SHALINI SAKSENA tells you how a restaurant is amalgamating flavours from the West and East by spicing up its dishes with Indian condiments to give a taste that is unique and makes one go for second helpings

Most people would agree that a twist to a dish doesn’t not really do much to the taste palate. But then it is also true that when we add our Indian spices, it takes the flavours to another level that makes one craving for more even though the tummy says — enough.

One may wonder why three friends from different backgrounds — one from the media, one a doctor and another from a totally different profession — with no knowledge of how the food industry works decided to open a restaurant back in 2009. Nikhil Arora, one of the co-founders, tells you that it was the sheer love for food that propelled them in this direction. So much so that 11 years down the line, their brand The Tummy Section is all set to open its fifth outlet in the Capital, in Malviya Nagar set to open its doors on January 20, 2021, that offers dine-in experience as well. Two are in West Delhi, one in Gurugram and one in Sonipat.

“It was our love for food that made us venture in this line. Over the years we have been experimenting with various dishes and the end-result is what you see in our menu that has been curated over the years with spices that are truly Indians even though the dishes are not. We have taken the shawarma, given it an Indian twist, called it shawario, and plated it for Delhiites who have been loving our twist to this otherwise very popular roll. It is the sauces, spices and the way we make these rolls that makes us unique,” Arora says.

This is true to a certain extent. The Chicken Shawario Crunchwich definitely is a delight for all those who love chicken. One can’t one go wrong when you have a fried chicken on top with chicken masala as a filling and another fried chicken making it a chicken sandwich. The sauce served with it is tasty and full of flavours even though one doesn’t need this extra bit given that this crunchwich offers a burst of flavours. If you are a vegetarian go for the paneer crunchwich. Sadly, the vegetarians will have to make do with either paneer or potatoes. For the chicken lovers, the other delights are Chicken Shawario and the chilli chicken. The good part is that each has a different flavour.

The let down was the veg nachos. By the time it was delivered, the nachos on top had become soggy. Even the good old microwave couldn’t come to its rescue. The chilli chicken was a disappointment too — not spicy enough.

The menu tells you that every tummy has a story and hence for those looking for something different try the dishes that are marked OG and New (addition). Also, each dish has a mini and a monster variant. One can order either, depending on one’s hunger pangs.

While many would have apprehensions given the Bird Flu scare, Arora assures his customers that his chicken is brought only from licensed sellers and checked regularly. “While there has been a dip due to Bird Flu, I want to assure my customers that we have a centralised kitchen where we do all the testing so far, we have had no problems with the vendor. We buy 200-250 chicken each day and anything that is left is discarded. We don’t use the chicken from the previous day, the next day. Also, the chicken cooked at a high temperature kills any infection,” Arora says.

Next time, one gets hunger pangs, try a shawario instead.