Bagels in Delhi?

curtdfw · Jul 3rd, 2009, 20:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by thirdreel

It's funny to note what cravings come up when you're away from home.

At times in India I found myself thinking longingly about Taco Bell, whose garbage food I wouldn't even consider while actually in the US...

ananda2193 · Jul 3rd, 2009, 20:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by curtdfw

At times in India I found myself thinking longingly about Taco Bell, whose garbage food I wouldn't even consider while actually in the US...

I love Taco Bell. Go there all the time. I'm sure it's not the healthiest food, but who cares. It's delicious. And Mexican food in general ain't so healthy.

And where I live theres lots of Indians, and everytime I go to Taco Bell, I always see Indian people there. They love it! I once asked some why they like it and they like the spiciness of the food. Plus it tastes good.

namaste_cat · Jul 3rd, 2009, 23:10

NonIndianResident - Oh that's so cool you know about

taelwor

! I assume that's the bread you mean. I do like it actually and eat it in Kashmir. It's the only part of the country that makes anything like a bagel, how ironic my 1/4 Kashmiri kids pooh pooh it. They will eat it happily in Kashmiri restaurants in the US, where they claim it tastes better "because of the water". Most Kashmiris eat it w/ malai/cream, but I'm w/ you on the cream cheese. No salt tea takers here though, not even my kashmiri father!

dillichaat & curtdfw - definitely understand what you mean. Actually I think when it comes to bread (and possibly burgers/beef) what makes it worse is that it is actually available in some way in India but not quite. Maybe something like haggis which Indians don't eat at all would be different

But I don't get why the bread is just so ordinary and not very varied. Course I used to think the same of bread in the U.S. and still do for the most part. Howver the difference is it's not that hard to find good artisan European-style breads in the U.S. these days, esp in bigger cities.

As for prices, in the last few yrs, I've found them to be jaw-dropping at most air-conditioned even somewhat decent sit-down restaurants, so I wasn't surprised to see how much the Imperial charges. For my kids it'll be a treat for a belated Independence Day's - somewhere between US and India's days.

Speaking of which, have a great July Fourth all who celebrate

A guy I went to grad school w/ is a big shot in the State Dept and currently in India so he's promised us a typical US celebration complete w/ fireworks & of course a cold one for the adults. My kids are very excited b/c we're usually in India, and miss July 4 in the US.

dillichaat · Jul 4th, 2009, 12:07

Well, the 'pain' so to speak -I'm not writhing on the floor in agony- of paying 2400 a person for brunch is more than worth it to me. What matters is value for money / finding an equilibrium in terms of diminishing returns for each rupee spent extra.

Speaking about that, I've found India to be an expensive country, except in one set of circumstances, not just for food but for everything. If you stick to the absolute lower part of the market (100-300 Rs hotels, eating dal/roti/rice, local style clothing that you buy on markets......) then yes, it's very cheap.

But once you want something that's a bit above that things are comparatively expensive. An example: when I arrived I bought a locally-produced toaster, paid about 2/3 the price of what I'd have paid in Europe. Good deal, no? Well, it broke after two days. After a lot of hassles I received a new one. That one lasted for 3 weeks before giving in (it worked fine, only thing was, it carbonized the bread

. I had one sent from Europe, it's been happily doing its thing since 9 months. Same experience with an extension cord that had a fault in it, started melting and sparking, luckily while I was in (obviously this says something about the quality of the electrical wiring in my apartment as well). Colleague's house almost burned down due to a small problem with his fridge.

If it's half as expensive but breaks down 3 times quicker (and with a bit of bad luck kills you in the process), it's really more expensive. I could give 100 examples, ranging from clothes to renting a car (trekking to the rental agency this afternoon because they tried to take me for a 7000 Rs ride this month).

The 'cheap India' concept is a fallacy once you leave the bottom end of the market.

Anyway, getting back to the food: there's plenty of restaurants in Delhi where you get lousy deals in terms of value for money. Where's the value in an 800 Rs meal if you can't be reasonably sure you won't spend 3 days on your knees as a supplicant to the porcelain God in your bathroom?

But so far, the brunches at the international hotels are right at the sweet spot of my value for money curve

curtdfw · Jul 4th, 2009, 20:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by dillichaat

The 'cheap India' concept is a fallacy once you leave the bottom end of the market.

Concur. Well put.

namaste_cat · Jul 4th, 2009, 21:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by dillichaat

The 'cheap India' concept is a fallacy once you leave the bottom end of the market.

Anyway, getting back to the food: there's plenty of restaurants in Delhi where you get lousy deals in terms of value for money. Where's the value in an 800 Rs meal if you can't be reasonably sure you won't spend 3 days on your knees as a supplicant to the porcelain God in your bathroom?

But so far, the brunches at the international hotels are right at the sweet spot of my value for money curve

Could not agree more! Since I've been going back every 5-6 mos for the last 28 yrs, I can sometimes see things my parents and others can't. I can tell you I have been in absolute sticker shock starting about 7-8 yrs ago and getting worse each yr.

You hit it on the nail in that people will still point to el cheapo hotels and restaurants and Rs 100 shirts and say things are cheap. True that, but once you move up from there, forget it. At every price point, it's very expensive esp when you look at value for money. Glad to see some others get what i mean b/c usually people look at me strangely when I don't buy things at Shopper's Stop and places like that b/c I find them to be rather pricey given quality.

So yeah I'll pay for a safe (well as much as one can be sure anyway) good quality brunch any day. Speaking of which, the one at Machaan in taj hotel on Mansingh Road is pretty awesome too. That was right where we headed when we arrived in Delhi. Price if I remember correctly (still jetlagged at the time) was actually lower than Imperial's - Rs 2,150 (with alcohol) and Rs 1,750 (without). Uh oh, I'm hungry now!

AwayFromHome · Jul 5th, 2009, 02:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by curtdfw

Concur. Well put.

Yes.
It all depends on your lifestyle. And, I am sure, there must be a heppy medium there.

camelgirl · Jul 5th, 2009, 04:06

I guess I can't reply as an ex-pat having never been in India longer than a month or two at a time but even on our most recent visit I can honestly say that we had a wonderful meal at a local restaurant in Panjim Goa for about 200 rs. for both of us.

India has always had upscale restaurants in 5 star hotels that cost as much or more than in the West.

We have always been able to find excellent & safe food in a more middle range.

We no longer try to travel at the "bottom" scale of things, but we also would have to cut our trips short if we went for meals at 2400 rs.!

There is still a middle ground for people who don't travel 5 star!

Nothing against anyone who does, it's just a matter of personal finances! We'd rather stay a month & be in the middle than 2 weeks & live like Maharajas

If we ever managed a really long stay, I'm sure I would find a way to get that brunch!! And bagels must be coming soon. We found them all over London recently, which amazed me!

palerider · Jul 5th, 2009, 04:55

I'm just trying to get my head around 2000 rupees for a western meal in a western hotel in INDIA.
Your choice, as camelgirl says, but if I had the money to spend more than I do in Australia on meals, I'd probably go to Europe for a holiday.
I have eaten at these high end places, in hotels sometimes, paid for by someone else usually, but I can't abide the western fusion sort of food.
I've never been sick in cheaper places, I don't eat meat much, I always get the local option. If I'm in Rajasthan I eat rajasthani food, in Bangalore bangla food etc.
2000 rupees is my food bill for a week.
In Chandigarh I had the most sublime food I've had in a long time, and it cost me 200 rupees.
Sorry, but I reckon 2000 for lunch, and 5000 for a hotel is just a rip off.
I can't even conceptualise any Indians eating Brunch.
I've never had a problem with my appliances from India, but I 'spose I didn't buy much, An iron, a radio, a dvd player, a tv, all fine after four years.

I'm just wondering if the people who spend these sorts of monies on food still hassle rickshaw drivers for a cheaper ride?.
Probably taxis everywhere.

To answer the thread, I've had really good bagels in Bangalore, at City market, in Chandigarh, Shimla, Jaipur, Chail, and Varanasi.
The ones at Varanasi were Blueberry.!!

curtdfw · Jul 5th, 2009, 05:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by palerider

I'm just trying to get my head around 2000 rupees for a western meal in a western hotel in INDIA.

Yeah, that's tough. My big-ticket meals like that (and don't get me started on wine prices) were most often when, as an expat, I hadn't been back to the US for 5-6 months and needed to bring up my internal bacon levels to a healthy state, or perhaps just have some well-cooked pasta.

palerider · Jul 5th, 2009, 05:11

I 'spose it depends where you stay, and the quality of room service. There was a place in Bangalore, where I went down to the kitchen, and showed the guy how to cook Fettucine Carbonara.
He was a natural, and it's probably still on the menu.
What surprised me about India, is the food that I never see in Australia.
We get a lot of westernised food, not real Indian.

namaste_cat · Jul 5th, 2009, 07:08

palerider - was the Varanasi placed called "Bread of Life"? I love the fresh-baked bagels there, and also love that they support a local charity.

As to brunch, well, to each his/her own. My hubby is from Chicago, so we go there often. Honestly, the brunch at Machaan is much better than the one at the Season's Cafe, and much cheaper too - about 1/2 the price:
http://www.fourseasons.com/chicagofs/dining.html
I say don't knock it till you've tried it. And if you're not planning to, so be it. Doesn't mean someone else has to feel guilty for doing so :shrug:

My kids told me they'd rather forego the US one in favor of Taj so that's where we went. At $35 a pop for them once maybe twice a yr, I didn't feel I was spending their inheritance

We hardly eat out in the U.S. at all, and hubby makes bread at home using spelt & organic ingredients at a fraction of what we'd pay at the store, so we find ways to pay for this 1-2x splurge

palerider · Jul 5th, 2009, 07:42

Yeah, it was that German place, I think that was the name. they were so nice, and they had Chocolate croissants, but good ones.With Lashings of butter, and a good coffee.
I had a day when I couldn't face another Dosa, and just had to eat crap for breakfast, or Brackfarst as it says on the sign outside.

dillichaat · Jul 5th, 2009, 17:50

Quote:

I'm just wondering if the people who spend these sorts of monies on food still hassle rickshaw drivers for a cheaper ride?.
Probably taxis everywhere.

Nope, a car + driver (more or less imposed by my job) and to tell you the truth, it's no luxury and more of a hassle than it's worth. Really. I actually enjoy taking a rickshaw and do so several times/week, great occasion to practice my Hindi. And yes, I insist on paying a correct price, fail to see what my income or the price of brunch has to do with the cost of a rickshaw ride.

For the rest it's a question of perspective. I have a good income and can understand that some people who have less -especially in India- would consider the things I do wasteful but that's none of my concern, just as I don't begrudge one of my friends with an 8-digit income (at least before the market meltdown

the fact that he pulls his netjets card and flies from London to NY at least twice a month to go shopping and watch a game. More power to him, who am I to judge him? Why should my standards and lifestyle be considered superior?

You only live once and have to make the most of it, enjoy it to the fullest and in whichever way you see fit, it's a free world.

puchoo · Jul 6th, 2009, 16:23

Haggling with a Rickshaw or an Auto is not necessarily born out a need to get the best price , but in this case in addition by the suspicion that they are probably over charging by a good 25-35% , no one wants to get taken for a ride

Jul 4th, 2009, 12:07	#19
dillichaat Professional cynic Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: जोर बाग़,New Delhi Posts: 431	Prices Well, the 'pain' so to speak -I'm not writhing on the floor in agony- of paying 2400 a person for brunch is more than worth it to me. What matters is value for money / finding an equilibrium in terms of diminishing returns for each rupee spent extra. Speaking about that, I've found India to be an expensive country, except in one set of circumstances, not just for food but for everything. If you stick to the absolute lower part of the market (100-300 Rs hotels, eating dal/roti/rice, local style clothing that you buy on markets......) then yes, it's very cheap. But once you want something that's a bit above that things are comparatively expensive. An example: when I arrived I bought a locally-produced toaster, paid about 2/3 the price of what I'd have paid in Europe. Good deal, no? Well, it broke after two days. After a lot of hassles I received a new one. That one lasted for 3 weeks before giving in (it worked fine, only thing was, it carbonized the bread . I had one sent from Europe, it's been happily doing its thing since 9 months. Same experience with an extension cord that had a fault in it, started melting and sparking, luckily while I was in (obviously this says something about the quality of the electrical wiring in my apartment as well). Colleague's house almost burned down due to a small problem with his fridge. If it's half as expensive but breaks down 3 times quicker (and with a bit of bad luck kills you in the process), it's really more expensive. I could give 100 examples, ranging from clothes to renting a car (trekking to the rental agency this afternoon because they tried to take me for a 7000 Rs ride this month). The 'cheap India' concept is a fallacy once you leave the bottom end of the market. Anyway, getting back to the food: there's plenty of restaurants in Delhi where you get lousy deals in terms of value for money. Where's the value in an 800 Rs meal if you can't be reasonably sure you won't spend 3 days on your knees as a supplicant to the porcelain God in your bathroom? But so far, the brunches at the international hotels are right at the sweet spot of my value for money curve

Jul 5th, 2009, 04:06	#23
camelgirl 10 year Visa okee dokee Join Date: May 2005 Location: Swannanoa NC usa Posts: 1,974	I guess I can't reply as an ex-pat having never been in India longer than a month or two at a time but even on our most recent visit I can honestly say that we had a wonderful meal at a local restaurant in Panjim Goa for about 200 rs. for both of us. India has always had upscale restaurants in 5 star hotels that cost as much or more than in the West. We have always been able to find excellent & safe food in a more middle range. We no longer try to travel at the "bottom" scale of things, but we also would have to cut our trips short if we went for meals at 2400 rs.! There is still a middle ground for people who don't travel 5 star! Nothing against anyone who does, it's just a matter of personal finances! We'd rather stay a month & be in the middle than 2 weeks & live like Maharajas If we ever managed a really long stay, I'm sure I would find a way to get that brunch!! And bagels must be coming soon. We found them all over London recently, which amazed me! __________________ My selected India photos http://www.indiamike.com/photopost/s...r/7030/cat/500

Jul 5th, 2009, 04:55	#24
palerider this is Brad. He's cute Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Armidale, N.S.W., Australia Posts: 2,226	I'm just trying to get my head around 2000 rupees for a western meal in a western hotel in INDIA. Your choice, as camelgirl says, but if I had the money to spend more than I do in Australia on meals, I'd probably go to Europe for a holiday. I have eaten at these high end places, in hotels sometimes, paid for by someone else usually, but I can't abide the western fusion sort of food. I've never been sick in cheaper places, I don't eat meat much, I always get the local option. If I'm in Rajasthan I eat rajasthani food, in Bangalore bangla food etc. 2000 rupees is my food bill for a week. In Chandigarh I had the most sublime food I've had in a long time, and it cost me 200 rupees. Sorry, but I reckon 2000 for lunch, and 5000 for a hotel is just a rip off. I can't even conceptualise any Indians eating Brunch. I've never had a problem with my appliances from India, but I 'spose I didn't buy much, An iron, a radio, a dvd player, a tv, all fine after four years. I'm just wondering if the people who spend these sorts of monies on food still hassle rickshaw drivers for a cheaper ride?. Probably taxis everywhere. To answer the thread, I've had really good bagels in Bangalore, at City market, in Chandigarh, Shimla, Jaipur, Chail, and Varanasi. The ones at Varanasi were Blueberry.!! __________________ I always wanted to be someone when I grew up, I realise now that I should have been more specific.

Jul 6th, 2009, 16:23	#30
puchoo Maha Guru Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: New Delhi & Himachal Pradesh (Shimla) Posts: 5,397	Haggling with a Rickshaw or an Auto is not necessarily born out a need to get the best price , but in this case in addition by the suspicion that they are probably over charging by a good 25-35% , no one wants to get taken for a ride __________________ Cheers! Indiamike Mod team............ puchoo.wordpress.com

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Jul 3rd, 2009, 23:10	#18
namaste_cat Kashmiri-Punjabi Sherni Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Amreeka Posts: 881	NonIndianResident - Oh that's so cool you know about taelwor ! I assume that's the bread you mean. I do like it actually and eat it in Kashmir. It's the only part of the country that makes anything like a bagel, how ironic my 1/4 Kashmiri kids pooh pooh it. They will eat it happily in Kashmiri restaurants in the US, where they claim it tastes better "because of the water". Most Kashmiris eat it w/ malai/cream, but I'm w/ you on the cream cheese. No salt tea takers here though, not even my kashmiri father! dillichaat & curtdfw - definitely understand what you mean. Actually I think when it comes to bread (and possibly burgers/beef) what makes it worse is that it is actually available in some way in India but not quite. Maybe something like haggis which Indians don't eat at all would be different But I don't get why the bread is just so ordinary and not very varied. Course I used to think the same of bread in the U.S. and still do for the most part. Howver the difference is it's not that hard to find good artisan European-style breads in the U.S. these days, esp in bigger cities. As for prices, in the last few yrs, I've found them to be jaw-dropping at most air-conditioned even somewhat decent sit-down restaurants, so I wasn't surprised to see how much the Imperial charges. For my kids it'll be a treat for a belated Independence Day's - somewhere between US and India's days. Speaking of which, have a great July Fourth all who celebrate A guy I went to grad school w/ is a big shot in the State Dept and currently in India so he's promised us a typical US celebration complete w/ fireworks & of course a cold one for the adults. My kids are very excited b/c we're usually in India, and miss July 4 in the US.

Jul 5th, 2009, 05:11	#26
palerider this is Brad. He's cute Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Armidale, N.S.W., Australia Posts: 2,226	I 'spose it depends where you stay, and the quality of room service. There was a place in Bangalore, where I went down to the kitchen, and showed the guy how to cook Fettucine Carbonara. He was a natural, and it's probably still on the menu. What surprised me about India, is the food that I never see in Australia. We get a lot of westernised food, not real Indian.

Jul 5th, 2009, 07:08	#27
namaste_cat Kashmiri-Punjabi Sherni Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Amreeka Posts: 881	palerider - was the Varanasi placed called "Bread of Life"? I love the fresh-baked bagels there, and also love that they support a local charity. As to brunch, well, to each his/her own. My hubby is from Chicago, so we go there often. Honestly, the brunch at Machaan is much better than the one at the Season's Cafe, and much cheaper too - about 1/2 the price: http://www.fourseasons.com/chicagofs/dining.html I say don't knock it till you've tried it. And if you're not planning to, so be it. Doesn't mean someone else has to feel guilty for doing so :shrug: My kids told me they'd rather forego the US one in favor of Taj so that's where we went. At $35 a pop for them once maybe twice a yr, I didn't feel I was spending their inheritance We hardly eat out in the U.S. at all, and hubby makes bread at home using spelt & organic ingredients at a fraction of what we'd pay at the store, so we find ways to pay for this 1-2x splurge

Jul 5th, 2009, 07:42	#28
palerider this is Brad. He's cute Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Armidale, N.S.W., Australia Posts: 2,226	Yeah, it was that German place, I think that was the name. they were so nice, and they had Chocolate croissants, but good ones.With Lashings of butter, and a good coffee. I had a day when I couldn't face another Dosa, and just had to eat crap for breakfast, or Brackfarst as it says on the sign outside.

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