ITP Indian Travel Places: Food, Travel, Tourism Business Events and Trade Shows
Phone: 9599966378, 9899499043
Address: 203, DLF City Court, Sikandarpur, Gurgaon, India
Time: 12:30 PM to 03:00 PM – 07:00 PM to 11:30 PM
Meals for two: Rs. 1,300
Cuisines: Kashmiri
Facilities: Home Delivery, Indoor Seating, Table reservation required, Free Parking
Matamaal Kashmiri Restaurant, Sikandarpur, Gurgaon: Decor
This second-floor restaurant-cum-bakery is run by a husband and wife couple from Kashmir. The reassuring part is that one or both of them are always in the restaurant, advising guests who are unfamiliar with the cuisine, greeting customers and in general, playing the part of the hosts in a Kashmir’ household. They will tell you what preparation goes best with which one, and if you try and order a milk-based gravy with a curd-based one, they will gently point out the error of doing so because of Ayurvedic reasons. And they never oversell! Also, they individually or together — are good for a chat, yet they know when not to intrude. It really is like your nanihal or grandma’s home, which is what ‘matamaal’ means. Besides the food’ menu, there is a range of breads and cookies that are only made by professional bakers in Kashmir, who use a wood-fired tandoor. In addition, there is a ‘lending library’, books on cuisine for sale, typically Kashmiri cook-ware and tableware, spices and ingredients like Bhadarwari rajma and morel mush-rooms. Their most popular product is a ready-to-use kahwa mix: Just add to boiling water!
Matamaal Kashmiri Restaurant, Sikandarpur, Gurgaon: Food
I have usually gone through the single page menu (this is a couple-run eatery; not a 200 seater, remember!) and finally given up and ordered the vegetarian Mali (Rs. 800). There is the velveteen haakh, cooked in asafoetida-flavored water and oil, keeping the leaves green and velveteen. Tchok wangun features aubergine cooked in tamarind, to complement the mildly alkaline haakh. Dum oluv / aloo could very possibly rank among the finest potato preparations in the world, where the spices penetrate the very heart of the humble spud. No boring dal on this thali: Rajma is the de facto lentil, cooked without onions, garlic or tomato, none of which make their appearance in a traditional Kashmiri Pandit kitchen. Even mutton is cooked without onions, garlic or tomatoes in an observant Pandit household, though, unusually, there is no proscription on the use of mutton. If you have ever ploughed through an all-vegetarian thali without enthusiasm, do order one in this mom and pop restaurant and change your mind about what constitutes ‘boring’ food! The ristas, gushtabas and the spicy march-wangan korma (Rs. 450) are preparations from the famous wazwan. For the rest, it is mainly home-style food by a capable home-cook-turned-restaurateur.
Plus & Minus:
Inexpensive and unpretentious, you can shop for ingredients and breads while you dine.
