Although Triveni Kala Sangam at Mandi House hosts classes in art, photography, music and dance, its terrace cafe is a huge hit among students and people with an artistic temperament. Well-known for its paranthas, it is possibly the only restaurant in Delhi that serves authentic North Indian food which tastes exactly like a home cooked meal. Along with a comfortable interior dining area, it also offers exterior seating.
Although the meals here are not served in a fancy way, the arty cafe with scenic views and reasonably priced food options is a big draw. The cafe is choc-a-bloc with people and there isn’t a table that isn’t ordering the enormous shaami kebabs, paneer keema and paranthas. This simple and delicious meal is followed up by an excellent espresso coffee or a nice tangy lemonade.
“The cafe is 35 years old, but I took it over only five years ago. When we started out, we only used to serve kebabs and a few other things. But now we have a fairly expansive lunch and breakfast menu, which we change every week. Our food is simple and we would like to keep it like that,” says owner Mina Singh.
The bill for four people with good appetites comes to around Rs 350, if not less. That’s how cheap the place is!
An adda for artists, office-goers and buddies, the terrace is buzzing throughout the day. Preeti Dewan and Deepa Zafir, old friends from college and teachers at Delhi University, have made this place their central hub to meet. “Its quiet ambience and green surroundings make it a perfect place where we can leisurely wrap up our college work and chat for hours, sipping chilled lemonade and eating spicy kebabs,” says Preeti.
And nostalgia-struck Jatin Ahluwalia, an old visitor to the place, says, “I came here today after 10 years. Though earlier, when I was taking classes at Triveni this place was my second home. I remember, there used to be an old Auntyji and everyone used to call her that. She would make fresh phulkas (chapattis) and paranthas on the stove for customers here. Though I love the food, I came here to enjoy its old world charm.”