28-05-2025
Delhiwale: Gourmand's Sadar
It is not long. You may walk down the entire main avenue of Gurugram's Sadar Bazar in 15 minutes flat, from the post office building to Apna Bazar complex. And while doing so, you shall inevitably realise that in this posh city of multi-storied MNC offices and air-conditioned shopping malls, the dusty chaotic Sadar Bazar shines brilliantly in its diverse maze of shops (one store is dedicated exclusively to help the customer choose the blouse that would match the colour of her sari). The bazar is also a gourmet destination. Here's a food guide to the market. It is not possible to experience all the shortlisted spots in a single walk, but let's start with a few—starting with a classic establishment, and ending with an anonymous vendor.
Old and justly famous
Sadar's Sardar Jalebi has been making jalebis for more than seventy years. Their version of the sweet decadent treat is extremely thin, very crisp, and it travels very well, tasting equally good even when lukewarm. The shop is open on one side, which overlooks the picturesque ruins of a haveli. Also picturesque are the traditional stoves employed by the cooks to deep-fry the jalebis.
Street candy
Scores of cotton candy men walk along the Sadar Bazar avenue throughout the day (the market has as many cotton candy wale as it has hawkers selling rat poison). Packs of pink cotton candies—colloquially called budhiya ke baal—lie tied along the length of a wooden lathi, which rests on the hawker's shoulder. Almost all the Sadar Bazar candy sellers that this reporter has encountered over the years happen to be from Agra. They rustle out these candies at night in their shared living arrangements. Truth be told, to watch a cotton candy man wade through the crowd—his woolly bright-coloured candies soaring high above the moving heads—is more satisfying than actually eating the sticky sugary candy.
Desi khana
Pandit Vaishno Dhaba specialises in vegetarian dishes (see photo) that are accompanied with wood-fired chulhe ki roti—these are puffy garma-garam phulkas. The thali consists of katoris filled with dal and subzi. Each tiny bowl is subjected to a chhowk of fragrant desi ghee just before it is to be served at the table. The food has the simple taste of home.
Snacking in the park
End this episode of gourmet walk at Kamala Nehru Park, where you must look for a balti channa seller, who walks along the market lanes the whole day long, carrying a metal bucket filled with boiled chickpeas. The man lands into the park during the afternoon hours (sometimes he is seen napping on the grass, his chappals doubling up at his headrest). The tangy channas carry hints of chaat masala and fresh neembu juice.
