'मुस्कुराइए आप लखनऊ में है😀😀'
And this muskurahat (laughter) comes only after you indulge yourself with the Awadhi delicacies, tempting sweets and the glittering market of accessories..
A group of 8 people from Kolkata, we reached Lucknow on the morning of 29th December.
Our stay was at a budget hotel at Naka Hindola Chauraha, Aryanagar.
The trip was as per the plan made beforehand.
After the breakfast and a couple of hours rest, we headed towards The Mughal's Dastarkhwan at Lalbagh, one of finest dining place in Lucknow....Galawati kebab, Chicken Malai Kebab, Mughlai paratha, Nihari, Handi Biriyani followed by the Shahi Tukda...
'Lucknow aaye aur Kebab nahi khaye,,,aama ye bhi koi baat hui!...the succulent Galawati kebab with mughlai paratha is a must have...of course the dessert has to be equally sumptuous and what can be better than the Shahi Tukda!
Contented, we proceeded to Janeshwar Mishra Park and Ambedkar Park. Time spent well and the best part was the Sun down moment at Ambedkar Park.
Guys, how about melting a chilled evening with something hot?! So our next stop was at Sharma ki Chai and the 'Kulhad Wali Chai' definitely made it..
With still enough time left, we halted for shopping....'Chikankari', the attraction of the bright colourful stores is just hard, very hard to ignore,,,so to fill that extra space in the luggage (which was left intentionally), we bought some😊
'Ab itna ghume toh bhukh toh lagni hi hai'...if you ask me my favorite kebab joint at Lucknow, I'll recommend 'Tunday Kababi' at Aminabad. We have had more Galawati kebabs and the taste was better than Dastarkhwan. Had we known this earlier, we should have tried this kebab at Tunday kababi in the beginning. Taste and quality of food here are worth drooling...and with these food expeditions, our first day at Lucknow was quite happening.
We had plans for the sight seeing of historical places so Residency, Bada Imambara, Bhulbhulaiya were explored. I loved the Urdu Hindi and the 'tahzeeb' (behaviour) of the guides. Their narratives made all these more interesting.
Our next stop was 'Gadbadjhala', a glittering market of artificial jewellery. Shopping is said to elevate the spirits of almost all the women in the World..the small market in Aminabad is dedicated to imitation jewellery design and women's accessories that will give you a run for your money. Gadbadjhala is now not just a lane in the market selling products within a specified domain, it represents the real essence of Lucknow, the city of the flamboyant Nawabs. So if you're to visit Lucknow just for travel, include this on your itinerary...
This compact tour made us skip the lunch and hence struck with hunger we reached Royal Cafe at Shahnajaf Road to have the famous 'Basket Chaat'.. when you're in Lucknow, you surely can't afford to miss this...it consists of a lot of things right from chickpeas, fruits, potatoes, potato tikkis, fried potato basket, dahi bhalle, chutneys and many more. This combo is lipsmacking❤...
We were yet to taste Faluda from Prakash Kulfi but we couldn't make it to that place...instead we were taken by the cab driver to Moti Mahal...yes a place where pearls, in form of different sweets, were scattered...we had Faluda, Gajar ka halwa, Moong ka halwa and Makkhan Malai and Malai paan.
Makkhan Malai is a perfect snack for Lucknow wintry evening...This traditional snack has an essence of its own....a gem for Sweet lovers.
At dinner we had Dum pukhqt biriyani from Naushijaan...
The street foods of Lucknow at Wala Qadar Road, near Keiserbagh is truly a Paradise for food lovers.
We visited chhota Imambara after the complimentary breakfast from hotel. The chandeliers inside are watch worthy. We managed a tanga ride around the Rumi darwaza...but these heritage ride is getting obsoleted due to the gradual rise of auto Rickshaws and cars..
I think that no matter how much I can add here, the food tale can never be complete and comprehensive...perhaps I'll come again just for the 'khana khazana'☺😊
Few captures contributed by Ayan Mitra, Soma Sarkar & Rahul Sarkar.
Have a look to the link and get the flavour
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MuJx0u_kXxY&feature=youtu.be
