Purani Dilli food is as much of a classic as all the Old Delhi architecture drawing visitors from around the globe. While we do not mind travelling for Old Delhi food, we also love it in the comforts of a restaurant closer home. Dilli Meri Jaan – Delhi-6 Food Festival is being held at Seventh Sense Restaurant, Seven Seas Hotel, Rohini in New Delhi. The Delhi food festival brings forth the food of Purani Delhi in a buffet set-up at Seven Seas Hotel. Seven Seas is a luxury property in North Delhi that is gaining a lot of popularity.

What to expect at Dilli Meri Jaan-Delhi 6 Food Festival

The entrance to the festival is a replica of the Red Fort. You get the familiar sounds of Old Delhi as soon as you enter. There is a paapad wala hawking papad in a traditional basket on his back. This is so very Dilli.

Another hawker is selling toys like lattoo (top) and tin boats in a basket. Absolute nostalgia. There’s a cart offering shikanji and another one selling cut fruits in leaf bowls or dona). Everything including the clothes of the attendants is colourful. Yet nothing is gaudy. The ambiance of the Food Festival helps set the mood for the evening. As soon as we entered, our expectations climbed up there.

What to try at Delhi-6 Food Festival

We routinely get the question what is Purani Dilli famous for? The answer is tough. There are myriad food stalls, hotels, and food streets in Old Delhi. It is therefore a hit or miss. The Sevenseas team clearly did its research. They brought together famous items from the best street places of Old Delhi under a single roof.

We started with the refreshing and our all-time favourite drink Sharbat-e-Mohabbat. It is our go-to drink whenever we are at Jama Masjid for Ramzan Food Walk.

Once seated, we strolled down to the buffet area. On the way, we had Ram Laddoo again in a dry leaf dona. We couldn’t resist trying Fruit ke Kulle which is also known as Kulia Fruit Chaat. These are small bowls made out of various food items like sweet potatoes, tomatoes, or cucumber. The bowls are filled with pomegranate seeds, boiled chana, and potato bits. Topped with sweet and tangy tamarind water, these snacks were super yum and took us to the bylanes of Purani Dilli.

We were served more chaat items like Bedmi Puri Aloo, Lotan style Matar Kulcha and some non-vegetarian starters on the table. These included tandoor grilled chicken and fish tikkas. The fish was tender, properly marinated, and stayed with us on our minds and palette. It was so good that we took a long pause after that to let the taste linger on.

Among the vegetarian and non-vegetarian items, there was so much to choose from. You could cherish the iconic dishes of Delhi-6, from ‘Qureshi Kebabs’ and ‘Changezi Chicken’ if you are non-vegetarian. If you are a vegetarian then you have chhole bhaturay, paratha, bhalle papdi, kachoris from ‘Jung Bahadur Kachori wala’ and so much more.

For the main course, we tried Shahi Paneer, daal, biryani with garlic naans, and Missi roti. All of this was soul-satisfying food that could take any North Indian food lover on a joy ride.

For dessert, we had Falooda Kulfi topped with chia seeds. It was amusing to see such modern health twists on a very traditional dish. We also tried the jalebi and the decadent Shahi Tukda dripping in ghee.

But what impressed us most was the Besan Laddoo. Besan was roasted to perfection and the sweetness quotient was just right. These were the best Besan Laddoo ever. Period.

If you want to try something unique – you must not miss ‘Daulat ki Chaat’. If you have tried this item before, you know what we are talking about. And if you have not, we are resisting offering spoilers. All we can say is you would be surprised. In fact, we were stumped to spot the winter specialty of Old Delhi’s Daulat ki Chaat in the monsoon season. The taste was absolutely on point.

“God is in the details”

In our quite a long stint as food bloggers, we have been to so many brunches and dinners. But we never ever saw a street-style chai counter at a buffet. Seven Seas really stood out in getting the details right.

They set up a chai ki tapri (tea stall) in the buffet. We ended our meal with absolutely roadside strong or kadak masala chai from this tea stall. They served the tea in little glasses with narrow base (pendi wale glass) to complete the experience. They also had rusk and the flaky fen to dip in the chai. But we were full and we had to gulp down the besan laddoo that we had saved for the last.

Is Delhi Food Festival in a hotel worth your time & money?

In recent years, the reputation of Old Delhi food has spread far and wide. It was evident that the Delhi-6 Food Festival organisers had put in solid hard work to get it right. Being regulars at Old Delhi, our verdict is that they got it just right, there is nothing we would like to change.

As a matter of fact, going to Old Delhi for a food trail is not viable for many people. Not only the distance, or mobility issues that some seniors may face, but also for some, it is the crowd. Many people might want to try Old Delhi street food. But they may have reservations about the hygiene and cleanliness of the eateries.

For all of you, this is just the perfect food trail. You get countless varieties of Purani Dilli Khana, all spot-on taste and flavour. However, you do not have to compromise on hygiene or any other concerns you may have while eating directly while standing at a roadside stall.

Given the great regard we have for food traditions, we were a little sceptical before we came here. But we are happy to say, the food festival exceeded all our expectations. It was like an Old Delhi culture trip – without the sweat and toil. So, in our opinion, Dilli Meri Jaan-Delhi 6 Food Festival is totally worth it. Do come with time on hand, this gastronomical trip is not worth being rushed.