Chaats & Savories
We started from Godowlia Chowk walking away towards the city away from the ghats. I had these whole list of Chaats that were supposedly Varanasi special that I had to dig into. The portions are small and it is not very difficult to gobble down two plates with moderate appetite. I had my friend for company so we could indulge in much more
Kashi Chaat Bhandar : Our first stop was at Kashi Chaat Bhandar on the right side of the road. We had Tamatar Chaat served in a earthen pot and Palak Chaat in a steel bowl. Tomatoes are smashed and curried in Tamatar Chaat with generous amount of chillies, and some potatoes. On a cold wintry evening it warmed up my ears with all the heat of the chillies. Palak fritters mashed and served with generous amount of Dahi and imli chutney came to our rescue to calm down the our tongues on fire.
Deena Chaat Bhandar: A little ahead of Kashi Chaat Bhandar on the left is Deena Chaat Bhandar. We ordered Golgappas which were crisp and were gobbled down in a jiffy after getting generously filled with imli paani (Tamarind Water). We followed it up with plates of Sohal Chaat and Chura Matar. Deena has comfortable seating space so it was easy for us to take a breather. Sohal is more of dried matar boiled and cooked with spices & then generously tempered with chillies, onions and chaat masala and some papris thrown into the mix for that zing. The ghee drenced chura matar was perfect to balm my already overworked stomach reeling under the onslaught of flavors.
Ram Bhandar: After a early morning walk along the ghats, I located the famous Ram Bhandar located deep in a Thatheri Bazar Lane. I lapped up the Kachori and the Aloo sabzi. You have to reach early else it gets over by 10am
Baati Chokha: This ethnic restaurant near Anand Mandir Cinema was a treat. We opted for the Thaali which had different kinds Baati, Aloo Chokha, Baingan Chokha, Dal and finally Khichri. Indeed the taste of Varanasi served with dollops of ghee, spicy chutneys and pickles.
Sweets
There is so much on offer that you would need a voracious appetite and good many days to sample it all. Come winter and almost every shop has Malaiyyo which is saffron flavored sweetened milk froth garnished with some finely chopped almonds and pistachios. This is stiff competition to the all year round Rabri served in clay cups as well. While walking around the lanes stop by for steaming hot Jalebis fresh off the pan or for a bite into soft Malpuas with crunchy edges. Since I was staying near Assi Ghat, Pappu’s Jalebi Corner was my daily stopover. I have grown up on a diet of Parwal on my good days and not so good days since my Bengali family thought Potol (Parwal) was this magic veggie that would do me good. When I saw the ubiquitous Parwal Sweet across the counter in RajBandhu Sweets, I had to make a go for it.
Lassi: During my winter visit to Varanasi most Lassi outlets were closed due to lack of brisk business. I had read so much about Blue Lassi near Manikarnika Ghat that I had to pay a visit. After braving through the lanes which were flowing with cremation groups heading towards the ghat that promised moksha I finally reached the place. Yeah, it is good for the westerner in search of mysticism but for someone like me it was just another place. The blue jaded walls were adorned with pictures of their guests and a few appreciation awards. I ordered their signature blue lassi which was blueberry flavored yoghurt stirred in a blender and served in a clay cup. Clearly more hype than content.
Cakes & Bakes : Varanasi has a large range of cafes offering variety of cakes and bakes catering to the western tourist crowd. The Apple Pie in Brown Bread Bakery was delicious and maybe one of the best I have had in India.
Paan : After all the food the famed Banarasi Pan sweetened with Gulkhand and cherry and silver foil for garnish thrown in is the perfect digestive one needs.