Only a handful of restaurants in Delhi enjoy a fan base as loyal as Kwality’s. Over eight decades ago, the restaurant opened in Delhi’s Connaught Place as an ice cream shop. And over the years, it has become the city’s favourite spot for the beloved chana bathura. Frequented by celebrities, sports icons, and political leaders (from across parties) alike, Kwality has stood the test of time and culinary evolution that the city has seen in the past few decades.
And now, the restaurant in CP that has an ever-present beeline of diners waiting for a spot has opened its second outpost in Gurugram’s Cyber City. I was not entirely convinced that relishing the glossy bathure and flavourful chana was possible in any other setting. But did Kwality 2.0 prove me wrong? With the same flavours and the placement of the grand piano, yes, it did.
Fair to say, Kwality has arrived in Gurugram while keeping its charm, flavour, and essence intact.
What Should You Try From The Menu?
The Chana Bathura, of course.
But here’s the thing. My co-diners, who were dining at Kwality for the first time, thought the hype had no ground. The chana was less masaledar than they would have liked, and the bathura was oilier.
To put it clearly, Kwality chana is peppery, balanced, and lightly spiced. If you are imagining it as a competitor to the chole bathure you find at local shops or street-side vendors, then you are comparing apples with oranges. The bathura, I would agree, arrived glossier than one would enjoy. Still, my suggestion would be to try it yourself, because I continue to believe it is sinful to leave the restaurant without trying the chana bathura. And if you fall for it, there is no going back.
Mains aside, I picked the palak patta chaat from the chaat. The palak crisps paired with yoghurt and chutney were delicious. As someone who rarely enjoys yoghurt, I enjoyed the palak crisps quite a bit. The sev puri could have been better. Chutneys can make or break your plate of chaat and the ones at Kwality were not up to the mark.
From the tandoor section, I opted for the veg kakori, which arrived in a serving of four. Paired with sliced onions, every bite of the kakori was worth the spice in it.
Finally, the tandoori mushroom stood out among all the dishes I tried that day. The stuffed button mushrooms were marinated with yoghurt and prepared in a tandoor. The tandoor-baked mushrooms stood out for the filling and the well-balanced spice levels.
Drinks Menu
To sip with a meal like that, coolers are ideal. I opted for a kaala khatta and the classic Kwality lemonade. Both were safe bets and paired well with the food. Their jal jeera is worth trying too. Owing to a delay in receiving their liquor licence, they were not serving cocktails on the day I visited. But if you wish to pair a legendary Kwality spread with alcohol, then some of their offerings are being talked about quite a bit.
A G&T is hard to go wrong with, and the one served at Kwality is one of their highly recommended sips. Banarasi features paan ka patta (betel leaves), gin, gulkand, and citrus. The drink is strong and leans on the sweeter side. You can also pick your choice from their martini and Bloody Mary options.
All’s Well That Ends With A Dessert
As for dessert, the appetite only allowed for one, but our server recommended we at least pick two. Sweet. Shahi Tukda and Parsi Dairy Kulfi were the picks for the evening, and the realisation that Indian desserts are not receiving their due came on the very first bite of the shahi tukda.
The dessert was decadent. The rabri-like, creamy consistency of the milk-based liquid was all one needed in a dessert. The tukda was topped with sliced almonds and silver foil. The kulfi, on the other hand, would get a pass from me.
