Situated in the bustling yet tranquil & tony lanes of Central Delhi, Khan Market has long cherished the title of being one of Delhi’s favourite markets. Be it chores, shopping, culinary delights, or tipples, the versatile market has it all. The DSSC team has had a hectic few months, so we’ve kickstarted a team building activity where the team explores the capital’s neighbourhoods on the last Saturday of every month. We DSSC peeps hopped aboard our hoverboards and decided to find out how would a perfect day at the market pan out.
Though we love that the market has us spoilt for choice, we couldn’t say hello to all of our fave places. Yet we ended up spending a super time, packing it all in- work, fun, socialising, and everything in-between! Here’s how we mapped our DSSC Day Out at Khan market, from breakfast to midnight snacking.
8:20 am: Smoke House Deli
All set to make the most of working weekends, we manoeuvred our hoverboards on the cobbled lanes without a single tumble (still waiting for the Nobel), and headed to Smoke House Deli for its epic breakfasts. Their fluffy omelettes, Smoked Salmon & Wasabi bagels, sausages and bacon had us all fuelled-up for the day. We moved from the very-European white wrought iron chairs to the relaxed couch seating, and fired up our laptops. Working through the many hellos in our inboxes, calls and getting everything in order for the meetings ahead saw us munching on some delish waffles & iced americanos. Few hours into the mad morning rush and still on with sunshine smiles, we realised there had been a tad overdose of the maple syrup+coffee, and decided to take a break!
12:25 pm: Ogaan
Strolling about we landed up in front of Ogaan, and of course, there was no going back before we peeked in. Looking around at their stellar selection of clothes & accessories, we loved how they showcase not only the best in the designing world, but also promote an array of Indian craft skills and handwoven textiles. Just having finished a scrumptious meal & enjoying Ogaan’s display of craftsmanship and design, we couldn’t help but think back to our Start Up Diaries Fashion Edition, with ideas for another Food & Fashion event popping in our heads. Keep checking in, we might just surprise you with a celebration of Design and Culinary arts soon.
1:30 pm: La Bodega
With the afternoon sun hiding behind clouds, we chose the outdoor seating at La Bodega and were all set for our lunch meet up with laptops and scratch paper out. Despite the hearty breakfast, we couldn’t stop at the Taquitos and the Tostadas, and were only too happy that our brand partners shared our love for food-leading to some major bonding time over La Bodega’s Mexican magic! We continued talks over the Ceviche De Camaron Y Mango (shrimp & mango tortilla chips), Burritos, Filete De Res Encacahuatado (steak) and Tacos De Serdo Adobado (pork belly tacos). The Spicy Paloma cocktail and selection of tequilas being served around us were rather tempting, yet we stuck to Tamarind and Lemon & Chia waters, but not without post work drinks on our minds.
3:30 pm: Good Earth
One meeting down, one more to go. It was a packed day and we needed a breather! Bidding adieu to La Bodega’s delectable food, we knew where we had to go for some therapy- Good Earth. Yes, the home decor store is our fave work-oasis. The quintessential store stocks furniture & decor from the traditional to the quirky, and seeing the abstract objects somehow weave harmony is fodder for the soul. Taking in the store’s beauty, we moved on to browse through their apparel store, Sustain, which houses some stunning creations made using traditional Indian crafts. We were about to step upstairs for a quick bite at Latitude 28 Cafe, but a glance at the clock and we noticed it was only ten minutes to go for tasting, we needed to come back to earth and say bye to Good Earth!
4:25 pm: Public Affair
We arrived at Public Affair with five minutes to spare, and settled down for the tasting session. We enjoyed most of the cocktails & appetisers pairings, a shout out to the Gin & Tonic with Cucumber & Shrimp crackers, and the Pineapple Basil Cocktail with Fresh Mozzarella Toasts & Spicy Herb Oil. Towards the end of the session we’d tried about five cocktails each, but hey, post dinner drinks are still on as this was all serious business- the makings of perfect secret suppers don’t come easy!
7:25 pm: Bahrisons
With all the activity since the morning, we were a bit knackered, and in a dilemma as to what would be a good alternative for a power nap. Just then, while walking along the outer lane we chanced upon the bookstore, Bahrisons. In less than 30 seconds we were inside, each picking up a book . And the next 30 seconds saw us cracking up, as we’d each picked up our fave cookery book, to look for ideas for DSSC’s weekly brunch series discussed that morning! Did anyone say team spirit? Reveling in that win, we continued our ‘break’ with some spirited ideating.
Over 60 years old, this is the Capital’s most iconic bookstore, it’s not just their extensive collection of books on every imaginable topic that keeps us coming back, but the warmth of the owners & the personal care they have for their patrons. Established soon after independence, it continues to be run by the original Bahri family!
8:10 pm: Perch Wine & Coffee Bar
Heading to our last call of duty for the day, we approached Perch Wine & Coffee Bar. Nibbling on the Welsh Rarebit and Melba Toast as our Bangalore aides battled Delhi traffic to reach us, we enjoyed the perfect evening music. It wasn’t long before our colleagues arrived and it was all about business, but we’re a supper club and there’s no business talk without the supper! We devoured the Cheese and Cold Cut Platters, the Baked Camembert, Tiger Prawns and Sous Vide Spring Chicken. With kinks being thwarted and decisions being made, the productive meet up was drawn to a close with Perch’s inviting Rum, Wood Apple & Coconut Semifreddo and the Banana Sponge with Honeycomb Ice-cream.
10:30 pm: Town Hall
And that’s a wrap! No, not to our Khan Market exploration, but to the working day. Descending down Perch’s steps we made our way along the inner lane to Town Hall for some much deserved after-work drinks. The pleasant weather made for an intoxicating (pun intended) rooftop night. We had our friends join us, wrongly looking forward to a quiet sip after a hectic day, with them turning it into a crazy night experimenting with cocktails! The Tom Collins and The Long Island Iced Tea were the winners of the night, the Margarita and Sangria were close seconds. With all that alcohol in our systems, we needed something to douse it down, i.e., we needed an excuse to visit Big Chill yet again. And with that we bid adieu to Town Hall.
11:40 pm: The Big Chill Cakery
Our slightly tipsy feet led us to the Big Chill Cakery, the mother of all comfort food. We spent a good 15 minutes deciding which of the irresistible cakes & bakes we wanted, in vain. In the end we decided to simply try one of each! Their ice creams are heavenly, and the Salted Caramel Cupcake & Mixed Berry Cheesecake stole the show for us. We had to get a to-go order of the Marble Cake and the Banana Cheesecake to keep up with ‘em sudden graveyard shift cravings we may have later!
With the goodness of Big Chill delights in our tummies and a terrific day behind us, we exchanged happy goodbye hugs and vowed to make DSSC’s Day Out a ritual!
If you have ideas on where we should go next, shoot us an email on editor@dssc.co and we’ll document our favourite spots in that neighbourhood!