Since the times of the nawabs, the city has been known for its delectable street food. While the royals munched on mouth-watering delicacies cooked by their 'khansamas', old Lucknow has been dotted with several dhabas and roadside food joints serving a cocktail of Mughlai and traditional Avadhi cuisine.
And the best of the eat streets in the Lucknow of today can be found just next to the Lucknow Press Club, where hacks converge every night for a bite into the succulent kebabs of various varieties over their routine drinks. Of the many eateries that serve good non-vegetarian fare here is the Dastarkhwan Restaurant, many vouch.
While the cramped place may force you to jostle for space as there are long serpentine queues, especially in winter evenings, to have your food at these food joints, the wait and the trouble is worth, says Rajiv Ranjan Jha, a former journalist and a regular at one such outlet. Coming to the food joint for the past several years, Jha told IANS that the seekh kebabs, chicken masala and chicken barra are great in both quality and taste.
The kebabs galawati - made of minced mutton marinated along with papaya and select spices - kakori and shami remain a favourite here and journalists in particular and the people in general are quick to give them a thumbs up.
Hemant Tiwari, a self-confessed foodie, who frequents these joints almost every weekend, said the place is the best for those looking for traditional Lakhnawi food.
While pointing out that mutton goli's, koftas, kali mirch chicken and rogan josh here continue to tickle your food buds, he rued that hygiene and health take a back seat in these places which are worth a visit for the taste they provide. Pointing out that most of these eateries use vanaspati for the dishes, Tiwari, president of the Accredited Journalists Association, said this is not the best place for the health conscious and those minding their waistlines.
Food lover Mohammed Kamran pointed out that with changing times, both the quality and variety of the food were undergoing a makeover. "You do not find the best and most traditional food at the eateries near the Press Club," he pointed out, while suggesting Nauhsijaan for its range of kebabs and Uttam open air restaurant for its kali mirch chicken.
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Another eatery Zeeshan, many feel, has lost its touch and is a "hotch-potch" of Mughlai and modern food. Food connoisseurs recommend the Daal Mein Kala restaurant that serves one of the most juicy and succulent chicken reshmi kebabs. The kebabs are gorgeous and melt in the mouth, says 26-year-old Amritanshu Singh Yadav, a company executive.
Cooked over coal, most kebabs here are in high demand.
To round up a good round of spicy food, there are traditional desserts in the form of phirni (round rice kheer) and shahi tukda (fried sweet bread).
(Mohit Dubey can be contacted at mohit.d@ians.in <mailto:mohit.d@ians.in>)