Aflatoon ups the ante for North Indian fare in Delhi

By Payel Majumdar Upreti

When it comes to music in Delhi households post 9 pm, it is imperative that the latest Punjabi hits rule the roost. And when it comes to food, it is but natural that North Indian flavours are in high demand whenever people are letting loose. It is no surprise, then, that Impresario Entertainment and Hospitality Pvt. Ltd. saw an opportunity they went ahead and seized the day (or night), so to speak.

Even while the cloud kitchen segment is pretty crowded, especially when it comes to North Indian cuisine, there’s always a gap for a gourmet experience that your typical dhaba experiences may not provide.

The name was chosen to express the brand’s food profile – classic flavours with a twist. They don’t want sticklers to tradition, their customers are looking for a modern take on iconic dishes.

The premium experience is from the get-go, we mean the packaging. Packed in metal boxes that are copper in colour, with bright stickers that are in the same colour palate as most of its food, the packaging is very in sync with Aflatoon’s desi nature. We ordered the kale and palak patta chaat, Ras el Hanout Cobbler for starters. Palak Patta Chaat is not the best dish for delivery. However, kale is perhaps a better ingredient for palak patta chaat than palak, or spinach itself. It held its form through the chaat mixing and delivery process —  crispy kale is as yum as its un-fried version is an acquired taste.

The Ras Al Hanout Cobbler was reminiscent of the humble fish tikka, which had gone ahead and got a glamorous makeover! The African spice perked up our tastebuds and encouraged us, accompanied as it was with onion and mint chutney.

To follow through, we had Maa ki Dal Makhni, Bhoona Gosht Biryani, Paneer Makhanwala and Naan. Usually a 2am standard order, the Maa ki Dal could go up against heavyweights in the department in terms of creaminess and smoky flavour. The Bhoona Gosht Biryani was our standout dish, however, with a good meat-to-rice ratio, aromatic spices hitting the right spots, and spicy but not in a way that it numbed our taste buds.

There were many options from the menu that we would have liked to try out but deferred for next time, such as the Broccoli Malai Au Gratin, definitely a keto-friendly option, or the Umami Chicken malai Tikka, that had a hint of truffle oil. The pickled paneer tikka was marinated in achaar spices, and the pan rasmalai had us intrigued (though we went for the standard gulab jamun.)

Until the next nocturnal craving, Aflatoon!

Aflatoon is now available for home delivery exclusively through Zomato, from 11 AM to 11:30 PM, from Monday through Sunday. Currently, the brand is only serving in the regions of Delhi NCR and is gradually being rolled out to other regions across India.