Lucknow – In The Land Of Nawaab – Part 2
Aditi Ghosh
On arriving in Lucknow, Rajesh declared that we’ll take 4 meals every day during our stay here. I laughed – are you serious about 4 times Awadhi food in a day? Rajesh is convinced that there are so many legendary food places, we need to experience as much as we can. I proposed, in that case, we should walk at least 4km daily to digest it. Rajesh says- Walk!! ( as if Nawaabs do not walk! )
We opened our Awadhi food inning at #TundayKababi at Aminabad. While eating there, we realized we are so starved for such delicacies that we have almost forgotten the real taste of it. We reached there before noon ( greedy us!) and we had to wait for 20mins for food to get ready for the day….. we were waiting for the way Nini does for her treat with mouthwatering and eager eyes. It took no time for food to finish and both of us murmured together, what took us so long to come back here?
By 4 pm after a good nap and tea, we are again ready for our next venture, this time at #Dastarkhawn, which is a walking distance from the hotel( but Nawaabs do not walk.. so uber jindabad). The food was ok but cannot say it was exceptional. Our bar is already so high. For dinner, again in the late evening, we were at #Mubeen. It is a very crowded small restaurant in the famous ‘chowk’ near Akbari Darwaza. Its kulcha and kababs just melt in your mouth. Akbari Darwaza, the gateway for chowk street, was built during the reign of Mughal Emperor Akbar. Lucknow rose to eminence because the Emperor had a great liking for this place. It is said that the gateway was built in honour of Akbar’s first visit, however, it is not authenticated if the Emperor ever visited the city or not. These streets are part of the Lucknow heritage walk.
#Idreesbiryani is another legendary Biriyani outlet located near the chowk area. Forget sitting, you will not find a place to stand and eat here, but if you want to taste one of the best Biriyani of Lucknow, this is the place. The list continues… #WahidBiriyani#nausijaan and so on.
A melting pot of art, culture, cuisine and architecture, this bustling city, preserves its essence of grandeur in its kaleidoscopic experiences. And our last evening here, we spent listening to live ghazals… to complete the nawaabiwana. And the tune still lingers…’Dil na milte to mulaqat adhuri rehti..’ The city of nawabs, as it is popularly called, is as welcoming as is the warmth of its people. .. dil to milaya humne and this time we promised to come back sooner.
The writer is a globe traveller
