The Old Delhi Culinary Trail - Changezi Chicken - Restaurant Review

OVERALL RATING - We choose to restrain from an overall rating, as given the seating and service this place will not score too high. But then, the charm of old Delhi eateries has always been the food. Go for the Changezi Chicken. If you are picky about the experience, then drop in to the takeaway and pack yourself some to eat in the cozy confines of your home.

So what do you order when you go to a restaurant named Changezi Chicken? No prizes for guessing, but obviously the dish named Changezi Chicken. And that is exactly what we did last week when we dropped in to sample the fare at Changezi Chicken. Situated on Netaji Subhash Chandra Marg in Daryaganj, it is hard to miss. The Neon Sign proclaiming Changezi Chicken beckons you from far. 2 shops down they also have a small takeaway, again with an equally huge neon sign.

The restaurant is small and run down with no frills paid to either the kitchen which is in the open and that you encounter as you enter and tables and chairs thrown in to sit people. They pride themselves for their food and that is what they focus on. Infact a much bigger sign of Zaika, the family restaurant, overshadows the Changezi Chicken sign. And you plan to enter, Zaika promises to be a much comfortable and better dining experience. But in the 30 minutes that I stood outside (Not waiting for my table, just talking to the people around), Zaika could not match the crowd at Changezi, even by a far shot. 

The menu is chicken-centric, with a mutton qorma and fish tikka thrown in, some vegetarian options (3 to be precise) and steamed chicken momos and chicken soup (now why would they do that).

We ordered the Changezi Chicken, qtr. plate for each person and I also ordered a mutton qorma to sample. Chicken Changezi promises to be a very different experience. A dish consisting of grilled chicken pieces (which have been marinated in lime juice and spices) that is cooked on the tava, it is at best an acquired taste, and that too gets acquired by the third piece of morsel that goes in. Initially, you find it a little sourish and tangy but then it grows on you and well by the end, you find it a very good change from the regular chicken dishes that you find. The curry is spicy and the chicken pieces are soft and delicate. 

The mutton qorma was decent, nothing great (I'm biased towards Al Jawahar and Karims). We ordered the Roomali Roti, Tandoori Roti, Naan and Khameeri Roti.  I will suggest having the Changezi Chicken with Tandoori Roti. It goes well. The Qtr. plate is good portion for one starving person, unless you are ordering other items on the menu too.

The servers are polite and courteous. Service is quick, but don't expect uniformed waiters, performing service from a platter. The food is the king here and the queues say it all.

FOOD - 

SERVICE -           

AMBIENCE -        

CLICK TO ENLARGE

CLICK TO ENLARGE

Posted in: Chicken,Old Delhi,Restaurant Reviews