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Dhabas wow in winter
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Eating out in a dhaba can be a heart-warming experience in the chill of winter, finds out K. SACHIDANAND MENON
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— Photo: K. Gajendran
Experience the joy of eating by the angeethi to beat the winter chill — Photo: K. Gajendran
AS A rule, beating the chill and eating out are two mutually exclusive options. Like most rules, this one too comes with an exception — the cold, windy stretch of the Medchal highway. A bumpy, dusty terrain, the highway is a trial enjoyed only by truckers and diehard gourmets.
Winter might deter even truckers, but seasoned foodies know the weather is just perfect for visits to the dhabas that dot the highway. The food, surely, is the bottom line for taking the trial. But add to that lush lawns, a moonlit sky and a bonfire, and the trial ceases to be one.
"There is a dip in the number of customers during winter," admits Narsing Rao, proprietor of Punjabi Dhaba, adding, "It's the cold that keeps them away, cuts my clientele by a half."
Bonfire bonanza
No dhaba owner worth his tandoor likes it when business goes cold. Which is why, the other half of Rao's customers get the privilege of ordering for an angeethi, or ask for a bonfire to be lit with charpoys placed around the crackling wood. For dhaba owners, keeping a customer warm and cosy is one rule of trade that comes with no exception.
"We have an angeethi shaped like an iron basin that is filled with live coals. It is placed underneath the table on a customer's request. The coals can keep glowing for well over three hours and provide excellent warmth," says Jagadish Yadav, partner, New Zee Family dhaba.
Dhabas in the deluxe class have better set-ups to keep customers in a merry mood. Making good use of its spacious interiors, Akhilesh Bhosle, who runs the Presidence dhaba, built circular cement barricades on the lawns that, with half a bottle of diesel, can get a good bonfire going before the tandoor takes its turn.
"Quite a few families come here for the experience of dining before a bonfire. Some of them drop in at about 10 p.m. and carry on till four in the morning, sometimes breaking into antaksharis," says Bhosle. "Those on the cots can even stretch out and warm their hands even while tucking into tandoori chicken," he adds while revealing that it's usually the family crowd that comes for the bonfire experience.
Hot destinations
The dhabas are also hot on the list of chill-out joints for teenyboppers out on buddy bonding. "It is one of the best experiences of college life. More so during mid-mornings in winter, when the sun is mellow and driving around on a bike is such a pleasure," says Amit Kumar, a second-year Intermediate student.
It's the chill of the night, however, that draws the majority of the crowd. Says Divakar, a stock consultant, "I love taking my family out to the dhabas, usually on Saturdays, and it's a nice thing to eat in the open in front of a warm fire." He sums up the experience saying, "I think it's better than sitting in an air-conditioned room that has got squeaky clean dιcor and a hollow ambience."
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