At 10.30 am, I start from my home at Jamia Nagar for a meeting to R K Puram. I reach my destination after an hour. I, constantly, keep looking at my watch because I am next headed to Majnu Ka Tila in North Campus for lunch. From R K Puram to Majnu Ka Tila, travelling from one extreme corner to another extreme corner of the city for lunch is called craving. I was craving for Tibetian food.

Majnu Ka Tila, which is a Tibetian settlement, is a world in its own, away from the hustle and bustle of Delhi, tucked in a corner of North Campus. The settlement, which is spread over an area of a kilometer or two, is a foodie’s delight as it is inundated with restaurants. The real challenge lies in finding out that one restaurant, whose food suits your palate. It took me around 10 years to find out my preferred restaurant in Majnu Ka Tila, The Big Apple.

Like Majnu Ka Tila, Big Apple too is tucked in a corner, hidden behind Tibetian artifact, currency exchange, travel and tour operator shops. Owned by Kunga Namdul, it is one of the few restaurants in Majnu Ka Tila that serves Tibetian, Nepali and Bhutanese thalis. Kunga’s parents had come to India during the mass exodus from Tibet after the escape of The Dalai Lama. They initially settled in Sikkim, and later shifted to Dharamsala, the capital of the Tibetian government in exile. Kunga’s family owns three restaurants, his eldest sister runs a vegetarian café in Dharamsala, and Kunga runs two restaurants in Majnu Ka Tila, the next one is close to The Big Apple and has a similar menu.

Like most Afghan restaurants in Lajpat Nagar, a few Tibetian restaurants in Majnu Ka Tila, too, now offer sit on ground and dine facility, the other Big Apple restaurant is one of them. Kunga is a hotel management graduate and strives for the authentic Tibetian taste. It’s nearly impossible to vouch what authentic Tibetain momos look and taste like, but I have a firm belief that The Big Apple’s momos must be very close to the authentic ones. The thing about Delhi food is that in many cases the authentic taste is highly compromised to make it suit Delhittes palate, but that’s not the case with The Big Apple. In Delhi, two variants of momos are available — Nepali and Tibetian. The Nepali momos are the ones that are widely available across all momo counters in Delhi, most selling Nutrela instead of chicken. The Tibetain momos are only available in Majnu Ka Tila and Buddh Vihar Market near ISBT. Tibetain momos are keema-based and juicy. Kunga explains the trick of making this momo. He says, “The dough has to be thick on the sides and soft in the middle, so that when they are closed, the seal is strong. But it has to be in the right proportion, a little thinner or thicker, can make it break or the sealing, too, hard.”

For me The Big Apple’s momos are a must have. Other must have of the restaurant are Ema Datshi, a Bhutanese dish made of yak cheese and chilli. I also give thumbs up to Big Apple’s good old Tibetian Shapta.

It stays open from 7.30 AM to 9.30 PM.

DELHI EXPLORE TRIVIA: In Majnu Ka Tila on Wednesdays every restaurant serves only vegetarian food, but that includes egg.