A rolling delight

Sometimes a single dish like shawarma--a Lebanese dish can be more than a match for wholesome dinner. Al Bake in New Friends Colony is so far the best shawarma outlet in Delhi and the sole reason for its success being the copious amount of this mouth-watering delicacy it serves.

At Al Bake, the chicken is rolled in a soft rumali roti with some onions and masalas, and then presented with two kinds of sauces – a very hot mayonnaise and delicious garlic chutney, available for Rs 60, the rotis are soft, the chicken pieces are tender and juicy, and the sauces that go with it are hot and tasty. Two or three of those rolls are enough for a hearty meal. Al Bake has another eatery at the same place where one doesn’t get the shawarmas but can have curries, tandooris and biryanis.

The shop is more than a decade old and attracts more than 500 customers in a single day. “Our shawarma has a very unique taste and that is why it is so popular. We make our own masala (spices) unlike other places. Our shop also attracts the maximum number of customers because of the low rate of the roll. College students are the ones who enjoy it the most as it is within their budget,” says Mirza Saqib Beg, owner of Al Bake. Born in Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh, this marine engineer also added, “We taste everything at home and introduce here in our shop, like our mayonnaise, for instance.”

College student Ngangom Homan Singh shared, “The shawarma is so yummy here. I haven’t eaten anything like this anywhere in Delhi. It brings me back here so often.” Same is the case with homemaker Kiran Singh. “Shawarma here is very tasty. Not only do we pack the meal back, we also try to visit this place every weekend,” said Kiran.

The rate is very nominal and doesn’t pinch the pockets of shawarma lovers. You can pick up a roll  for just Rs 60.

One should not let the chaotic ambience and the ‘standing tables’ prevent one from entering.  Al-Bake is one of those places that don’t need to be comfortable to be popular. It serves what’s arguably the best in town, and the diverse crowd, which gets to New Friends Colony market just to enjoy a good roll, is there to prove it.