Moti Mahal

My wife made the most scrumptious butter chicken the other night - Mughal style, with the usual cardomam, spices, tomatoes, ginger, garlic - which got me to thinking about Moti Mahal. If you have never been to India, or Old Delhi, then you've missed out. Just a stone's throw away from the Jamma Masjid (the Red Mosque), near the Red Fort, and on the main avenue which leads back south to Connaught Circus, Moti Mahal is an old restaurant in Old Delhi. Reputedly opended just after Partition, the restaurant sits back from the street, with a turbaned door wallah there to meet and greet. The dish to go for is the butter chicken, which the restaurant claims to have invented. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the dish, this is boneless chicken, usually breast, which has been cooked Tandoori style. Then it is finished off with a cream/butter reduction sauce flavored with the above mentioned spices and more. Done well it is sublime, and Moti Mahal does it perfectly. Plus it is an Old Delhi must-see for other reasons. The old dining room is worn but elegant, a bit too large and cavernous, but a peaceful haven from the bustle outside. We went there on a hot June day, and it was a welcoming relief of shade from the pre-monsoon heat outside. Other dishes were fantastic. Our waiter may well have been at the restaurant since Partition. He was discreet, genteel, and perfect in anticipating needs. In short, it was Indian dining at its best - wonderful food, great service, in a locale that while a little worn, reeks of history. When in Delhi, you must go ...