Restaurant Review: ShivSagar, New Delhi

I am someone who has lived in both, Delhi and Mumbai, so for me to pick one favourite city is as difficult as picking a favourite parent. When I stay in Mumbai, Shivsagar is one stop solution for all my street food cravings and when I am in Delhi, I miss Mumbai and the street delicacies that the city offers. But after Shiv Sagar opening in the heart of Delhi, Connaught Place,  I have one reason less to miss Mumbai.

If you don't know about this place already (because you don't live in Mumbai) then you better google it or read this review of their new restaurant in Delhi. Coincidently, Shivsagar's Delhi branch is co-owned by a very close friend, but that doesn't influence this review in anyway. I have been to the restaurant twice, once as a guest and the second time was purely out of love for their food.

 My review of Shivsagar, Delhi is based on the following criteria:

Location: 
Location couldn't have been more interesting than this. Its located next to Sarvana Bhawan, Janpath, CP, which is one of the busiest restaurant in the city. Still Shiv Sagar is managing to have waiting on the weekdays and there is always scarcity of pavs by the end of the day. It's the new It place to eat in the city.

Ambiance: 
It's certainly too hoity-toity for a place serving vada pav and pav bhaji, but why not? I like my vada pav served on a clean hygienic plate. I love the fact that I can sit in an air conditioned restaurant, flip through a menu, order pav bhaji and water-melon juice, call for cheque and not worry about location, hygiene or carrying a bottle of sanitizer to relish street-food. Coming back to the point, it's a tastefully done restaurant. I absolutely love the cane lamps hanging off the roof adding warmth to the comfortable and cosy seating plan.

Hygiene:
I hate when I am sitting in a restaurant accompanied by flies and table mats smelling of food, toilets lacking soap and toilet paper, utensils giving proof of what was served previously. This won't happen at Shivsagar, the COO of Shiv Sagar, Varun Puri with his extensive experience in the hospitality business makes sure there's no compromising on hygiene and quality.

Food: 
Okay! I'd be lying if I say that the food is exactly the same, its not as spicy as we get back in Bombay, but the taste palate is still the same. It still has the authentic local flavour that I have relished in the past, at their Mumbai outlets. I tried their famous vada pav, pav bhaji, chilli idli, bhel puri, seev puri , fruit sundae and I also tried all the juices from their menu. The second time I went back, I repeated the order( minus the bhel, idli and sundae). 
I am yet to try the other delicacies they offer.
FYI, they get their laadi pavs straight from Mumbai, every morning. Here is a detailed experience of my little food tasting session : 

I cannot get over the taste of their authentic vada pav, they serve it with options of green and red chutnies along with fried chillies. It's my staple starter at Shiv Sagar.

But pav bhaji is my utmost favourite dish, bhaji's authentic taste, creamy mashed gravy and pavs soaking in butter seems like a match made in heaven. Also, the fact the its not spicy( how it's typically served in Mumbai), makes it easy to soak in the flavours. It surely succeeded in tantalizing my taste buds. 

The sev puri that they offer is authentic to the t, rite balance of teekha and meetha. Perfect quality of sev, which a lot of other places get wrong in Delhi. I am not a big fan of bhel puri though, but it's worth a try.

The most controversial dish that they served for us was Chili Idli. Okay! if chef hadn't told us, I would have mistaken it for chilly paneer. It just melts the moment you put it in the mouth, perfectly sautéed in chinese sauce and veggies, absolutely lip smacking!

Did mentioned that I tried all the juices?  Freak not.. I tried them in these test tube shooters. I absolutely love their pineapple juice and my second favourite is the watermelon juice. All the juices are freshly prepared and have thick consistency. I was totally blown by the idea of these juice shooters. I am yet to try their shakes though, but I am sure they are as as good as the juices they offer. 

For dessert I had fruit sundae, each layer had a different flavour to offer. I recommend this to all the ice-cream lovers. I bet you'll thank me for this.

Overall experience:
I enjoyed my experience both the times, but I am definitely going to try other cuisines that they offer. Its a great place for weekend family dinner or lunch. I suggest, you book a table if you plan to visit during the weekend. Everything is moderately priced and value for money. Two people can easily eat under 800rs. Food paradise for vegetarians and street food lovers. 
This place offers Quick-serve Meals/Mumbai Street Food/South Indian/North
Indian/ Chinese/Fresh Juices and more. For the Delhi Foodies a special Dilli Chaat section has been introduced in the menu which has delicacies such as Bermi Aloo subji, Matra with kulcha, Special Aloo tikki with aloo dum, Matra tikki and every daily special’s as “Chaat of the day". 

My Verdict: 4/5 

I absolutely recommend this place and in case you guys have been there already then do share your experience in the comments below. I'd love to know. 


P.S.- It's the first time I am doing a food review on the blog, so if you feel that there is any point missing then do drop a comment. I'll try and do better next time. :) 

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