Lucknow's Chowk: Every Non-Vegetarian Food Lover's Wonderland!

By Abhidip Sengupta

I studied in Lucknow and it was the last week of my college life.  We were discussing what we will miss the most after we pass out from law school. People were saying a lot of things - friends, hostel life, parties and what not, but I could only think of that humongous degchi (cooking pot) full of Biriyani you see at Idrish in Chowk and the fragrant hypnotising smoke which comes out from the degchi and mixes with evening fog of Old Lucknow. Indeed heavenly. Indeed that is the thing I definitely miss the most now.

It was almost a weekly affair for us (almost daily during the month of Ramzan) to go to Chowk  - the focus point of old Lucknow traditions - and actively partake in the culinary experiences. Simply put, we used to go to Chowk, very frequently and ate like animals, till we could not walk.

In last five years I went to Chowk many times, probably a lot more than many Lucknowites ever has. And met a lot of people there, made a lot of friends there. So I feel, somewhat I have gained a right to write about my most favourite food destination.

Whenever I took people to Chowk , I followed a distinct plan , a sort of a circuit or a map following it one can obtain the complete culinary experience of Lucknow Chowk , which does not only involve eating.

So here is the step by step plan which I have followed for half a decade:

Tiwari ji’s Bhang Thandai: The journey starts from Kotwali (in Chowk), this is a very busy junction with places of interest all around you. Various famous mithai shops like Shree, (famous for lassi) , Radhey Lal Parampara etc are there, but those places are not essential to the tour which I prefer. Instead I will suggest Tiwari Ji’s Bhang Thandai. You will find it right beside the starting point of ‘phul wali gali’ in Kotwali. Start your tour with a glass of ‘light’ bhang thandai. Yes, ‘light’. Don’t try to be a hero and go for the ‘strong’ glass, if you are not that much of seasoned bhang enthusiast. Trust me , you will want your wits around  when you would have to stop at different places to eat so many lovely things. Drink a light one, get a light buzz. Most importantly it will make you very hungry  and will make you appreciate food like never before. 

Malai Makkhan: By far one of the best desserts I have ever tasted in my life has to be Malai Makkhan . You can get them near the Gol Darwaza at chowk , just beside the bhang thandai shop.  This frothy, fluffy , amazing rather sinful dessert is probably (according to me) Lucknow’s best dessert. You get it only after October and till March. It’s a seasonal dessert, as the name suggests it is made from malai and apparently they need the cold dewy air for the condensation of the malai and they serve it with crushed pistachios and silver leaves (chandi ka warq) , by adding saffron its gets a bit of yellowish tinge. This sweet , beautiful, foamy dessert is so smooth that as soon as you put it inside your mouth it melts and vanishes and only leaves behind a heavenly taste. Hence the name rightly describes ‘Malai Makkhan’. You can get them in some shops , but I think buying it from the vendors or “malai makkhan walas’ near the Gol Darwaza will definitely not disappoint you.  And it will enhance the effect of the bhang thandai in a very positive way. You will become a happy - hungry person roaming around a locality that provides you with mind boggling food.   What else do you want from this unjust world?!

Biriyani at Idrish: Quintessence of the famous Lucknow Biriyani is this place called Idrish. If you are into superficial things like ambience and cleanliness , well you can skip  the place but if you are faithfully in love with Biryani , it is a sacrilege if you don’t go to this place. Mutton Biriyani at Idrish will always be amazing. No doubt about that. It is situated in a place called Patanala at Chowk only.  Nothing can compete with Idrish’s Biriyani on a cold evening in Lucknow. I am pretty sure, you will treat Biriyanis from other places as second class citizens once you taste Idrish. Each and every grain of rice is perfectly cooked ,  meat pieces will not let you complain and the entire place (though a bit untidy) smells like heaven. A must go for Biryani lovers throughout the world.

Now from Patanala, walk till Akbari Gate , it will help you digest a bit, don’t forget you have to complete the circuit and a lot more to eat.  Smoke couple of cigarettes or drink a bottle of Cola if you have to, but make sure you have room in your tummy.

Raheem at Akbari Gate: My favourite place in Lucknow. The first time I tasted their pasanda , I literally cried. I thanked the almighty for providing me with a tongue so that I can taste such a dish. My god!  Pasanda at Raheem is indeed paradise served on a plate. Marinated beef cooked in charcoal smoke. I am literally drooling right now as I type. The perfect balance of spices, the perfect tenderness of the meat, the smoky texture will enthral you. Another must eat. 

They also make the best Nahari , a curry made of slow cooked meat. With Nahari you can eat Kulcha and Sheermal. Sheermal is a saffron flavoured a bit sweet type of flat bread. A very popular meal during the holy month of Ramzan, especially during sehri (the meal before the dawn). They have Biriyani also which is excellent , probably not as good as Idrish’s , but better than 95% of all the Biriyani you may have eaten from all the different places.

Azhar Bhai ka Paan: Right opposite Raheem , you will find a shop which rightly says : ‘Lucknow Ki Shaan, Azhar Bhai Ka Paan’ . You will find all the nazakat (delicacy) , nafasat (sophistication) and tehzeeb (culture) dripping from the paans served by Azhar Bhai. You will find various types of paan there like, pistai paan, badami paan, zafrani paan, saunfiya paan, pethe ka paan, aonle ka paan, begum pasand, wajid ali shah ki shahi gillauri, haazme ka paan, seene me dard ka paan, khattha meetha paan, shahi meetha paan, palang tod paan…YES you read it right.. PALANG TOD PAAN, apparently unleashes the beast within you, never had the guts to try this flavour though.

Buy a paan from there, keep it with you , (trust me you will need it later) don’t eat as soon as you get it, don’t forget that you have to eat more, you don’t want to send wrong signals to your taste buds, as if its over. Because its not.

Tunday Kababi: From Akbari Gate you take phool wali gali and you will reach bang infront of Tunday Kababi. World famous Galawati Kababs with Paratha is beyond comparison. The soft melt- in-mouth kababs with ulte tawe ki parathas are a different league altogether. Apparently minced meat is mixed with papaya , which contains an enzyme called Papain , decomposes the meat and makes it so tender and soft that it melts in your mouth. One of the most famous places in Lucknow, probably the most famous dish in Lucknow, You will be cheating yourself if you don’t go there.

Walk straight on the phool wali gali towards Kotwali by that time you will be extremely full and tremendously happy and somewhat high , because the bhang thandai would have definitely kicked in.

No. Its not over so soon!

Habshi Halwa: Next stop is a mithai shop which is a few steps away from Tunday, on Phool wali gali  towards Gol Darwaza ,on your left side. I don’t know the name of the shop or the shopkeeper , but whenever I meet that guy he gives me the best smile and the best Habshi Halwa.  This sweet is made up with many nutritious ingredients put together such as milk, desi ghee, cashew, nuts, almonds, clove, kewda, wheat flour . Don’t know why its called ‘Habshi Halwa’ . Habshi means African, I think maybe it has so many nutritious ingredients, eating it will make you as strong as a well-built African man. Or I don’t want to sound racist, but maybe because the colour of the mithai is dark brown.

Furqan Bhai’s Itr Shop: I have a friend in Chowk , his name is Furqan bhai, his shop is situated on phool wali gali only. If you walk from Tunday to Gol Darwaza it will be on your right hand side. For us it’s Furqan Bhai’s dukaan and we never bothered to know the name. It is a shop which sells finest itrs (scents) of Lucknow. You can spot the shop , by seeing a lot of hookahs are kept outside it and very polite, young chap who is always smiling , sitting at the counter. After so much of food and walk you would love to sit and smell the varieties of itr, it will instantly make you feel relaxed , the fragrances are so nice it will make you appreciate the finer things in life. And if you love the fragrances you can buy them also. He will put drops of different fragrances on your arm to smell and taste the product while he tells you the different names of the fragrances is a trip on its own. Names like, Gulfam, Noor –e- Ilahi, Shaam-e –Awadh , Madhosh will make you fall in love with them instantly.

I am pretty sure, You will definitely be in a trance by now. Its Natural. Walk straight towards Gol Darwaza and you will reach where you have started from. You can have another round of Bhang Thandai, if you want and you can make it ‘strong’ also. Because you don’t need to worry about a single thing. You will be happy. Satisfied to the core of your heart. Because, they meant it when they said: “Muskuraiye ke aap Lucknow mein hain”

P.S. Don’t forget about the Azhar Bhai’s Paan you bought. Have it then, it will be the perfect time.

About Abhidip:

This ever smiling young lawyer found roaming the corridors of the High Court at Calcutta is a free soul who lives for his love for travelling. And the only thing that is greater than his love for travelling is his passion for food. Besides being an amazing cook, he is like a human food wikipedia! He daydreams of becoming an amazing food critique some day that will require him to travel all over the world. 

Posted in: Uttar Pradesh