Just a couple days left until we fly back home. It has been a good trip, filled with great food, family visits and some shopping as well. I love going away on vacations to new and old places alike.. but more than that I love going home. I like relaxing and taking it easy where ever I am but I really look forward to going home and getting back into my routine- I feel a bit lost without it.

Anyway, I was saving the best for last. As I mentioned before, a trip to Delhi for me means a trip to Bukhara, which is a high-end Indian restaurants serving my favorite kind of cuisine- kebabs, etc. I saved this visit for almost the end of my trip- there really wasn’t any other time to go.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I also went to a place called Colonel Kababz, which is similar to Bukhara but very down to earth with prices to match. The food there was spectacular and I had something to compare to.

We walked into the very fancy Mauryas Hotel, covered in beautiful and expensive marble. A very pleasant, flowery aroma followed us to the restaurant in the back of the building. The space was exactly the same as I remember more than five years ago. We sat down and were brought the menu right away.

We ordered seekh kebabs (minced goat meat with spices cooked on a skewer), barrah kebabs (chunks of leg of goat with the bones, expertly marinated), bukhara dal (dal makhani) and two pudina paranthas (bread topped with dried mint- my favorite).

We sipped our bottled water and waited for the food. The kebabs, dal and bread came promptly. The barrah kebabs were delicious- perfectly marinated and super flavorful, especially with the bones intact. The seekh kebabs were okay- nothing special, especially since I was able to do a direct comparison with the other place. Colonel Kababz seekh kebabs were far more superior – they were tender and almost melted in my mouth.

The famous Bukhara dal was adequate- not as good as the one I had the other day. I was quite disappointed. I have no problem spending big bucks for fabulous cuisine- but it has to out of this world. This experience was good but nothing outstanding.

I am not sure if I will return to Bukhara- it doesn’t seem worth my time or money, especially when I can get better food for a quarter of the money.