|
When the restaurant Baujee’s was launched by the Mehra brothers in Gurgaon’s Metropolitan Mall, younger brother Rakeysh bit into a kebab and chatted about finalising the cast of his movie, one Rang De Basanti. Three years and many tikkas later, and with one of the biggest hits behind him, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra was back in town. And he was again talking food. “I love good food. I am the one who cooks everyday at home. I guess it runs in the family,” he said.
Mehra was here for the launch of yet another branch of Baujee Ka Dhaba at the Garden of Five Senses. “This is the first time I am seeing the restaurant. It has turned out to be magnificent,” said the director, as he took a turn at the eatery set up by brother Rajan and sister-in-law Anupama. The 80-cover fine-dining restaurant is done up like a dhaba with wooden furniture and clay lanterns.
There are rumours galore about his next project, the semi-autobiographical Delhi 6 — on why he hasn’t repeated his Rang De... star Aamir Khan and whether the film will have both Abhishek Bachchan and Hrithik Roshan — but Mehra refused to be drawn into a conversation on movies.
Instead he talked about the Supreme Court’s ban on street food. “It is a good decision,” he said, stroking his beard. “Delhi, New York, London — these are world cities and should be treated as such.” But wouldn’t a ban on rasta fare take away the charm of a place like Chandni Chowk where Mehra had grown up and the pin code of which — 110006 — serves as the title of his next venture? “There has to be a rehabilitation programme for vendors . Maybe something along the lines of a food square to retain the tradition,” he said.
For Delhi’s foodies, the up-market Baujee ka Dhaba at Hauz Khas, is known as much for its delectable choice of North-West Frontier cuisine as for the ambience that has won it an award from the state Tourism Ministry for five years. The new outlet too has the same aesthetic touch, with Madhubani paintings and tribal handicraft on the walls. The ceiling has paintings by Oriya artists Ram Kumar and Kamla. The interiors are done in earthy shades of ochre and orange and tiled with bricks. The bar has been designed like a well, and an interactive kitchen gives the guests a glimpse of what’s cooking inside.
There are over 80 dishes on offer, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian, with a choice of about 15 signature mocktails, but the price is easy on the pocket: a vegetarian meal will cost Rs 250 per person and a non-vegetarian meal Rs 300. Where is Mehra? He is busy biting into a kebab again.
Express India
|