Zodiac, Fortune Select Excalibur, Sohna Road

Old Delhi was founded as Shahjahanabad by Mughal Emperor Shahjahan in 1639. It remained the capital of the Mughals until the end of the Mughal dynasty. It was once filled with mansions of nobles and members of the royal court, along with elegant mosques and gardens. Today, despite having become extremely crowded and dilapidated, it still serves as the symbolic heart of metropolitan Delhi.
As all of us already know, an intrinsic part of Old Delhi's charm has always been its food. The areas in and around Jama Masjid and Lal Kuan are predominantly Muslim. Hence the cuisine here is more meat dominant Mughlai cuisine. The area in and around Chandni Chowk is predominantly Jain and Baniya communities. Hence the food is strictly vegetarian and in a lot of cases made without onion and garlic.
The famous Paranthe Wali Gali and Ghantewala halwai are also situated here. Old Delhi is also famous for its street food. Chandni Chowk and Chawri Bazaar areas have many street joints that sell spicy chaat. 
So what do you do when you live far far away in Gurgaon and crave for one of the Old Delhi specialities? You head to the Purani Dilli Ki Galliyan festival at Zodiac, ITC Fortune, Sohna Road. 



We were greeted by extremely courteous staff, Sankar and Chef Inder who looked after us himself. He explained the concept behind each dish that came in and made sure that we were looked after. 
Chef Inder ordered our drinks almost as soon as we were seated-the good old Bloody Mary and Mojito. 


Along with the Mojito and the Bloody mary, arrived the first round of snacks - achari matthi, pakode and kachori with not 2 but 4 chutneys- dhaniya pudina chutney, methi seed chutney, red chilli chutney and the imly chutney. It reminded me of the snacks my mom serves when people come visiting. What a great way to start!
If the festival is named Purani Dilli Ki Galliyan, then there obviously had to be a chat counter. Samosa, gol gappa, aloo tikki, papdi- just name it and it was there. 



The samosa chat was my favourite. Crispy samosas with a delicious potato filling topped with piping hot chole and imly chutney- just amazing. I almost felt like I was in Chandni chowk. 


Next was the aloo tikki served with chutney and yogurt and topped with sev. Ambika was already grinning ear to ear.

Whats Dilli without Chole Bhature and obviously they were fantastic. My absolute favourite chole- not very spicy, tangy and luscious!



The Bedmi poori and aloo sabzi which came next reminded me of home and the local sweet shop all at once. The poori was hot and slightly sweet and the aloo sabzi was amazing.


Then came something that we weren't expecting at all - Ram Laddu. Usually this snack is found during the winters. But to have this in the summer was a great experience- Light fluffy daal pakodas topped with radish and chutney, Oh what a treat!


While the vegetarian starters were keeping Ambika happy, I knew she was waiting for the non veg snack to arrive. The first was the Barbari Kebab made of minced chicken coated with egg. It was flavourful, juicy and mouthwatering.


What we tried next was something I have never had before- Tandoori Fruit. Marinated Pineapple,   Apple, Capsicum and Onions roasted in the tandoor and served with a coriander chutney. I personally did not like it that much as I felt that the flavours did not go well together.


Moving on to the main course, the keema parantha served with mutton korma was delightful. The flavours just hit the spot and the mutton was perfectly cooked.


The chicken Korma was slightly oily but was well cooked and appetizing.

 T
he Dal Tadka was prepared well and tasted the usual.

Paneer Lal Mirch was actually very tasty and not as spicy as I expected. The Paneer itself was soft and the dish very enjoyable.

Coming to the last part of the meal - desserts. A large variety of Indian and western desserts were put up. Must have taken many many chefs to prepare the desserts. As you can see, there was almost everything available- Rasgullas, Gulab Jamuns, Phirni, Rasmalai Ice cream, Laddu, Halwa, pastries, mousse and much much more. We were overwhelmed. I for one, could not even decide what I wanted.

The Indian desserts were mouth watering and delectable. The western desserts however were somewhat dry and flaky and so not that good.








The food is as good at the Purani Dilli Ki Galliyan and is served in the comfort of a beautiful property which means you get the food you are craving for minus the traffic, the metro ride, the heat and a whole lot of effort. The flavorsome festival continues till the 17th April 2016 so go on and give it a try, you will not be let down. 
Happy eating!
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Zodiac - Fortune Select Excalibur Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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