Somsak Boo Ob is one of the most legendary street food stalls in Bangkok that specializes in goong ob woon sen.

The expert chef adds shrimp to the bottom of the pan, cooks them precisely, adds a mixture of glass noodles and soy sauce, and finishes the dish up with a handful of green onions.

Watch the video now…

(If you can’t see the video, watch Goong Ob Woon Sen on YouTube here)

Thank you for watching!

VIDEO: Marvelous Goong Ob Woon Sen is a post from: Cultural Travel and Street Food Around the World | Migrationology

Rajinder Da Dhaba

Rajinder Da Dhaba is a legendary restaurant in Delhi, India.

Beginning as a small roadside “dhaba,” or roadside street food restaurant, Rajinder Da Dhaba has grown to overtake an entire little strip mall shopping center.

Its popularity is one of the greatest street food, rags to riches, success story in Delhi.

And the best thing is that despite the popularity they have received, while some restaurants go down in quality, Rajinder Da Dhaba has continually served outstanding food, as one can easily testify as soon as arriving and seeing the crowds!

Mixed veg aloo gobi

There are many different sections to Rajinder Da Dhaba, and I was honestly a little confused and I’m still not fully sure if I have it correct.

But the basic is this: There’s a sit down nice restaurant, a lesser nice sit down restaurant, and the giant parking lot where customers takeaway or just stand around while eating. So there are really three (or maybe more?) branches of Rajinder Da Dhaba all in the same shopping plaza.

Since eating is one of the top things to do in Delhi, Rajinder Da Dhaba shouldn’t be missed!

Along with my wife and a local Delhi friend, we arrived and went into the nice dining room first, a small room with about 6 tables in it.

Though Rajinder Da Dhaba primarily serves up huge platters of grilled meats, my friend, who is vegetarian, said, “they also serve some amazing vegetarian dishes.”

The mixed veg aloo gobi, a thick tomatoey stew full of potatoes and other veggies was wonderful.

Dal makhani

But the vegetarian dish that was a real stunner was their dal makhani, a thick lentil stew that almost eats like a gravy.

Using primarily black lentils, plenty of ghee, and a perfect amount of spice, this dish full of dal makhani was incredible along with our stack of tandoori roti.

The North Indian flavors were so different from the Bengali food I had been eating, having come from Kolkata (both incredibly rich and amazing).

My very first taste of Afghani Chicken

I had eaten tandoori chicken plenty of times before, but my friend said that his meat eating friends had spoken very highly of the Afghani chicken at Rajinder Da Dhaba.

Having never heard of Afghani chicken, I decided to go for it, and it was amazing!

I’m not even sure what was all included on the chicken, but it was surely marinated in thick yogurt or cream along with the perfect amount of spice before being roasted in the tandoor oven.

The Afghani chicken came out tender and juicy and absolutely bursting with flavor. One of the best plates of chicken I’ve ever had.

The outdoor meat station at Rajinder Da Dhaba

I liked the Afghani chicken at Rajinder Da Dhaba so incredibly much, that after we finished out meal indoors, we went outside for another plate of the same chicken, but with a much different ambiance – the parking lot.

My 2nd plate of Afghani Chicken at Rajinder Da Dhaba

The outdoor parking lot section at Rajinder Da Dhaba is the most popular.

Every night, especially on the weekends, there’s a huge crowd of mostly men standing around ordering plates of grilled meats while standing or sitting on top of cars.

You walk up to the ordering counter, pay, and after your meat has been cooked, they’ll put it on a styrofoam plate.

The aroma of grilled chicken is all through the air, and I was even more excited for my second plate as I was my first plate.

Again it was incredible, the Afghani chicken had so much flavor. It was rich and creamy, combined with hints of spice and a smoky roasted flavor.

Rajinder Da Dhaba – Delhi, India

How to get there: The restaurant is located in the Safdarjung Enclave strip mall. The closest Metro station is either AIIMS or Green Park, and from there you’ll have to take an auto rickshaw which should cost 30 – 50 INR.

Word of Warning: The outdoor parking lot section is very male dominated, so it’s not the best environment for females, my wife felt much more comfortable at the indoor section.
Address: AB 14, Safdarjung Enclave Market, New Delhi
Open Hours: 5 pm – 11 pm daily

View Delhi Travel Guide – Migrationology.com in a larger map

Note: For more awesome tips, check out my Delhi travel guide!

Rajinder Da Dhaba – Delhi’s Most Delicious Street Food Success Story is a post from: Cultural Travel and Street Food Around the World | Migrationology

Newari Food in Nepal

Before arriving to Nepal, I had never heard of Newari food (and as you can guess, I also had NO idea what it was).

If you have never visited Nepal or known someone from Nepal, you likely haven’t heard of it either…

I’m here to tell you that Newari food is incredible, it is in my opinion a cuisine worthy of being served at restaurants throughout the world.

From the few meals I was able to eat in Nepal, I fell in love with Newari cuisine!

Newari food, and a plate of chicken momos as well

What is Newari Food?

Newari food is under the larger umbrella of Nepali food, but it’s from the specific Kathmandu Valley region. The indigenous Newa people, also known as Newars, are the group of people that have fine tuned this world class cuisine into some truly magical flavors.

The Newari people, just like so many other cultures throughout Asia, take food extremely seriously. That’s why I love living and traveling in Asia so much – food is such a huge part of the culture.

According to an article by We All Nepal, there are three different categories of Newari food: daily meals, snacks, and feasts. I love that, no more breakfast, lunch, or dinner, but simply meals, snacks, and feasts!

Within the Kathmandu Valley, local Newars have frequent traditional celebrations and festivals where food plays a major role. Lots of people gather together to celebrate and to partake of Newari food together.

Newari cuisine consists of many different dishes, many of which are cooked with a generous amount of spices like cumin, turmeric, pepper, cinnamon, ginger, garlic, chilies, and mustard oil and seeds.

Vegetables like potatoes, chickpeas, eggplant, cauliflower, lentils, bitter melon, and mustard greens are common. For meat, buffalo is most common and most beloved, but chicken, goat, and dried fish, are also common. The Newari staple is beaten rice, known as baji or chiura.

Newari food (video) is intensely flavored with a delicious array of spices and my taste buds rejoiced with every bite.

Newari Food – Samay Baji

Samay Baji – Newari Meal

During my initial stay in Kathmandu, I was staying at a hotel in the Thamel backpacker district. Similar to Bangkok’s Khao San Road, the area is not my favorite, packed with tourists and services they require. I prefer to be far removed from the hostel districts of cities and focus more on local areas, and food.

But even within touristy areas there are occasional gems to be found, one of them being Shree Trishakti Newari Restaurant, located at the back of a seemingly half constructed little Jyatha Complex shopping mall, right off Amrit Marg (parallel to Thamel).

Having just arrived in Nepal, I ordered whatever the friendly lady vendor wanted to serve me, and after researching what I ate later online, I discovered it was a plate of samay baji.

Everything looked and smelled incredible, and the dishes were all prepared and displayed just like Malaysian nasi campur or Thai khao gaeng.

She prepared my plate by first adding a few handfuls of the baji (flattened beaten rice). Then from the series of prepared dishes she added a mixtures of items. Curried potatoes and other spicy vegetables, fried soybeans (bhatmas), and the highlight of my plate, a scoop of curried buffalo meat.

The beaten rice was crunchy like uncooked whole grain oats, but it was slightly crispier. At first I was a little puzzled that I was being served raw crunchy rice, but due to its thinness, it surprisingly broke down effortlessly with a few chews.

Mixing bites of baji with the variety of curries and an occasional piece of meaty buffalo was a truly memorable meal. Samay baji is loaded with exciting flavors and a unique set of dishes.

Shree Trishakti Newari Restaurant in Kathmandu, Nepal

There are many places to eat Newari food in Kathmandu, but the first place I went, conveniently located near Thamel street, is Shree Trishakti Newari Restaurant. It’s quite a local restaurant, and you’ll find delicious food there!

The restaurant is right below Man Tang Hong Hot Pot, an excellent Chinese restaurant where I also ate numerous meals in Kathmandu.

View Kathmandu in a larger map

Nepali Newari Food – Introduction to the Stimulating Flavors of Samay Baji is a post from: Cultural Travel and Street Food Around the World | Migrationology

Fresh goat, slaughtered just a few moments before!

Of all the flavors I can remember as a kid growing up in Kenya…

I’ll never ever forget that meaty, gamey, fleshy, all-na-tur-all bursting taste that can only result from a free-range, grass grazed goat that’s been freshly slaughtered, and slow roasted on a grill made from metal fencing that hovers over a bed of charcoal.

Nyama choma (roasted meat)!

And while you can occasionally get beef or chicken, goat remains the local favorite (known as mbuzi choma or roasted goat).

My chunk of goat being hacked off the carcass!

I’ve written about nyama choma (especially that article about where to eat the best nyama choma in Nairobi) a number of times already throughout the years of Migrationology, but there’s always room for another lip-licking article on East African style roasted goat, right!?

So while in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, one day we headed out of town, a bit to the outskirts, to a home (more like a little shack with a big yard filled with trees) that opens up on Sunday each week for a goat nyama choma roast.

It’s basically just a home that opens its doors to slaughter goats and roast them on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Yes, as you might guess, the clientele is dominated by males. And let me tell you, it was an awesome and intense Tanzanian nyama choma experience!

Chopping goat

How do you order Nyama Choma?

The first step is to tell the butcher how much meat you want and from what part of carcass you’d like it from. He’ll take the dangerously sharp machete (or panga) and hack off a chunk of goat flesh.

In our case, there were two of us eating (my wife on the other hand wasn’t so interested), so we ordered 1 kilo of the freshest Tanzanian goat!

He’ll first cut off your chunk of meat and proceed to weigh it on the scale to confirm the correct amount.

Salting up the nyama

The butcher then grabs a bag of of both salt and MSG (yup that’s right), and generously anoints the meat, coating it in all its crevices.

Preparation stage complete, the nyama choma is ready to join the other hunks of goat already slow roasting over the hot coals.

Nyama Choma

Cooking Nyama Choma

In East Africa, nyama choma is meant to be slow roasted. The coals are kept very low and then covered in ash so they don’t cook the meat too fast.

The grill, which is normally some kind of jua kali homemade creation, is often covered by metal fencing material that gives the nyama choma a convenient roasting bed.

Slow roasting the mbuzi choma

Goat is fatty, so as it slow roasts, the meat releases droplets of oil that sizzle and flame up the fire – this is one of the reasons for keeping a low heat – so the fire doesn’t flame up too much.

The beautiful sizzle of roasting goat meat

Hopefully the red paint from the griddle came off on someone else’s meat long before!

The nyama choma grill

On most nyama choma grills in East Africa, you’ll be able to see the entire animal either on the grill or scattered somewhere around the butcher house, waiting for someone to order it.

Goat stomachs and all the organs were being roasted, as lots of hungry and tipsy men licked their lips in anticipation of the nyama choma!

The pot of goat soup

This particular restaurant is also extremely well known for their goat soup.

It basically begins with a pot full of water, and the cook adds nearly all the organs of the goat, along with some giant chunks of white fat, and lots of salt.

Sitting over a fire, the soup then boils and cooks for a few hours before it’s ready to be served. A bowl of oily goat soup is normally eaten with chilies and lemon to garnish.

This time I didn’t have any soup, but we just waited for our nyama choma.

Chopping up our nyama choma

After about an hour and a half, the butcher gave me the nod, and indicated that our nyama choma was roasted to perfection and ready to be chopped into bite sized pieces.

Slicing it up!

Using the same raw meat cutting board (of course), he then sliced through the meat with an extremely sharp knife, making the meat look like it was soft as butter (definitely not the case).

Meat on the bottom, then the bones and fat

Our wonderful plate of freshly roasted nyama choma (mbuzi choma), grew and grew until the entire 1 kilo was piled high into a mountain of the best Tanzanian nyama choma.

Tanzanian nyama choma in served!

Since the process often takes 1 hour or even longer until the meat is fully cooked, nyama choma is a social meal where, typically men, gather to drink some beer and wait for the meat to finish cooking.

Many hang out for hours, enjoying beer after beer, and when the meat comes, slowly digging in piece by piece.

Served with a pile of salt (chumvi) on the side, a few wedges of lemon, and some tomato chili sauce, our nyama choma pyramid was delivered to our wooden stool makeshift table.

Nyama choma time!

My friend Kabila and I couldn’t hold back any longer, the aroma of the goat meal luring us in like Sirens.

When it comes to Tanzanian food or Kenyan food, nyama choma is the cream of the crop, one of the most popular dishes, especially for men.

Nyama choma

How does nyama choma taste?

The first thing to know is that nyama choma does NOT slide off the bone.

It’s not that tenderly wimpy meat that gets babied and massaged into a buttery creature. Nyama choma is the REAL deal.

It has some serious texture to it, you can actually taste and feel the grains of a goat that’s been running around Africa, munching on grass and grazing.

Eating nyama choma is an extreme sport, it is an intense jaw workout, and since I’m out of practice myself, though I’m a little embarrassed to admit, I actually got a little sore from eating this nyama choma!

The flavor was outstanding! I could actually taste the animal and the naturalness of the meat. A little squeeze of lemon, a slice of pili pili mbuzi (chili pepper), and I felt like I was back at home, thoroughly enjoying every chew of wonderful nyama choma.

I’ve had plenty of African friends that have visited the USA and have told me they don’t like the meat, because it just has no flavor and is way too soft.

Once you eat a fresh plate of nyama choma, running around one minute, on the grill the next, and into your mouth, you’ll understand.

The Sunday afternoon nyama choma goat roast

Jaw worn out, and stomach full of pure delicious nyama choma, I sat back in my plastic chair and patted my belly.

Behind me another live goat was being pulled out of the pen, hauled to the slaughter yard, hung up in the butcher house, and roasted kilo by kilo.

This is the nyama choma experience!

1 kilo of nyama choma cost us 8,000 TZS ($4.84).

Nyama Choma – From the Carcass, Onto the Grill, Into Your Mouth (WARNING: Serious Meat Photos) is a post from: Cultural Travel and Street Food Around the World | Migrationology

Standard’s Punjabi Khana, Delhi, India

Of all the top things to do in Delhi, eating North Indian food is one of the best.

Nehru Place is a huge IT computer and all things electronics strip mall. It’s a bit old looking and the buildings are rather outdated, and it’s along the wide walkways where the business goes down.

Everyday hundred of pedestrians walk by, and some of those walkers are not just interested in electronics… but also want to fill their bellies.

It was the large crowd standing around the courtyard that drew my attention to Standard’s Punjabi Khana while I was in Delhi.

The kitchen

It’s a pretty basic restaurant. There’s a large open air kitchen where chefs combine ingredients in huge commercial sized pots while sweating and cooking.

The owner basically just sits collecting cash by the handful as hungry customers exchange their rupees for a delicious plate of food.

Unlike other North Indian food where rice is not the main staple (tandoori roti normally is), at Standard’s rice forms the foundation of just about every dish – that’s the way I like it!

The menu

Their menu is quite simple, just a few different dishes all placed over rice. They do have chapatis if you would like.

While the prices are not nearly as cheap as Kolkata street food, for being in Delhi, the prices and sizes are pretty good.

There are number of different North Indian paneer curries, dal makhani (a marvelous thick lentil curry), and peas and potatoes curry, all over rice.

During the lunchtime rush, the staff at Standard’s Punjabi Khana rush by placing huge spoons of rice on plastic plates, and then smothering it in your curry of choice. There’s then an entire bucket full of onions and raw vegetables which you can add to your plate.

The single plate lunches style meals cost 45 – 55 Rupees. The food indeed gets a little messy, but it sure is worth it.

Palak Paneer plate

I ordered the palak paneer, a classic North Indian dish made from pureed spinach, lots of ghee (clarified butter used in may North Indian curries), spices, and a huge block of paneer cheese.

Cross-section of the palak paneer

It may be all vegetarian, but it’s the type of vegetarian meal where you need a nap afterwards. They don’t hold back on the butter, making the curries super rich!

The entire menu is vegetarian, so if you need some meat, you’ll to go to a place like Rajinder Da Dhaba or Bhape Da Hotel, two other outstanding Delhi dining establishments.

Rich and tasty!

For best tasting results, keep sloppily mixing everything up together. The palak paneer was excellent, but perhaps I would have bumped up the spice a notch to make it ever better.

The hunk of paneer was huge, like the size of a piece of cake in the middle of my curry, but purely cheese (like I was saying, you’ll want to take a nap).

There are a couple of sit down tables, but you’d be extremely lucky to get a table, and most likely you’ll have to find a little place to stand amongst the crowd of hungry diners.

If I ever go back again, I’ll get either the shahi paneer or the dal makhani, both of which looked really good.

If you visit Delhi and need a street food restaurant to eat at around Nehru place, check out Standard’s Punjabi Khana.

Address: 35 & 36, G 7, Aggarwal Bhawan, Nehru Place, New Delhi
Open Hours: 11 am – 8 pm (closed on Sunday), best to go at 1 pm or so for lunch
Prices: 45 – 55 Indian Rupees per plate of food

For more information and tips, take a look at my Delhi travel guide.

View Delhi Travel Guide – Migrationology.com in a larger map

Standard’s Punjabi Khana – Messy and Tasty Palak Paneer in Delhi is a post from: Cultural Travel and Street Food Around the World | Migrationology

Ok, I’ll admit, I have A LOT of favorite restaurants in Bangkok, and Som Tam Pu Maa (ส้มตำปูม้า) is one of them.

This restaurants, which is located in Thonburi just off Charan Sanitwang, serves an outsanding array of Thai Isaan food that originates from Isaan, in the northwest of Thailand.

(If you can’t see the video, watch it on YouTube here)

Enjoy the video!

VIDEO: Thai Isaan Food at One of My Favorite Restaurants in Bangkok is a post from: Cultural Travel and Street Food Around the World | Migrationology

Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi, India

Before going to India, I considered yogurt to be a decent sweet fruity snack that went well with breakfast.

I loved it. But it wasn’t exactly something that made me lick my lips with anticipation, like a curry or a spicy stir fry.

Yogurt was yogurt.

Even in my initial exploration of the Kolkata street food scene I didn’t come across much yogurt, other than that epic mango lassi.

But when I arrived in North India, specifically Varanasi, and started to explore the diversity of Indian street food chaats, that’s when I gained a new appreciation for something known as “yogurt.”

When I got to Delhi, I was already a huge fan of chaats, and especially those ones where yogurt was a main ingredient.

Dahi bhall (dahi vada)

You don’t just get a little plastic tub of blueberry yogurt in India, it normally comes plain, rich, and pure, and it’s then used in all sorts of Indian dishes and snacks, especially chaats.

One of the best things to do in Delhi is explore the hectic streets of Old Delhi’s Chandni Chowk.

Part of the reward is getting to taste all the incredible street food snacks at places like Natraj Dahi Bhalla Wala, a long standing local favorite for something known as dahi bhalla (also commonly known as a dahi vada).

Enjoying this delicious yogurt snack

What is Dahi Bhalla (Dahi Vada)?

A vada is deep fried piece of dough, you can sort of imagine it as a donut that’s not sweet and is lightly spiced.

The vadas are then soaked in water and combined with a number spices like garam masala, cumin, pepper, and chili flakes. The vadas form the base of a dahi bhalla.

Then comes the yogurt, a generous scoop of full fat creamy goodness.

On top of the yogurt was a dressing that tasted to me like sweet and sour tamarind juice combined with black pepper, just the right amount of chili, and finally a few pomegranate seeds to make things pretty.

It was outstanding!

Like pani puri, which is an explosion of perfect flavors combined in a single mouthful, dahi bhalla is another example of pure culinary harmony.

The chili was spicy but the yogurt countered the spice, the soft vadas complemented the other ingredients, and the entire combination was something truly marvelous.

I would definitely call it yogurt on the next level!

Natraj Dahi Bhalla Wala

Natraj Dahi Bhalla Wala

Dahi bhalla (davi vada) gives yogurt a spicy and extremely refreshing twist, and it’s a dish I absolutely loved (but not quite as much as kulle chaat).

Price: 40 INR ($0.73).
Open hours: 11 am – 11 pm daily
Address: 1396, Main Road, Chandni Chowk, New Delhi
How to get there: Natraj is located right along the main road of Chandni Chowk. You can take the Metro to Chandni Chowk, and when you exit, follow Chandni Chowk road east and Natraj is on your left side, about 200 meters or so down the road, and it’s across the street to Gali Paranthe Wali.

View Delhi Travel Guide – Migrationology.com in a larger map

Note: If you’re going to Delhi, you might want to check out my Delhi Travel Guide, which gives you lots of tips on where to stay, what to do, and food to EAT!

Dahi Bhalla – Taking Yogurt to the Next Level at Natraj in Delhi, India is a post from: Cultural Travel and Street Food Around the World | Migrationology

Desserts in Varanasi, India

Indian desserts are very famous in Varanasi.

You’ll find street side vendors within the narrow alleys and along the bustling streets of the city waiting to serve and fulfill anyone’s sweet tooth.

I’m personally not a huge sweets fan, I’d normally prefer to fill myself up with and extra helping of rice and curry over dessert (just like in Thailand, Thai desserts can be good, but I’d rather eat more curry).

But, eating is one of the top things to do in Varanasi, and since it was my last day in town, after stopping at the Kashi chaat bhandar, I decided to try the desserts.

Spotting an Indian desserts shop in an alley near where I was staying, I stopped by.

The desserts vendor handing over his treats!

It’s pretty obvious to spot an Indian desserts maker in India. Their cabinets are often illuminated by bright lights and their treats are bright and colorful.

While there are many famous sweets shops throughout Varanasi (video), you’ll find some pretty good ones just within the lanes around the Main Ghat.

Not having a clue what to order, I simply asked the vendor to give me a mixture of some of his finest.

He thought for a few moments and then swiftly reached into his prized assortments of sweets and filled a box with five different items.

The entire box came to just 30 Rupees ($0.55).

Indian desserts in Varanasi

My box consisted of many famous Indian desserts, most of them being North Indian in origin. Laddu, kalakand, lal peda, sandesh, and peda were in the mix.

Standing on the side of the lane I grabbed the laddu for my first nibble. Flour, sugar, and lots of ghee are the main components of laddu. It’s then shaped into a ball about the size of a ping pong ball and tastes like a nutty fudge.

Next up was the lal peda, kalakand, and sandesh. They all tasted quite similar, mostly containing lots of sugar and milk or cheese to create a rich milky fudge.

Finally I sampled the peda, one of the most famous Varanasi sweets. Made with khoa, milk that’s been cooked down to a cheese kind of like ricotta, it’s them mixed with ghee and milk powder and flavored with hints of cardamom and pistachios.

Here’s the video:

Many of the Indian desserts I was able to sample in my mixed box of Varanasi sweets were very sweet, milky, and extremely rich. Many of them were sprinkled with cashews or pistachios and flavored with cardamom.

Overall, I enjoyed sampling these desserts, and when you’re in Varanasi, you should do the same! Also, don’t forget to try malaiyo!

Rich and Creamy Box of Indian Desserts in Varanasi is a post from: Cultural Travel and Street Food Around the World | Migrationology

One of the greatest Thai breakfast dishes is jok, or Thai rice congee porridge.

The rice porridge is smooth and comforting, normally served with small pork meat balls, and a request of a soft boiled egg dropped inside.

A bowl of jok is garnished with slices of ginger, a drizzle of soy sauce, sometimes vinegar, and a dash of black pepper.

(If you can’t see the video, watch it on YouTube here)

Thank you for watching!

VIDEO: Thai Breakfast Jok (Rice Congee) is a post from: Cultural Travel and Street Food Around the World | Migrationology

Getting ready to devour!

If a thick chunk of tender mutton dripping with sauce is appealing to you, you’re going to LOVE this restaurant.

On one of my last days in Delhi, when I was rushing around trying to finish some last minute errands to complete my Delhi travel guide, I stopped for lunch at Bhape Da Hotel Restaurant located on the outer circle of Connaught Place.

Having eaten quite a few vegetarian meals while traveling through India, I can honestly say that I was ready to throw down some serious meat – and I came exactly to the right place.

Bhape Da Hotel in New Delhi, India

Bhape Da Hotel restaurant has all the signs of a high quality restaurant – there’s a crowd of people outside (mostly men), it’s hot and stuffy inside, the food is displayed in the front window, the menu is greasy – and these were just a few of the positive signs.

The display of curries

Since I didn’t know what to order, I asked the kind owner (who also informed me that the restaurant had been in his family for over 50 years), and he immediately suggested the “saag mutton,” also known as saag gosht, or mutton stewed in spinach curry pree.

Along with the saag mutton we also ordered a side of chicken curry and stack of fresh tandoori roti.

The menu also included some meat items from the tandoor oven, lots of different curries, and a few different rotis and naans.

One thing is certain, Bhape Da Hotel is a meat lovers paradise, and you’ll have to sacrifice your diet when you eat here.

Onions and green sauce

First came the plate of garnishes, a scoop of tasty red onions marinated in spices next to a green sauce that was outrageously delicious.

Lunch is served… Bhpe Da Hotel style!

And then it came… just moments after ordering… one of the most heavenly dishes I ate while in Delhi: saag mutton.

I don’t care how this dish looks, it is world class.

Nestled into a thick puree of spinach and enlivened by a spice blend that’s secret in the family, and what I’m sure was a GENEROUS portion of ghee (clarified butter), was my glistening hunk of mutton.

Saag mutton curry at Bhape Da Hotel in New Delhi, India

I began by tearing off a piece of tandoori roti and dipping it into the saag mutton gravy. It was so rich and so flavorful that my body went into a state of food enlightenment. This saag mutton was pilgrimage worthy.

Picking up the bone, the mutton flaked off into tender juicy pieces and each bite was ground-breakingly tasty.

I’m sure the pot of saag mutton had been slow simmering for hours, if not days.

Chicken curry

Though I was still bedazzled by the saag mutton, I had to move on to taste the chicken curry, which was equally as greasy, and equally as tasty.

Again, the curry sauce paired with tandoori roti and a few slices of red onions was unbelievable!

Just like the kati roll in Kolkata, due to the quantity of grease and butter, I probably couldn’t eat at Bhape Da Hotel everyday, but occasionally it’s absolutely irresistible.

Eating is one of the top things to do in Delhi, and if you love meat and curries, Bhape Da Hotel needs to be on your to-eat-list.

Bhape Da Hotel Restaurant, New Delhi, India

Prices: Both dishes and a stack of tandoori roti cost 400 INR ($7.27)
How to get there: Take the Metro to Rajiv Chowk, exit toward Radial Road 6 and follow that all the way out to the Outer Circle. The restaurant is on the outer side of the Outer Circle road.
Address: 75, Municipal Market, Connaught Place, New Delhi
Open hours: 11 am to 11 pm daily

View Delhi Travel Guide – Migrationology.com in a larger map

For Meaty North Indian Curries try Bhape Da Hotel Restaurant, Delhi, India is a post from: Cultural Travel and Street Food Around the World | Migrationology

This man is lucky, he smells chole bhature all day long (and probably eats it too)!

Located in the ancient Paharganj area of Delhi, Sita Ram Diwan Chand, is a legendary institution for a north Indian speciality known as Chole Bhature (though they call it channa bhatura there – does anyone know the difference?).

After searching through Zomato.com (a great resource for discovering restaurants to eat at in India), I knew it was a restaurant I needed to try.

If I was the tailor, sitting outside all day making clothes, I would likely be the least productive tailer in the world – I’d be high all day from the aromas of slow simmering spicy chickpeas.

Chole bhature (channa bhatura)

While visiting Delhi, this little restaurant with the bright red sign, is a must.

You won’t need a menu at Sita Ram Diwan, you simply walk up to the front counter, and tell them how many orders of chole bhature you’d like.

What is Chole Bhature (Channa Bhatura)?

Chole is a spicy chickpeas curry that’s popular throughout north India, and it’s easily the most popular Delhi street food item available. It’s creamy and smooth, riddled with spices like cumin, cinnamon, and coriander, and it literally melts in your mouth.

Bhature, is kind of like a deep fried giant puri – a ball of dough is deep fried.

At many Delhi street stalls that serve chole bhature, the bhature looks more like a pillow, a huge puffy round. But at Sita Ram Diwan, the bhatures are served flat.

The combination, served with a chili pickled carrots and chillies, is known as chole bhature (channa bhatura).

One of the greatest vegetarian meals I’ve ever had!

After fetching my order, I chose a standing table and began to dig in.

I had eaten chole bhature nearly everyday since arriving in Delhi, and this one was probably the best I had.

It’s hard to even describe the flavors of the chickpeas – they were just bursting with spice, smooth like refried beans, and with bits of red onions and chili pepper, the contrast of flavors made me melt with joy.

The bhature, though greasy, was filled with little bits of paneer cheese to make it rich flavorful.

The channa bhatura combo at Sita Ram Diwan may be a bit oily, but I’ve had few vegetarian meals as flavorful as that snack I ate there. Flavor-wise, it was the vegetarian version of Bhape Da Hotel (a must eat if you love meat).

I would probably choose chole bhature way over the parathas at Paranthe Wali Gali.

Sita Ram Diwan Chand restaurant in New Delhi, India

Here’s the place, you can’t miss it. It’s located in Paharganj, on Rajguru Marg, just down the street from many of the budget places to stay in Delhi.

Sita Ram Diwan Chand – Delhi, India

Open hours: 11 am – 8 pm
Price: 30 INR ($0.56) for one serving
Address: 2246, Chuna Mandi, Paharganj, New Delhi

View Delhi Travel Guide – Migrationology.com in a larger map

Sita Ram Diwan Chand for Insanely Tasty Chole Bhature in Delhi is a post from: Cultural Travel and Street Food Around the World | Migrationology

Hira Lal Chaat Wala (written only in Hindi)

Have you ever had one of those single-bite wonders that explodes with incredible flavor…?

…a mouthful that you can barely even keep your eyes open for, due to the extreme deliciousness?

While exploring Delhi, my main objective was to eat.

Browsing through EOID, I knew this was something I needed to sample.

One day in Old Delhi, I had the opportunity to sample a little known snack called “kulle chaat,” or fruit chaat, from a stall in the Chawri Bazaar known as Hira Lal Chaat Wala (not written in English).

Now an Indian chaat is normally any sort of snack, specifically savory rather than sweet, but in reality many of them include so many diverse ingredients that they are sour, sweet, spicy, and everything combined into a harmony of delicious.

What is kulle chaat – fruit chaat?

What is kulle chaat?

Fruit and vegetables – this time which included a tomato, cucumber, potato, and mandarin orange – were first hollowed out.

Each fruit cup was then stuffed with masala spices, black sulfur salt called kala namak (which I didn’t even know about at the time of eating), lime juice, boiled chickpeas, and pomegranate seeds.

The vendor then, using his finger, stirred up all the ingredients in the fruit cup to mingle all the flavors.

Handing me the kulle chaat

With a little friendly head bobble – the ultimate gesture – the vendor indication “take thee, and eat it my friend, and you will be shocked and changed forever,” – ok I made that up, but I’m pretty sure that’s what he was thinking.

Delhi street food at its finest!

To be honest, I had little clue what to expect when I placed the entire 1/2 a tomato in my mouth for the first time.

But what I experienced was nothing short of a sensation I’ll never forget!

Watch the video below to see my first reaction…

(If you can’t see it, watch Kulle Chaat video here)

The combination of ingredients all mingled together was vibrantly strong, yet everything balanced out into a complete harmonization of flavors.

It was sour from the acidic lime juice, salty from the black salt, spiced from the masala, and sweet from the sweetness of the initial fruit. In addition the chickpeas and pomegranate seeds added texture and substance.

I was impressed and couldn’t believe how good this simple mixture was.

It was overwhelmingly delicious (as you can see from my initial reaction in the video).

Kulle chaat is a must eat when in Delhi (video).

Hira Lal Chaat Wala – the place to get kulle chaat

Just as a warning, I can’t speak for the cleanliness conditions of this street food snack, and it does utilize raw ingredients. However, it’s worth the risk – I didn’t have any problems.

This is the reason I enjoy eating while I travel so much – the opportunity to taste unique combinations of things you never dreamed of that are so surprisingly delicious!

How to get there: Hira Lal Chaat Wala is located along the main Chawri Bazar road. Take the Metro to Chawri Chowk, exit gate 3, and start walking east on Chawri Bazar road while staying on the left side of the street. In 100 – 200 meters you’ll come to a tiny stall where you’ll see a gloriously colorful pile of sizzling potato cutlets and a few smiling men, and that’s the spot.

Open Hours: About noon – 10 pm, but times vary so go midday or afternoon

View Delhi Travel Guide – Migrationology.com in a larger map

Interested in more about Delhi? Click here to check out my guide to the city.

Kulle Chaat – A Delhi Street Food You Need to Try is a post from: Cultural Travel and Street Food Around the World | Migrationology

Our meal at Barbecue House

Barbecue House, located in the Upanga district, is consistently one of the best restaurants in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania.

As the name suggests, they specialize in local Tanzanian style barbecued meats on the grill.

Simple and to the point

The owner, has been operating this fantastic Dar Es Salaam dining establishment for quite a few years now, I think around 20 years or so.

And nearly every time I visit Dar Es Salaam, the first restaurant I eat at is Barbecue House.

You can smell this chicken from far away

During the daytime Barbecue House just looks like a normal home, but at night the grills emerge and the chicken and skewers of meat start to smoke away.

The sauces are incredible

One of the absolute best reasons to eat at Barbecue House is for the sauces, four different bowls of house-made sauce that are so flavorful, you’ll want to drink them.

The green chili sauce, the red chili sauce, and the tamarind sauce are all spectacular, but even the red chili sauce (my second favorite of the choices) is trumped by the coconut chutney, a sauce that’s just as good as Sri Lankan pol sambol.

To go with the sauces, they first deliver a huge plate of thinly sliced raw cabbage salad. The salad is merely an excuse to sop up as much of the sauces as possible, and you’ll immediately realize just how spectacular all four of them are.

Don’t miss their samosas

Being one of the best restaurants in Dar Es Salaam, Barbecue House makes no mistakes when it comes to samosas. These little deep fried triangles of goodness, can’t be missed. The meat, chicken, and even vegetarian samosas are all delightful.

And by this point you probably already known, that with some of the sauce added, they’re even better.

Price – 700 TZS ($0.42) each

Plump piece of spicy chicken at Barbecue House

For barbecue chicken, Barbecue House has the normal version and the “hot” version, and to my liking, it really does have some kick to it.

Tanzanian barbecue chicken is similar to tandoori chicken, but it’s usually grilled instead of roasted in a tandoori oven.

The chicken barbecue is excellent at Barbecue House, always cooked fresh, and packed with flavor.

Price – 5,500 TZS ($3.35)

Fish barbecue at Barbecue House restaurant in Dar Es Salaam

On my last meal at Barbecue House, I also decided to go for the fish barbecue.

It was a nice sized chunk of fish, I think red snapper. The fish was tender and flaky and marinated in the same red luscious sauce as the chicken. A squeeze of lime, and the fish barbecue was spectacular.

Price – 10,000 TZS ($6.10)

Chips

To go with the chicken and fish, there’s basically a choice of chips (fries) or ajam, a thin bread that’s somewhere between a naan, chapati, and a dosa. It’s kind of like a naan that’s cooked like a pancake and then grilled, so it’s sort of soft and spongy. After fried, it’s then grilled to give it a nice smoke flavored exterior.

Getting saucy with my fish!

When you’re in Dar Es Salaam and looking for a great restaurant for dinner, Barbecue House consistently delivers satisfying local food. The sauces alone are worthy of being an entire meal, but add some grilled meat to the table, and things get even tastier!

Barbecue House, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania

Open hours: From about 6 pm – 10 pm nightly
Prices: You’ll spend about 10,000 TZS () per person, a little more eating fish
Address: Barbecue House is along the small Nkomo Street, just off the main Ali Hassan Mwinyi Road.

View Dar Es Salaam in a larger map

Barbecue House Restaurant – Consistently Delicious Food in Dar Es Salaam is a post from: Cultural Travel and Street Food Around the World | Migrationology

In Thailand, there are a number of famous fried noodle dishes like Pad Thai and Pad See Ew. In this video I head to a local Bangkok neighborhood restaurant to order a freshly prepared plate of pad see ew.

Isn’t she an amazing cook!?

Watch the video now…

(If you can’t see the video, watch it on YouTube here)

Thank you for watching!

VIDEO: Pad See Ew – Thai Noodles You’ll Love! is a post from: Cultural Travel and Street Food Around the World | Migrationology

Dar Es Salaam meets India at this street food stall

About 5 pm each evening, when the sun dies down, a number of Dar Es Salaam street food carts specializing in Indian food emerge.

From downtown Dar Es Salaam and throughout Upanga, people finish work, and head straight for a tasty snack to cover themselves over until dinner.

After just having traveled through India for two months, I was excited to see the menu including a few of my personal favorites like pani puri, bhel puri, and dahi / sev puri.

The other item on the menu, Zanzibar Mix, is homegrown Indian Zanzibari Tanzanian creation.

Fresh veggies and herbs

Fresh vegetables like bright red tomatoes, red onions, green chilies, and coriander are the beginnings of any great Indian street food snack.

Pani puri – one of the world’s great street food snacks

We first began with a round of pani puri.

These little hollow chips are filled with spiced potatoes and chickpeas and then submerged in tangy herby flavorful liquid.

In Kolkata they were a little different, the water was more sour and a little thinner, while these Tanzanian ones were Gujarati style and the water was filled with mint and coriander and they were sweet savory.

They were outstanding – literally gushing with flavor!

Price – 3,000 TZS ($1.80)

An incredible plate of bhel puri!

I loved the Kolkata street food, and bhel puri was one of the first things I ate when I arrived in India.

So we were happy to sample the Dar Es Salaam version of bhel puri. It was a glorious pile of little crunchies and puffed rice stirred up with fresh tomatoes, onions, chillies, and drenched in tangy spicy sauce.

Price – 3,000 TZS ($1.80)

Freshly prepared bowl of Zanzibar mix

On my last visit to Dar Es Salaam, in the busy area of Kariakoo, I ate a bowl of Zanzibar Mix at Mama Mumtaz.

So I was especially looking forward to this unique creation that blends Indian and African flavors.

Digging into the Zanzibar Mix

Zanzibar Mix (known as Urojo in Zanzibar), is an Indian inspired Zanzibari Tanzanian bowl of curry soup with lots of toppings.

Potatoes, chickpeas, fried bhajias, peanuts and an assortment of the crunchy things make the base. They are then covered in a light creamy curry sauce and finally topped with a handful of cassava of potato chips, a spoon of fresh coconut chutney, and a pile of hot pili pili (chili) sauce.

The Zanzibar Mix is then ready to consume – it’s a Dar Es Salaam street food favorite – and it’s packed with diverse flavors and textures.

Price – 2,000 TZS ($1.20)

An avocado shake to top things off

To top things off, we had an avocado shake, which was creamy and extremely refreshing.

I used to think avocado could only work with salty foods, but this avocado shake changed my mind – it’s marvelous when sweet as well!

Dar Es Salaam street food stall

Parked on the side of the road in Upanga district, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, this little Gujarati street food cart serves up a tasty array of street food snacks that will have you licking your fingers clean!

Zanzibar Mix and Tasty Gujarati Street Food Snacks in Dar Es Salaam is a post from: Cultural Travel and Street Food Around the World | Migrationology

My first Ethiopian meal in Ethiopia

As I’ve mentioned a few times previously, Ethiopian food has been one of my favorite cuisines since childhood.

I actually remember my first taste, it was when I was about 12 years old in Kenya (I think, there have been a lot of meals since), and it was love at first bite.

From that moment I had wanted to visit Ethiopia, so finally 16 years later, I made it.

First meals in a country are always exciting – not only because of the food, but also because you are required to find a suitable restaurant, order (even if you have no idea what your’e doing), and then eat!

So there we were, wandering around southern Addis Ababa, looking for my first meal.

Peeking into the gate of a very typical restaurant in Addis Ababa

Most restaurants are surrounded by a wall and gate, but peeking inside I could see those yellow plastic tables, beer posters, and hear the tv’s (I think all Ethiopian restaurants have tv’s).

After a few moments of contemplation, I chose a restaurant that looked pretty friendly and in we went.

Outdoors there were the plastic tables, and inside, a dark cavern of men chowing down on plates of injera topped with a variety of meat curries.

Mahaberawi – mixed meat combination platter

Not knowing how or what to order, a man sitting next to the cash register graciously helped me and ordered, what was pretty much the thing everyone was eating: mahaberawi, a combination platter of various meat dishes.

I took my plate outside, and began to dig in ferociously.

The mix came with a number of different meat curries, to be honest I’m not even sure if they were beef or goat, potatoes, and even a small scoop of plain rice, all atop a blanket of injera.

Getting greasy towards the end, but so good…

I didn’t stop until I had polished off all the dishes and the injera foundation as well.

From my very first meal in Ethiopia, I knew it was going to be an amazing country!

Total bill came to 22 ETB

A stuffed stomach and satisfied taste buds came to just 22 ETB ($1.15).

Many more Ethiopian food stores to come!

My Very First Meal in Ethiopia is a post from: Cultural Travel and Street Food Around the World | Migrationology

Welcome to Holiday Out!

Holiday Out is a local Tanzanian food restaurant in downtown Dar Es Salaam, located on Garden Ave. across from the Southern Sun Hotel (it was formerly the Holiday Inn – but that has since moved to another newer location).

My only wish is that they’d have a Holiday Out to accompany every Holiday Inn around the world!

You can’t book a room at Holiday Out, and I can say with quite certainty, they have absolutely zero affiliation with Holiday Inn.

Probably the only common factor they share with Holiday Inn is the fact that they “serve” people – they’re in the hospitality industry.

Holiday Out is a local Dar Es Salaam dining establishment, kind of like a lunchtime canteen for hungry office workers (and others) searching for tasty Tanzanian food at affordable prices.

The dining room at Holiday Out

We showed up at noon, hoping to beat the main rush, which we did. The restaurant is pretty large, probably housing about 20 or so plastic Coca-Cola tables and a mess of the classic plastic chairs, all sheltered by a mabati (tin) roofed structure.

Lunchtime in Tanzania usually begins at about 1 pm, so we initially beat the rush, but as we were dining, Holiday Out Dar Es Salaam really began to pick up.

To order at Holiday Out you simply walk up to the front of the restaurant, order and pay for what you want from the Mama who controls the cash, and she’ll hand you a little token, indicating that you’ve paid and the order you put in.

Hand the token to a server and he or she will dish out your meal on a giant metal platter.

Plantain with meat, beans, and mchicha

I was in the mood to eat a popular Tanzanian food known as ndizi na nyama, or plantain bananas mixed with meat.

The plantain bananas are un-sweet, so they actually taste more like a starchy potato than a sweet banana. To make ndizi na nyama, the plantain bananas are are stewed along with chunks of meat, in this case beef.

Ndizi Na Nyama

My plate of ndizi na nyama also came with a side of beans (maharagwe), and a green vegetable, in this case mchicha (a popular staple vegetable that tastes a lot like spinach and is very typical for Tanzanian food).

Price – 2,000 TZS ($1.20)

Wali wa samaki and the works

One of the great things about having a wife, is that I not only get to eat my own meal, but I normally have the pleasure of eating about 1/2 of my wife’s meal as well!

Ying got the wali wa samaki, or rice with fish, and in this case the fish was a small deep fried mackerel. This same kind of mackerel is also an extremely common Thai street food fish – only it would be served with nam prik, and no beans or mchicha.

A great Tanzanian meal!

While my plate of ndizi na nyama was pretty good, and filling, I’ve got to say that the wali wa samaki won the contest. Holiday Out makes a delicious plate of fish and rice.

Along with the big scoop of rice and deep fried mackerel, the plate came along with a side of beans, mchicha, some kind of tomato sauce, a little spicy pickle, and a little side of kachumbari.

Price – 3,000 TZS ($1.80)

Holiday Out serves delicious Tanzanian food in a friendly environment. It’s a great place to experience local cuisine when you’re in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania!

View Dar Es Salaam in a larger map

Related articles

• Zanzibar Mix and Tasty Gujarati Street Food Snacks in Dar Es Salaam
• Barbecue House Restaurant – Consistently Delicious Food in Dar Es Salaam

Holiday Out – Tasty Tanzanian Food (Not your typical Holiday Inn) is a post from: Cultural Travel and Street Food Around the World | Migrationology

Mama Theopiste, at back, writing up my bill

Located within the Tanzania Scouts Association property, and opposite the Don Bosco Catholic youth center, in the Upanga District of Dar Es Salaam, is the Scouts Canteen (unofficial).

Mama Theopiste controls the kitchen, and whips up some delightful Tanzanian food everyday for lunch.

Other than a few red Coca-Cola signs and tablecloths (something that always dictates good greasy food and cold beverages in Africa), and a glass cabinet full of chips (fries), the restaurant actually has no real name.

2 giant platters of lunch

It’s more of a big thatch covered space that consists of a roasting nyama choma area, a few different bars, and a spread of plastic tables and chairs, all donated by either Coca-Cola or a local beer company – very typical restaurant decor in Tanzania.

Everyday around noon or 1 pm, a buffet of Tanzanian food is served by Mama Theopiste and a few helpers.

The food is home-cooked style, and each day, quite a few men – everyone from businessmen in suits to men drunk from the night before and who looked like they slept there – stumble into the restaurant to fill their bellies for lunch.

Mchuzi wa samaki – curried fish, Tanzanian style

The staff at Scouts Canteen are not quite as organized as at Holiday Out, they slowly move, and if you ask for something, like a bottle of water, it normally takes a few minutes for your request to be fulfilled (that is if they don’t forget).

Though service is slow, just like many places in Tanzania, the food is pretty good.

I ordered an mchuzi wa samaki, a curried fish, along with a big ball of maize flour ugali and a few accompanying sides.

Price – 5,000 TZS ($3) full plate

You’ve got to lick your fingers after this one!

Though Dar Es Salaam is next to the sea, Scouts Canteen specializes in preparing Sato fish, a freshwater fish that’s famous from Mwanza, a city near Lake Victoria. Sato is similar to a tilapia.

The fish was prepared in a thick rich coconut curry sauce with lots of onions and tomatoes.

Also on my plate was a scoop of mchicha (green vegetable similar to spinach), beans, some coconut curry sauce with pieces of okra, and my huge blob of ugali (same as what you’d get eating Kenyan food) – the ultimate filler.

Mchicha, green vegetable

We also ordered a plate of rice along with a catfish that was dried, rolled into a ring shape, and also curried.

Roll of catfish. Do you know the name?

The ring of catfish tasted almost a little fermented like a Thai kaeng tai pla. It was alright, not the greatest thing I’ve ever tasted. I thought the sato fish in coconut curry (above) was superior.

Price – 5,000 TZS ($3) full plate

Deep fried sato fish

Finally for good measure we decided to order a deep fried sato fish as well, and it’s a good thing we did, because he was quite a tasty fellow.

Price – 3,000 TZS ($1.83)

Boy Scouts Canteen, Dar Es Salaam

Boy Scouts Canteen, Dar Es Salaam

The Tanzanian food served at Scouts Canteen is a great place for a seriously filling lunch in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, and the food is always prepared fresh by Mama Theopiste  - she’s friendly and cooks well.

View Dar Es Salaam in a larger map

Mama Theopiste’s Tanzanian Food at the Boy Scouts Canteen is a post from: Cultural Travel and Street Food Around the World | Migrationology

Round one at Lukmaan Restaurant

One of the legendary restaurants in Stone Town, Zanzibar, that serves local Zanzibari food, is Lukmaan Restaurant.

This place, along with Passing Show Hotel, are two of the most legendary local Zanzibari food serving establishments within Stone Town.

I had been to Lukmaan restaurant a number of times on previous visits to Zanzibar (you might remember when I compared biryani to pilau), and so on my latest trip, as soon as I landed, Lukmaan was the place we immediately went for lunch.

Inside Lukmaan restaurant in Stone Town, Zanzibar

I was happy to see the restaurant exactly where I remembered it, the baobab tree to the right side, and the blue and white striped awning.

But on my previous visits they had a menu and your ordered, now they serve buffet style where you go up to the front counter, choose whatever you want to eat, and pay up front before grabbing a seat.

Works for me!

Biryani rice with fish, but I should have ordered the full fish

I couldn’t resist the biryani, which I ordered with fish, instead of mutton this time round. It was just as wonderful as I had remembered, the rich oily sauce was flavored with onions and sweet and spicy spices.

I chose a yellow looking piece of steamed fish, and it was good, but after ordering it, I wish I would have chosen the whole fried mackerel (like the fish we ate at Holiday Out).

Beans!

For some extra protein, we got a side bowl of beans. It was plain but everything it needed to be and good.

Pilau with kachumbari on the side

Along with the biryani at Lukmaan restaurant, another speciality rice that’s eaten across Zanzibar is pilau, and I wasn’t going to miss it.

The pilau rice, spiced with cinnamon bark and pods of cardamom, was dished up with a scoop of kachumbari, a combination of tomatoes and onions, on the side.

Zanzibari octopus curry

To go with the pilau rice, we ordered a bowl of octopus curry, a very popular Zanzibari food. This was by far the clear winning dish of the meal – it was stunning!

First of all, the octopus was incredibly soft, not like fall apart tender, but soft more like chicken, rather than rubbery octopus. The gravy was a heavenly concoction of coconut milk with loads of Indian inspired spices and a lot of lime juice to make it sour and spicy.

Marvelous flavors coming off my plate!

Spooning the octopus curry and sauce onto my pilau while adding in broken bits of pili pili (chili), to satisfy my chili addiction, each bite at Lukmaan restaurant in Stown Town was pure pleasure.

We loved the octopus curry so much, after cleaning out the first bowl, I went back to the counter and ordered it again.

Lukmaan restaurant serves wonderful local Zanzibar food in Stone Town.

Lukmaan Restaurant in Stone Town, Zanzibar

Lukmaan restaurant in Stone Town, Zanzibar

Open hours: about 7 am – 9 pm daily, lunch is a great time to go
Prices: Most meals cost around 5,000 TZS ($3) per person, but we ate a lot and had a bottle of water as well and our bill came to 12,000 TZS ($7.26).
How to get there: Just like in all of Stone Town, getting there is the confusing part. Sometimes you’ve got to walk around in circles, asking locals along the way, until you get there. The restaurant is located along New Mkunazini Road, just outside of the Stone Town lanes, and right behind the Anglican Cathedral and former slave chamber.

Lukmaan – One of the Best Restaurants in Stone Town, Zanzibar is a post from: Cultural Travel and Street Food Around the World | Migrationology

You might have already seen the article about Lukmann restaurant, it’s one of my favorites in Stone Town.

The rice biryani’s, the curries, and in particular the octopus curry, which I had this meal, were all outstanding!

Watch the video here:

(If you can’t see it, watch it on YouTube here)

The meal entire was excellent, and if you visit Stone Town, Zanzibar, this is a must eat at restaurant!

Related articles

• Lukmaan – One of the Best Restaurants in Stone Town, Zanzibar
• Ras Nungwi Beach Hotel – Peaceful Luxury on a Private Stretch of Zanzibar Beach

VIDEO: Zanzibari Food at Lukmaan Restaurant in Stone Town is a post from: Cultural Travel and Street Food Around the World | Migrationology