Kerala House
Kerala House's canteen, commercially known as Samridhi, is not as famous as some of its South-Indian bhawan kin, but nonetheless, it has a reputation for the heavy crowds that eagerly line up at lunchtime to enjoy its cheap thali offerings.
We had scheduled to meet our friend Rohit at the canteen, but when we arrived, he was nowhere to be found. Finally, after some puzzled phone conversations, we discovered he'd instead been directed (and offered no resistance) to the hotel's more fancy executive dining room, meant for guests staying at Kerala House. Of course, the entrance of a rather gangly white man into this otherwise exclusive space invited some questions, and eventually we were escorted out of the spacious dining hall and pointed down the stairs and across the courtyard to join the commoners. So a note to any hungry souls who have the privilege of visiting Kerala House: make sure to head across the courtyard to the building at the far end of the complex when entering through the main gate. Otherwise, if you are to veer right and have the misfortune of appearing as clueless as I sometimes do, you may be met by various confused stares.
Once we arrived at the correct location, we ordered and paid for our meals before being given a number in the queue. The wait for a table in the small dining area lasted about twenty minutes, but it was peak lunch time, so if you err on the early or late side, it surely will be less.
The menu at Kerala House is limited. All guests are expected to order either a vegetarian thali for ₹50 or chicken biryani for ₹100. In addition, carnivorous sides of chicken roast, (buffalo) meat fry, fish fry, and fish curry can be added for ₹50 each. We opted for one of each, along with two thalis and a biryani for PJ. Admittedly, this probably constituted a bit ambitious ordering for just three of us, but we were curious and the price was right.
After waiting our turn, we were seated at a long table shoulder to shoulder with other (overwhelmingly male) patrons. This isn't a luxurious canteen—you'll be sweating in no time—but its charm was clear and reminiscent of a downscaled, slightly less efficient Andhra Pradesh Bhavan.
The restaurant's basic thali comes with two types of vegetables, one dry and one wet preparation, as well as a spicy paste, sambar (which is served all-you-can-eat style in a huge steel bowl on each table), white rice, and papad. We found all these dishes to be well flavored although none too extraordinary.
Similarly, the chicken biryani was adequately juicy and flavored, but not too outstanding. As for the meat dishes, the buffalo fry was indeed outstanding. The chicken roast and fish fry were also both good, although the latter was a bit too oily.
Overall, the meal was of standard quality. It did stand out, however, for its unbeatable value for money, which clearly makes it a favorite of Central Delhi workers. The system of processing orders could be improved, as we had to remind the waiters several times of the meat sides and mineral water we had ordered. But for the price, who can complain?
Price of lunch for three: ₹320
3 Jantar Mantar Road,
Near Patel Chowk Metro Station,
Janpath, Connaught Place,
New Delhi, Delhi 110001
We had scheduled to meet our friend Rohit at the canteen, but when we arrived, he was nowhere to be found. Finally, after some puzzled phone conversations, we discovered he'd instead been directed (and offered no resistance) to the hotel's more fancy executive dining room, meant for guests staying at Kerala House. Of course, the entrance of a rather gangly white man into this otherwise exclusive space invited some questions, and eventually we were escorted out of the spacious dining hall and pointed down the stairs and across the courtyard to join the commoners. So a note to any hungry souls who have the privilege of visiting Kerala House: make sure to head across the courtyard to the building at the far end of the complex when entering through the main gate. Otherwise, if you are to veer right and have the misfortune of appearing as clueless as I sometimes do, you may be met by various confused stares.
Once we arrived at the correct location, we ordered and paid for our meals before being given a number in the queue. The wait for a table in the small dining area lasted about twenty minutes, but it was peak lunch time, so if you err on the early or late side, it surely will be less.
The menu at Kerala House is limited. All guests are expected to order either a vegetarian thali for ₹50 or chicken biryani for ₹100. In addition, carnivorous sides of chicken roast, (buffalo) meat fry, fish fry, and fish curry can be added for ₹50 each. We opted for one of each, along with two thalis and a biryani for PJ. Admittedly, this probably constituted a bit ambitious ordering for just three of us, but we were curious and the price was right.
After waiting our turn, we were seated at a long table shoulder to shoulder with other (overwhelmingly male) patrons. This isn't a luxurious canteen—you'll be sweating in no time—but its charm was clear and reminiscent of a downscaled, slightly less efficient Andhra Pradesh Bhavan.
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| The standard thali with meat dishes on the left |
The restaurant's basic thali comes with two types of vegetables, one dry and one wet preparation, as well as a spicy paste, sambar (which is served all-you-can-eat style in a huge steel bowl on each table), white rice, and papad. We found all these dishes to be well flavored although none too extraordinary.
Similarly, the chicken biryani was adequately juicy and flavored, but not too outstanding. As for the meat dishes, the buffalo fry was indeed outstanding. The chicken roast and fish fry were also both good, although the latter was a bit too oily.
Overall, the meal was of standard quality. It did stand out, however, for its unbeatable value for money, which clearly makes it a favorite of Central Delhi workers. The system of processing orders could be improved, as we had to remind the waiters several times of the meat sides and mineral water we had ordered. But for the price, who can complain?
Price of lunch for three: ₹320
3 Jantar Mantar Road,
Near Patel Chowk Metro Station,
Janpath, Connaught Place,
New Delhi, Delhi 110001
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