A Gastronomic Journey to National Highway 44

Did you know that the National Highway 44 (a. k. a. NH 44) is India's longest running North-South national highway that spans from Srinagar to Kanyakumari? If you're on this highway, embrace yourself on a journey of a lifetime to some of the best states in India, such as Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu.

What if I told you that there's a new, exciting restaurant in West Delhi where you can savor regional cuisines from India's longest highway?

Aptly called the National Highway 44 (NH 44), this pan Indian restaurant is the brainchild of restaurateurs Udit Bagga and Udit Bhasin, Board of Directors of Spring Hill Cafe Private Limited Company.

National Highway 44

As a matter of fact, Udit Bagga is one of the most popular restaurateurs in Delhi right now, having tasted success with his very first venture, Out Of The Box (a. k. a. OTB) in Khan Market, New Delhi. He now plans to open up another great place to hang out in Rajouri Garden, New Delhi, by the name of Factory.

National Highway 44

Yours truly was invited for a food and property review at NH 44 last month, and here are my top 10 recommendations on why you should visit this new property without further ado. 

1. The kitchen is in the capable hands of Corporate Chef Sanjeev Takyar, who has worked for reputed names like the Coriander Leaf Restaurant Gurgaon, Diwan Restaurant (a unit of Berkshire Group), Vatika Group, etc.
   
   Sanjeev is an expert in Indo-Pak, modern Italian and Cantonese cuisines, and is instrumental in designing the elaborate truck-shaped menu at NH 44.
   
   [PS: The Hinglish menu at NH 44 took almost a month to compile.]
   
   In the past, Sanjeev has played a significant role in the opening of Fox World Cuisine Restaurant in Gurgaon and Saffron restaurant in Park Hotel Kolkata. He has also trained over 100 chefs throughout his F&B career.
   
   

   

   South Indian Food at NH 44



2. NH 44 provides a classic mix of casual- cum fine-dining experience. The restaurant can accommodate up to 48 guests at any given time and includes a private dining area as well, where 35 guests can be easily seated.





Private Dining Area at NH 44



3. Talking of the private dining area, this specially designed room can be partitioned into two if the need shall be. With partition, the two rooms can accommodate 15 guests each. The private dining area also boasts of two LED TVs to take your entertainment quotient several notches higher.





Truck-shaped menu at NH 44



4. With a covered area of nearly 3000 square feet, there is plenty of room for everyone to move inside the premises. The space is not cramped; even at peak hours, there is no way that you'll ever feel claustrophobic here.





Seating Arrangement at NH 44



5. Both service and kitchen staff at NH 44 is prompt and attentive. To maintain the highest levels of customer satisfaction, the service staff includes one corporate general manager (Saroj Kumar Singh), three captains, and six stewards.
   
   To bolster its kitchen staff, NH 44 employs one corporate chef (Sanjeev Takyar), one sous chef, and twelve chefs from different regions of India.


6. The bar at NH 44 is in the capable hands of a Mixologist by the name of Harish. If you're ordering from the bar, my recommendation will be the following drinks:
• Frozen Kiwi Daiquiri: A Brazilian drink made of kiwis, strawberries, and lemon (available in two variants - alcoholic and virgin). You can also order frozen green apple/mango/chocolate daiquiri.
• NH 44 Special: Made of Guava juice, fresh mint and coriander leaves, lemon juice, and seasoning.
• Fruit Punch: Mix of different juices blended with ice cream.
  





Frozen Kiwi Daiquiri



NH 44 Special



Fruit Punch



7. At NH 44, it doesn't take long to tell that a lot of research has gone into food, decor and other elements; serving dishes from India on a single platter is a herculean task as it is, and on top of that, creating a national highway like ambience must have been extremely challenging.
   
   I couldn't help but admire the multicolored cutlery, wooden jharokhas, ceiling lights fixed in inverted Banta bottles, stainless steel multicolor tiffin box, miniature collectibles like the Hawkins Toy Cooker, handwoven colorful bed Charpai, etc.
   
   Coming to food, here are some of my favorite dishes at NH 44: 
• Palak Patta Chaat (vegetarian starter)
• Maharaja Patiala Sword Kebab (non-vegetarian starter)
• Paneer Long Latta (mains)
• Chicken Chettinad (mains)
• Beetroot Halwa (dessert)
• Gul-e-bahisht (dessert)
  





Maharaja Patiala Sword Kebab



8. No other place in West Delhi to my knowledge offers such a vast expanse of Indian cuisines like the Kashmiri, Mughlai, Andhra, Maharashtrian, and Gujarati - all at one place.





Idlis at NH 44



Mains at NH 44



Starters at NH 44



South Indian starters at NH 44



9. Open every day from 12 noon to 1 am, NH 44 is the ideal place to enjoy meals on tables made of old tree trunks or seats adorned with earthy fabrics or Jaipuri quilts.


10. Without doubt, NH 44 is taking the dining experience in Delhi to the next level. Guests at NH 44 can enjoy quality food and music amidst beautiful decor and great service.