Frying Pan To The Fire

What are the basic components of a good road trip? Well, a great car and good food! So, join us as we drive thousands of kilometres through multiple states in search for some mouth-watering delicacies.

- Ishan Raghava

It’s not everyday that you get a dream road trip handed to you on a platter – literally. In the midst of our crazy Anniversary issue schedule, the Editor came up to me and asked if I would be willing to undertake a week-long road trip to discover some good food in Kashmir, Himachal and Punjab? My reply to this ludicrous question was something to the effect of – does the sunrise from the east? Is it hot in summer? You get the idea – right?

The next step was to figure out the logistics for the trip. Anyway, the idea was simple – take the new Audi A4 for a drive to Kashmir and find some good Wazwan, and then head to the next destination.

It was, on a sunny morning, that we were on the way to our first night halt for the trip – Jammu. The night stay at Jammu was uneventful, as was our early departure to Srinagar. The real trouble began at Udhampur – well before the Chainani tunnel, which is an engineering marvel. As a result of some road widening work, the traffic was chock-a-block.

Consequently, we spent four-and-half hours covering just 13-kilometres. However, here the A4 proved to be a godsend. Thanks to its comfortable seats, the auto hold function and the automatic gearbox, my nerves were fairly calm for the extended period that we were forced to sit in traffic. Once we crossed the Chainani tunnel though, the progress was swift.

Feast fit for a king

Venturing into the centre of downtown Srinagar demonstrates that this is, essentially, a perpetual conflict zone. There’s unbelievable security everywhere. But the moment you enter Ahdoo’s, you forget everything, amid its slick décor and mood lighting. Trusting the recommendation of the wonderfully patient manager, I finally ordered for myself what they call Tarami.