Meet Gurugram foodies who explore lesser-known dhabas for traditional cuisine

Founded by Gurugram resident and entrepreneur Prabhat Verma, the group ‘Dhaba and Restaurant Addicts of Gurgraon’ is “for, in and about Gurugram only”.

They love food and meet once every fortnight to share the hidden gourmet secrets of the city. Meet DRAG—Dhaba and Restaurant Addicts of Gurgaon—a foodies’ group that started with four members in 2012 and today is a community of over 4,200 residents. Founded by Gurugram resident and entrepreneur Prabhat Verma, the group, Verma said is “for, in and about Gurugram only”.

The DRAG members usually meet on a Thursday evening, at a dhaba or little known eatery in Gurugram, and sample the food there. (HT Photo)

The DRAG members usually meet on a Thursday evening, at a dhaba or little known eatery in the city and sample the food there. With a large number of working professionals in the group, these meets start around 8pm, when most members are done with the day’s work.

Formerly called DAG (Dhaba Addicts of Gurgaon), the group changed the acronym after two years, when they had finished visiting most of the dhabas in and around the city. “The idea was that since the big food joints and restaurants anyway get a lot of prominence, we would explore the dhabas, local eateries, kitschy places that people know little about, but are actually treasure troves of food,” Verma said.

The seven-year gastronomical journey of DRAG is dotted with funny memories, heartening stories and unforgettable experiences of members. For aviation professional Nandita Bhatt, it’s the memory of a day when she went out to eat, but ended up cooking for others instead. “Once we went to a dhaba in Old Gurgaon. It was a tiny place and there were so many of us, around 50 I think. The cook and server in the dhaba were flummoxed and didn’t know how to manage such a big group. So, a couple of us in the group took over the kitchen and started cooking with them. It was crazy, funny and satiating, all at the same time,” narrated Bhatt between peals of laughter.

The group’s regular posts about different places on various social networking sites have made it a go-to tool for unique cuisine seekers, and food experimenters in the city. (HT Photo )

For some, it is the idea of eating authentic traditional food that they can’t get anywhere else except in these tucked away nooks. For others, it is the wonder and fun of discovering new cuisines, and then for some, it reminds them of their childhood and hometowns that keeps them actively involved and looking forward to all events of DRAG.

Entrepreneur Vikas Bagaria, one of the first few members of the group, said, “I grew up in Kolkata. Few years ago, our group went to a small eatery in Phase 4 that was serving traditional Bengali favourites such as, luchi, cholar dal, and begun bhaja. It proved to be such a great meal.”

Bagaria also said that it is great to discover new places, have animated conversations and bond over food and photographs. “Our meets are all about laughter, great food and lots of photography, because, of course, social media,” he joked.

But, the fact is that the group’s regular posts about different places on various social networking sites have made it a go-to tool for unique cuisine seekers, and food experimenters in the city, as well as a platform for small, upcoming and lesser-known food establishments to get exposure and limelight.

Pushkar Pande, a Maharashtrian living in Gurugram, saw one of Verma’s posts about a small eatery on Golf Course Road Extension that was serving delicious Mumbai street food. “Being a Maharashtrian, I craved Mumbai street food. After seeing Prabhat’s post, I came here, and what vada pav, kanda bhaji and shrikhand I had here! Loved it.”

Verma, who travels to nooks and corners of the city to find these little-known food havens, said, “I always look out for dhabas, small eateries that have some unique things to offer. I first go to these places by myself, try out a few dishes, check for hygiene, safety and security for women and children, and then when assured of good food, I bring the group.”

While Verma admits that the success of the group does lie in the opening up of local tastes to a community largely comprising well-travelled, fine-dining accustomed professionals in the Millennium City, he said that the group’s popularity has also soared because of the meetings mostly being held on weekday evenings. “People are spoilt for choice on weekends from walks to workshops, and myriad other events. But to meet a group of fellow food enthusiasts and laugh over a delicious meal on a weekday can be such a huge stress-buster. It gives something to look forward to on weekdays as well, when things to do are less and not too many options exist.”

The group that has 4,261 members in its closed Facebook group, is free and open for all city residents. Members pay at every eatery they go to and hope to bring exposure to smaller outlets with seating capacity for 10-30 people that often fade away due to lack of marketing or promotional funds.

Over time, DRAG has also become a platform to reach out to and mingle with fellow foodies in the city, something that individually one may find difficult to do.

For one of the early members, Shivani Singh, the journey and evolution of DRAG is the evolution of the foodscape in Gururgam itself. “Food has been a defining factor in the city and with every year we have found more cuisines, more varieties of foods and more small eateries dot the different corners of the city.” The group breaks its tradition once a year when the members organise a Sunday brunch at a fine dining restaurant to celebrate the New Year.

The group’s last few outings have seen them explore a dhaba on Gwalpahari road that served bajra rotis, sarso saag and chaas made on a traditional chulha , Moradabadi cuisine delicacies like ghosht kada masala, Muradabadi biryani in a small eatery in Sector 47, and Goan favourites like surmai fish curry, prawn fry masala in Sector 66.

Vinod Sachdeva, 85, oldest member of the group, said, “Though I can’t eat chilli at all, through DRAG, I have been able to sample Bihari, Kashmiri, Rajasthani and a variety of other cuisines.”