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| Patrons chill out at Balwant Singh?s Eating House on Harish Mukherjee Road after a hard day?s grind. Picture by Rashbehari Das |
A dhaba is not a hot hangout if you are looking for the cool environs of a coffee shop. Not everybody has the stomach for chicken on the oven, sarson da saag, makke di roti, kulhars of lassi and folding cots far from genteel surroundings.
But the dhabas we know (and frequent), these days (or rather nights) are dhabas with a difference. They do retain their rundown (and often filthy) look inside, but outside they have managed to create a world of Honda Citys and Hero Hondas, a devoted clientele that demands its dinner ? or chai/coffee ? on wheels.
Cosy couples out for their last cuppa, families out for a budget meal, friends out for a spin, party people out for the final fling before bedtime?. There?s something for everyone at the unlikeliest of hip hangouts.
Goodlife stops at one of the oldest and most crowded dhabas in the city to find out what makes it tick, with old and young, humble and happening.
Hot haunt
Balwant Singh?s Eating House
Map mark
10/B Harish Mukherjee Road, adjacent to the gurdwara
Flashback
This pre-Independence dhaba was established in the late 1930s. ?The place belonged to my maternal grandfather. He gave it to my father when he was on his deathbed,? recounts Lakhvinder Singh. ?We have just continued to keep up the quality and share a very good rapport with our customers.?
Tea time
You can take your first sip as early as 3 in the morning. ?Though it is not the rush hour, we have some regulars who finish their work and head home after having their tea here. After all, there are so many people who work late into the night,? says Manish Singh, representing the fourth generation of the family manning the dhaba.
The peak time is from 6.30 am to 8.30 am. Closure time is either midnight or 1 am, depending on crowds.
Popular pick
Tea, of course. For many, the day just refuses to begin without a refreshing sip of the special chai sold here. ?From the start, tea has been the main draw,? says Manish, Lakhvinder?s nephew. The magic potion is prepared with tea leaves in a cloth pouch, boiled in steaming water. Once the liquor is extracted, the tea leaves are discarded. After adding milk to the liquor, the blend is poured into a utensil and then transferred to a larger vessel with hot water. At no point is the beverage directly exposed to the flames. ?This helps retain the actual flavour of the tea and is hygienic too,? explains Manish.
Price tag: Rs 4, Rs 7 and Rs 14.
Tea turnover: Thousand-plus kulhars a day.
Food fare
If tea rules the mornings, some lip-smacking food fare goes down well in the evenings. ?The place might be synonymous with good tea, but we also have some delicious vegetarian fare, added to the menu for just over a decade,? says Manish.
Chinese Samosa, Tomato Vada, Paneer Cutlet, Paneer Pakoda, Gobi Pakoda, Gulab Jamun and Imriti are the hot favourites as starters.
Price tag: Rs 2 to Rs 10.
The gravy train consists of Dal Tarka, Dal Makhani, Palak Cream, Kaju Paneer, Vegetable Begum Bahar, Kashmiri and Gujarati Alu Dum, Alu Do Pyaza, Paneer Do Pyaza, Vegetable Do Pyaza, Vegetable Korma, Navratan Korma?
Price tag: Rs 15 to Rs 60.
The roti range reads Makke Di Roti, Butter Tandoori Roti, Lachhedar Paratha, Garlic Naan, Masala Naan, Missi Roti and Masala Kulcha.
Price tag: Rs 3 to Rs 35.
Secret of success
Balwant Singh?s Eating House just keeps growing in popularity, purely through word-of-mouth publicity. But why? ?The main ingredient for success is the tremendous loyalty of the customers and the fame this dhaba enjoys because of them. The reputation was not built overnight. There are people who have been coming here for decades now,? says Manish.
Star trek
From KL Saigal to Satyajit Ray, Uttam Kumar to Kareena Kapoor, the celebrity line stopping over at this Harish Mukherjee Road-Elgin Road address for chai has been long and lustrous. ?Then there?s Daler Mehndi who comes here with his entire troupe every time he is in town,? smiles Manish.
