine, including foods from the coastal regions of Kerala to Tamil and other regional cuisines of the South.
- Southern Spice, Taj Coromandel [2], brings a celebration of foods of South India.
Delhi[]
- La Plaazza, Hyatt
- ThreeSixty, The Oberoi
- Sakura, Nikko
- Orient Express, Taj
- House of Ming, Taj
- Bukhara, ITC Maurya
- Taipan, The Oberoi
- Spice Route, IMperial
Goa[]
- Alfama, Cidade De Goa: [3] The specialities consist of excellent regional Goan cuisine, as well as many Portuguese delicacies.
Gujarat[]
- Tex Palazzo Hotel: [4] The First Revolving Restaurant in Asia...!! (Hotel in Surat), India first Revolving hotel in Surat. Tex Palazzo Hotel at Surat is a Business leading Hotel in Surat.Luxury Hotel for Business Meeting or Corporate Conference in Surat, Gujarat - India. Best Restaurant in Surat, Gujarat - India.
Kochi[]
- Fort Cochin Casino Hotel: Here apart from many other delicacies, you have the option to selct the fish of your choice, and decide the way it is cooked. You many also watch it to be cooked!
Kolkata[]
- Zen, The Park
- Baan Thai, Oberoi Grand
- Sonargaon, Taj
- Eden Pavilion, ITC
- Chinoiserie, Taj
- West View, ITC
Mumbai[]
- Wasabi By Morimoto [5] is a part of the India's most renowned Taj Hotel Group (which derives its name from the Taj Mahal, a World Heritage Site, Agra). Wasabi by Morimoto overlooks the Gateway of India and the Arabian Sea. The restaurant serves many dishes, and its sushi bar and the Japanese cakes are really wonderful!
- Spices, [6] a part of the JW Marriot Hotel Group is famous for its foods featuring cuisines from Thailand, Japan and Sichuan (China).
- Pan Asian, Grand Maratha
- Peshawari, Grand Maratha
- Konkan Cafe, Taj President
- Golden Dragon, Taj Mahal
- Kebabs And Kurries, ITC Grand Central
- Dum Pukht, Grand Maratha
Few Exotic Indian Dishes[]
The Indian Cuisine is varied and it is natural to be so – after all, it is a nation of more than one billion people with a history of more than two millennia, and the country has come into contacts with various cultures and civilizations. Naturally, the Indian dishes present many types of foods. While all most all the luxury restaurants, independent ones, as also attached to the well known hotel chains, serve foods from almost all the contents, you should enjoy the taste of India while in India. Some of the select dishes, which are now ethnically Indians but which have involved over decades and centuries after assimilating local and outside influences, are:
- Appam & Stew - a favourite of the people of the Indian state of Kerala and you should enjoy a dish of the same while in Kochi or Trivandrum. Appam is made of rice and juice of tender coconut and is fluffy and almost melts in the mouth. The accompanying side dish of stew may be of vegetables or of meat and fish.
- Batata Vada - is a snack from the western Indian state of Maharashtra, and while in Mumbai you may order few pieces. Its nearest western incarnation would be vegetarian burger.
- Chole Bhature is a delicacy of the north western Indian state of Punjab, and while in Chandigarh or Ludhiana, you should surely taste this dish. In fact it is one-in-two and there is no corresponding dish anywhere. Basic ingredients are whole pulses and wheat flour.
- Chicken 65 is an Indian culinary innovation! 65 indicates that 65 chillies are used to prepare one kg of chicken! Though it may not be actually so.
- Chicken Kathi Rolls at Nizam’s is also like a bread roll of kebabs. It was born in a hotel in Kolkata in 1932 and is now available at select outlets, though "look-alikes" and "taste-alikes" are available at many places.
- Dhansak is a dish of Parasis of India; now available in many places particularly the western parts of India and restaurants in the metros like Mumbai and Delhi.
- Dhokla and Khandvi are made of grains and pulses and steamed cooked. It traces its geneology to Gujarat, and while in Ahmedabad and Surat, you would surely be able to get the steaming dish. Good for weight watchers, and if you are unable to take spicy foods which abound in India, a plate of Dhokla and Khandvi would be fine. Presently, the dish has become omnipotent in almost parts of India.
- Dosa is a dish from the South India and consist of grains and pulses. In Chennai every year a Dosa Pageant is held and 100s of types of Dosas are prepared and served.
- Dum Aloo is a spicy curry of potatoes and onions and many other ingredients. It spread to different parts of India particularly in North India from the Indian state of Jammu & Kashmir.
- Egg Curry (Akuri): It is like Dum Aloo; only difference being that Aloo (Potatoes) are replaced by boiled eggs and sometimes scrambled eggs.
- Gobhi Manchurain is an "Indian Chinese" vegetarian dish prepared of cauliflowers. "Indian Chinese" as it originated in India with mostly Indian style of preparation, but people consider and consume it treating it to be a Chinese dish!
Golgappa
- Golgappa, sometimes also called Puchka or Panipuri, are light shells prepared of flour (no description is possible!) and inside bits of spicy vegetables and lime juice are placed. One shell at a time is gulped one by one!
- Goshtaba is meat based dish from Kashmir.
- Kadi with basic ingredients of pulses and curd and look like dumplings.
- Haleem is a thick porridge of wheat, pulses, meat, and spices. The legend associated with Haleem states that it was "invented" by the Persian king Kusarau in the 6th century!
- Hyderabadi Biryani - Hyderabad may be a modern destination for many global corporations of the IT sector, but it is also famous for its rice preparations called Biryani. People of Hyderabad [7] claim that there are at least 49 types of such biryani, and the dish has travelled to all parts of India.
- Kakori Kabab originated in a remote village called Kakori and is a kabab of minced meat prepared in a style that the kabab almost melts in the mouth. The recipe is a well guarded secret by the people who prepare it!
- Jalebi is also a dish which can not be described except that it is sweet. It is purely Indian and no similar preparation exists any where. For an idea of its look it may be compared to a sweet pretzel, dipped in a syrup of sugar. The name is derived from an Arabic word, Zalabiya and a Persian word, Zalibiya.
- Lal Mass literally means red meat and is a preparation of the Indian state of Rajasthan, and is a preparation of lamb meat.
- Maacher Jhol is a spicy curry (Jhol) of Maacher (fish) and is a dish from Bengal but has reached all parts of India.
- Momos are dumplings served with soup, and is common in the Himalayan regions of India like Darjeeling.
- Muligatawny Soup took birth at the hands of the Indian cooks during the British Raj and became a craze among the British people stationed in India. It is soup of pulses and vegetables.
- Murg Makhni or Butter Chicken is a spicy chicken preparation. It is also called Chicken Tikka Masala (may be translated as spiced chicken).
- Porial is a preparation of vegetables, prepared in a dry style or with gravy. Generally it is taken with steamed rice.
- Prawn Balchao is a spicy curry of Prawn and is popular dish in Goa.
Rosgulla
- Rosgulla is prepared of cottage cheese, perfect spheres floating in a syrup of sugar.
- Sambhar, the simple curry of pulses and vegetables, is taken with steamed rice, and is a side dish for many dishes of South India like the Dosa.
- Shrikhand is a yoghurt based aweet dish from Gujarat but now available in almost all parts of India, particularly in western cities (like Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, surat) and bigger metros. It is a sweet dessert sort of dish.
- Sikandari Raan at Bukhara has the distinction of having enjoyed the "love" of the President Bill Clinton during his visit to India and he liked it at Bukhara restaurant. It is a thigh of a lamb, marinated in rum, lightly spiced and cooked in a traditional oven called tandoor. Bukhara restaurant has been declared as the best Indian restaurant for last three years.
- Vindaloo reached Goa from Portugal. It is a pork based dish and is now one among the most famous Indian food.
This is just few among many ethnic food preparations of India. While in India and while experiencing the historical and cultural heritage of India, and watching the natural splendour of India, you would surely love to taste at least some of the above dishes.