Haveli Dharampura is a late Mughal-style haveli (built around 1887) that has been restored to its former grandeur by Vijay Goel in Chandni Chowk. The entire restoration process took 7 years!
The grand entrance welcomes you into an aangan with a small fountain (and a welcome drink of kanji), fenced off by an art gallery on the left and the restaurant straight ahead. The jharokas and windows have stained glass art and decorated balconies with dancers practising for the evening and an atmosphere full of thumris and ghazals.
The three floors have 60 rooms, which have now been re-purposed into 13 grand rooms. Each door is named after a gate: Kashmiri, Turkmani, Ajmeri and more, which lead to the next level of rooms, balconies and little alcoves for sitting and chatting. The rooftop looks into the courtyard and outward to the Jama Masjid, Red Fort, Gurudwara Sisganj, churches, temples and more.
Kathak dances that happen every Saturday and Sunday from 7 pm to 10 pm, Kite-flying every Saturday and Sunday which is followed up by a 3-course High-tea on the Haveli’s rooftop. An Old Delhi Heritage Walk (lasts for about 3 hours) and even pigeon flying which is a popular sport in North India where you can learn how to control 50 pigeons using just a whistle, stick and a bag of seeds. - You can book and know more about all of these experiences here.
We went to check out their old-world restaurant, Lakhori. The menu is the right balance of modern and traditional, though food isn’t the reason you’ll be making this trip. The cocktails and smoothies have a mix of berries, fruits and the inimitable paan mixed with soda. We loved the Jahan Ara (khus-based drink with chilli chunks), Banarasi Paan and the Chai Biscuit (A thick chai latte-esque drink with a layer of biscuit on top).
The Dahi Puri came with shot glasses of saunth and jaljeera paani. The non-veg galoutis were soft and just rightly spiced. The main course will surely leave you full and fat, with Aloo Achari and Kofta Dogala (spinach wrapped cottage cheese with a tomato and malai gravy). There is Mutton Korma and Murg Tikka Masala (which comes in a roti bowl) for meat lovers. The dessert was a stunning Kheer Trio, and we are pretty partial to the paan and date flavours. We took a tour of the place after we finished on a high note with the Rose Kulfi.
Image courtesy: Radhika Agarwal