Eating with your bare hands – interesting experience: Restaurant Bukhara @ ITC Maurya, A Luxury Collection Hotel, New Delhi (3. November 2019)
The restaurant Bukhara is apparently one of the best restaurants in New Delhi and it was absolutely fully booked that night. Given I had made a mistake with my bookings I had erroneously booked a table for Monday instead of Sunday evening and when requesting to move it accordingly to Sunday on short notice, they were able to arrange this but it was really more ‘good luck’ than anything else.
Once you’re seated (at not necessarily comfortable chairs), you are served crispy bread with some sauce and a lot of onions. Lovely combination, admittedly, which I liked quite a lot. However, you shouldn’t eat too much of it as it will definitely bother you afterwards.
I went for the “Kastoori Kebab (succulent pieces of boneless chicken marinated in ginger and garlic, spiced with freshly pounded black peppercorns, gramflour and chargrilled with beaten egg yolk)” (2’225 INR) which was basically a chicken skewer. What I was not entirely aware of was the fact that you don’t get any cutlery but you eat everything with your hands which makes the whole thing a rather messy experience. The food was definitely good and it is cool to come here for the experience but honestly speaking, the experience is not all that amazing compared to the Dum Pukht they have in the same hotel.
The “Tandoori Naan” (275 INR) I took as a side to eat the main dish was perfect though. The seasoning was absolutely delicious so you would just keep licking your fingers as it was finger-licking good!
What is fun about the place is the fact that it is crowded, you get to watch the chefs producing your food, and I suppose if you’re in a larger group, it is a rather unique experience to order a variety of different dishes and share them at the table (also you have to know the people as it is really eating everything by hand).
The service was super friendly and made sure that we had everything we needed at all times. They were friendly and attentive and even managed to serve the bill relatively quickly after we had asked for it. The prices are very fair for a restaurant which is located in a 5 star hotel which is also true for the beverages (e.g. a King Fisher for 475 INR). Now, if you want to dine at the Bukhara, make sure to book your table with sufficient time in advance as else you won’t get a chance to get a table. People were queuing and waiting at the bar for a table to get free because someone didn’t show up!
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Contact Details:
Restaurant Bukhara @ ITC Maurya, A Luxury Collection Hotel, New Delhi
Sardar Patel Marg, Akhaura Block
Diplomatic Enclave, Chanakyapuri
110021 New Delhi (IN)
Tel.: +91 11 46 21 51 24
Fax: +91 11 26 11 33 33
E-Mail: reservations@itchotels.in
Homepage: https://www.itchotels.in/hotels/new-delhi/itcmaurya/dining/bukhara.html
About the Author: Sven
I started the blog in October 2009, while living in Milan which I definitely consider to be one of the food capitals of the world. I was in touch with food since my early childhood (as my father is a former chef). Whenever I can, I travel the world to discover new places, to meet people but mostly to try local dishes and to find hidden gems! If you know a place worth going, please drop a line to: info@thediningexperience.org.
Currently, I am a member of the following food-related associations: Chevalier @Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Zurich-Ville; Membre Gourmet Dégustateur @Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs [OMGD]; Gesellschafter @Goldener Fisch and Member @Slowfood Convivium Zurich City. 
