Jakoi, Assam Bhavan, New Delhi

[Rated: 3.5/5]

Having read some not-so-good reviews of Jakoi on internet, our foodie group was in two moods to visit the place. Luckily, Gautam and Sneha suggested that we should go and check why it has been rated so low, and hence we all set off to Jakoi on a cool Saturday afternoon, which is located in Assam Bhavan, and as the name suggested serves Assamese cuisine.

The interiors were done in authentic traditional setting and we seated comfortably on the sofas. To be honest, I did not expect such tastefully done interiors for a State house restaurant. With Assamese music in the background, and pictures of noted celebrities of the region, some of us foodies who hails from Assam instantly felt at home. So much so, that they started having their side discussions in Assamese which made some of us North-Indians uneasy. Gladly we came back to the common known languages amongst us – English and Hindi.

We found most of the food to be good of which we especially liked the Fish in Bamboo (Rs 270) and the daal that was served in Parampara Thaali (Rs 350). The thaali can be easily be shared among two people and consisted of banana wrapped Fish, lemon-chilli, Maasor Tenga, Duck Meat, Maati Daal, Khaar, Rice, and traditional sweet dish consisting of cream, Jaggery and puffed rice. Chicken Koloh (Kind of Handi Chicken) served with Pulao (Rs 400) was good, but you wouldn’t miss much by not ordering the same. Rohu fish fry (Rs 90) was crisp from outside and soft from inside; just the way it should be.

GooseBerry Soup

Koloh Chicken

Kids Thaali

Fish in Bamboo

Biryani

Fried Fish

Pigeon meat

Bel Sharbat

Traditional Dessert

Parampara Thaali

Khaar

Beautiful Haandis

Krishna, Sonny and Sneha kept explaining us how each dish was cooked which made the entire meal entertaining and a learning experience. Our friends from South – Prakash and Vishwa enjoyed both food and the company. 

Happy Faces

Jakoi (Fish Catcher)

 

Our only complaint was that the Pigeon Meat (Rs 200) was too bony and hardly had any meat on it. Sharmin, a food expert from Assam, who didn’t join us for the food walk, commented that pigeon has lot of meat in the middle and we were served an under-nourished one. Also, salt content in the Fish in Mustard (Rs 200) was high and when it came back from kitchen, became watery.

Service was nice without being obtrusive. We all appreciated the friendly gesture of serving a complimentary baby Thaali to the kid present in our group.

Overall we had a good outing with some nice food in clean and comfortable setting. As a group we would love to recollect at Jakoi.

Ratings out of 5

Food: 3.5, Ambiance: 4.0, Service: 3.0| Overall: 3.5

Meal for Two: Rs800 | Alcohol: No | Credit Card: Yes|
Address: Assam Bhavan, Sardar Patel Marg, Near Maurya Hotel, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi | Phone: 011-24108605

-          Pawan Soni