Dude! This is damn good food!

A June noon is not the best time to drive to Satya Niketan from Chittaranjan Park. That is where Sri Venkateshwara College is, but I have sadly crossed that age when young men hang around colleges with hopes of getting lucky. So it had to be that other indulgence which middle age and midriff can’t take away. Food. Or in this case Dude Food.

Now I have known the owner, Sumit Goyal, for some time now as food and lifestyle magazine editor. So I had to see for myself what he has done with his food joint. Food critics have taken preposterous decisions when they opened restaurants. I was hoping Goyal will be cleverer than them. He is. By keeping prices unbelievably low.

Dude Food is a small joint, tastefully done up with colourful chairs and shiny walls. With several colleges in the vicinity, it has the right feel to attract a young crowd. Even on a blistering hot weekday, we found all tables occupied. The other things that instantly sets Dude Food apart is the owner’s philosophy of ‘eradicating political correctness from Delhi’s food scene and wanting to offend anorexic and balanced critics paranoid of calorie count’. Dude Food is all about heavy eating and happy burps.

There are interesting choices in the All Day Breakfast menu like the Dude omelette which is Spanish omelette with cheese served with sausage, bacon strips, grilled tomatoes, potatoes and roasted bread. But I have never heard of the Eggs Kejriwal before and given my interest in Aam Aadmi Party’s antics I had to order one. 

Goyal told me it is quite popular in Bombay and it is basically eggs, sunny side up with toasted bread and cheese. That done, I gorged on some Drunken Chicken (Chicken drums of heaven tossed in chilli garlic sauce and finished with dark rum) and gave in to my first happy burp of the day.  

But nothing compared to the massive ass Dude Beef Burger. It is as incorrect, politically and calorie wise, as it can possibly get with cheese, tomato, onion, lettuce, egg and smoked sticky bacon. I suggest you ask the good chef to cut it into two so that you don’t end up spilling it all over the table. This is pure heaven!

There’s a lot more on offer. From salads and soups to burgers and pastas to shakes and smoothies. But that has to be another outing.

As I tumbled out telling myself I will watch my diet for the next few days to offset what I just had, Rihanna crooned: Love the way you lie…