Review: Garam Dharam, Rajouri Garden

Located on the main road, in Rajouri Garden, ‘Garam Dharam – Dhaba te Theka’ is one of its kind in Rajouri Garden. The restaurant is dedicated to the He-Man of Indian cinema or the Action King of the Bollywood — Dharmendra.

The two-floored restaurant has walls decorated with the highlights and dialogues from different movies of Dharmendra- from the classic ‘Sholay’ to ‘Fauji’ to ‘Hathyar’. Along with this, the background music is also taken from the actor’s movies. The theme is so real that it seems like a flashback of the movies in front of your eyes in just a few seconds itself. In the evenings, the entrance will be well decorated with the lights. The interior lighting too, is perfect.

While having a look at the menu, we found it expensive, however, when our order arrived, the quantity of the food changed our perception. Yes, the quantity of the food was very good, hence justifying the cost. In fact, the food was quite palatable. We were served in big steel plates while beverages came in huge glasses, reminding us of a dhaba.

The snacks we ordered were: Murg Malai Tikka, Tandoori Paneer Tikka and their speciality: Garam Dharam Special Soya Chap (fried). I must say, that was the best chap I have ever had; it was full of flavour (and quite heavy). Other snacks too, were delicious. We also ordered a coke and a Roohafza and Coconut Lassi, which tasted average to us.

Coming to the main course, we ordered their special biryani: Mast Kalandar Handi ke Andar. It had all the qualities of a perfect biryani and we really loved it (which proved its name Mast Kalandar). Along with it, we also ordered Dal Makhani and a Mixed Raita, which went extremely well with biryani.

We really wanted to have a dessert too because the menu options seemed so fancy, but we were already too full to order more because of the huge quantity of the food.

One unique thing which caught our sight was the way of calling the waiter for service. Behind our seats, a horn (musical instrument) was there, which we can press to call the waiter. We found this quite unique and convenient. There was a small kid (with a family sitting next to us) who was enjoying it as an entertainment too! That makes it a fun place for a family visit.

The meal cost came to approximately Rs. 2,500 (making it Rs. 1,250 per person). It may seem quite costly, but we recommend visiting the place occasionally, especially when you’re looking for good restaurant serving North Indian cuisine in Rajouri Garden. Overall, it was a complete package of satisfaction.

Reviewed by Sumedha Bhatia

The restaurant is owned by Umang Tiwari and Mickey Mehta. This is the second outlet after the first Garam Dharam restaurant in Connaught Place, New Delhi.