Will Drive For Food

George Bernard Shaw once said "there is no love sincerer than the love of food". We at FHM know what the great man was talking about. Doesn't matter if its pan cake or paani poori, as long as it tastes good we'll eat it. In fact we're ready to go to great lengths for good food. So when Nissan India invited us to join them on a drive down to Amritsar from Dharamshala for a 'Food Trail', we were more than willing. The occasion was the first anniversary celebration of the Terrano.

While leaving early morning would have been the best thing to do, it isn't FHM if there aren't a spanner or two in the works. These included leaving only late in the afternoon, negotiating traffic jams on narrow hill roads, and rickety bridges that are just wide enough for a car. Then there was one of the best stretches of tarmac we've ever seen, the smooth NH 15. You have to drive on it to know what we mean. Unfortunately it's being used by imbeciles. They think they're in America... driving in the wrong direction... in the fast lane... after dark.

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We finally manage to reach Amritsar in the night just in time to begin our search. The city is not only famous for the Golden Temple, but also for its cuisine. And our motto for the night was 'if it has meat, we will eat'. As you can see we were too hungry to come up with anything better.

Where: Mame da dhaba

Time: 21:37

Getting there: Alpha One mall is the closest landmark. Stay under the flyover. The dhaba is located 800 meters before the mall.

What: Famous for its Bheja Fry.

The place is run by an animated character called Kuldeep Singh aka Mama. He tells us it's not your typical Bheja Fry. He calls it 'White Brain'. This is because he doesn't add any turmeric or "any other colouring agent". Nor is there any curry. Just chopped brain, onion and spices. Kuldeep also tells us that fans of his creation include the local MLAs and the Chief Minister.

Taste test: The bheja simply melted in our mouths. No overpowering spices, just soft, succulent brain tissues. Yum!

Pair with: Paired with a naan and a dollop of butter on it, the dish was extremely filling.

Where: Pal Dhaba

Time: 22:02

Getting there: Located close to the Hathi Gate. Reach there and follow your nose.

What: Paya (Goat's hoof).

Apparently the place is 'All India Famous'. It says so on the board. Jasbir Singh, the proprietor of the Dhaba mans the kitchen himself. He explains that the hooves he'll be making for us have already been partly cooked beforehand. He uses the 'soup' from the preparation, along with red chilli powder, salt, lentil leaves and garam masala. He then chops the hooves and drops it in the boiling broth.

Taste test: It tastes exactly like feet. No kidding. It's something you have get used to. In the end we did.

Pair with: Keema paratha. Jasbir cooked one for us and it was so soft it literally fell apart in our hands. Which wasn't as bad as we made it sound.

Where: Adarsh Meat Shop

Time: 23:05

Getting there: From GT Road take service road next to Rose Garden. Then first left for C-block market complex.

What: Mutton chaap (ribs).

After running around in circles for a good thirty minutes, we finally reach the place and were asked to wait in line. At eleven in the night! That's how busy this joint is. They proudly proclaim that they specialise in chaap and we promptly order a serving. The chaap has already been marinated and seasoned and all that is left to be done is to fry it in shallow oil.

Taste test: The meat was tender and juicy and tore away easily from the rib. The smoky, spicy flavour was quite unique.

Pair with: Mutton tikka. The sweet and sour taste and chewy meat made us glad we tried it.

Where: Sharma Sweet Shop

Time: 23:39

Getting there: From NH 15, turn right on Mall road. Take second right for Lawrence road.

What: Jalebi

Sharma Sweet Shop on Lawrence road makes some of the best Jalebis, is what they claim. By the time we reached the place, they were almost ready to down the shutters and were turning away customers. For us they prepared a specially large jalebi that thankfully wasn't dripping with syrup.

Taste test: Not very sweet, a little salty and crunchy to eat, this was a new take on the good ol jalebi.

Pair with: Gulab jamun. A hot dish that wonderfully complemented the mega jalebi.

Where: Punjabiyat

Time: 09:00 next day

Getting there: Head back on the NH 15 towards Gurdaspur. Take right on SH25 at Jahaz Chowk. Ask for Gurudwara Ghalughara Sahib.

What: Breakfast

Punjabiyat is a set of four lodges that offers quintessential village life experience. They say they will make anything the visitors want, including a punjabi meal. For us though they had prepared a breakfast with no less than eleven dishes on offer. Everything from parathas, to pakoras and lassi.

Taste test: The alloo paratha with white butter was by far the best. Tea on the other hand was a bit of a letdown.

Pair with: Lassi. There's nothing like a big glass of lassi to wrap up a traditional breakfast.

From the December 2014 issue of FHM India.