Delhi’s Machan: Where the taste of history lingers

It was on a hot summer afternoon in 1980 that 26-year-old Ajit Singh first met his future wife Ankita at the Taj Mahal hotel’s all-day dining restaurant, Machan. A few months later, in October of that year, they were married.

“Machan will always hold a very unique place in our hearts. Over the years we have visited the restaurant several times, especially for birthdays and anniversaries,” says Singh.

In October this year, the Singhs completed 40 years of being together. Machan—which had been closed for renovation since last July—reopened in October, in its smartest avatar yet. “It felt like it had reopened for us. Being senior citizens we haven’t stepped out of the house since mid-March. But we went to Machan to celebrate our 40th anniversary,” says Ankita, now a grandmother of two.

“For me Machan will always be special,” says Delhi-based graphic designer Samyukta Basu. She remembers spending hours at the restaurant with her boyfriend, dreaming and talking about their future together. It was on one of those dates, when over a plate of Bull’s Eye, Machan’s decadent dessert, that her boyfriend popped the question. They have now been married for 16 years. “The staff clapped for us. I could hear the pianist playing in the lobby, and the Bull’s Eye tasted even better than before,” she reminisces with a smile.

If you have lived in Delhi for some time, chances are that you will have a Machan story. In fact, very few five-star coffee shops can compete with the fan following of Machan—the city’s first 24-hour international eatery—which opened in 1978 at the Taj Mahal hotel at 1, Mansingh Road, New Delhi.

Over the past four decades it has hosted a plethora of politicians, celebrities, and global thinkers. Chef Tapash Bhattacharya, Machan’s chef-manager, who has been with the restaurant since 1982, remembers how senior politician L. K. Advani and his wife were regulars at Machan. While Mrs. Advani preferred to have only tomato soup, Mr. Advani enjoyed a potato sandwich which wasn’t on the menu. “I made it especially for him, as per his instructions. The potato was steamed with turmeric and cumin, cut into thin slices, and placed between two slices of bread,” says chef Bhattacharya. What made this rather simple sandwich special was that Mr. Advani liked to eat it with Bikaneri bhujia, which had to be bought from a small store outside the Taj Mansingh hotel.

Advani’s contemporary, former prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, also visited Machan on occasion. But his favourite was another iconic Taj restaurant—House of Ming—just across the lobby from Machan. His preferred dish was golden fried prawns.

Machan continues to be a favourite haunt of politicians even now, and one can very easily rub shoulders with the likes of Kapil Sibal and Salman Khurshid. It’s also a restaurant of choice for lawyers because of its close proximity to the Supreme Court and High Court.

Not only politicians and lawyers, the hallowed halls of the restaurant have also been witness to some of the towering minds of our generation. Amartya Sen and Stephen Hawking, for instance, have stayed at the Taj Mansingh (Taj Mahal hotel’s more popular name in Delhi). Legend has it that Hawking was a really small eater and often ordered only clear vegetable soup for lunch, while Dr. Sen gave standard instructions for his food to be non-spicy. “Dr Sen eats regularly at Machan, if he is staying at the hotel. He likes to have mutton cooked Indian style but not spicy. If not mutton, then we would serve him fish. Though he is a Bengali, he doesn’t prefer to have fish curry, only pan-seared fish that he has with rice and yoghurt,” says chef Bhattacharya.

Moreover, in the days of yore, Machan was also very popular with the youngsters. In those days, the Taj took a deliberate decision to keep the pricing low, almost making Machan an advertisement for itself. There was a midnight buffet served between 12 and 3 am for a grand price of ₹21. Dishes such as the Hungarian paloc—a soup served along with a bread basket—could be had for the princely sum of ₹5, while a steak would cost ₹12. Even before the coffee culture picked up in the city, Machan served a big pot of coffee on the table for ₹5. Since it was prepared in one corner of the restaurant it came to be called Kona (corner) coffee.

Now, Machan has a new menu, which has been designed by executive chef Arun Sundararaj. The two favourites from the original ‘80s menu—Hungarian paloc and the Kona coffee—have all been retained, and that too at their special price of ₹5 in the night menu, provided the full bill is over ₹500 per person. The pricing of ₹5 is so unique that even the printer called back the Taj management to double-check thinking there was a mistake in the printing!

Machan also introduced menu concepts that were a big hit in the ‘80s. In 1985, it launched the seven-minute lunch menu which was designed keeping in mind business travellers on the go. The concept was to serve lunch within seven minutes of the order being put forth. Then there was the Bionic burger served only in the night menu. Delhiites were still getting used to the idea of a burger, and the Bionic burger was meant for a family of four, as it was divided into four equal shares. The club sandwich was also hugely popular. Chef Tapash remembers serving nearly 200 portions a day during the ‘80s.

One of Tapash’s favourite memories is when percussionist Sivamani came in for breakfast. While he was waiting to be served, he started playing drums on the table with cutlery. Tapash quickly placed an upturned handi (big steel bowl) and chopsticks in front of him. The entire restaurant was treated to an impromptu performance by the legendary artist.

Machan 3.0

Machan, in its earlier avatar, had a jungle-themed décor, which was reminiscent of the days when machans or temporary structures were built atop trees to spot game. Images of game hunting, and artwork depicting the Indian tiger, added to the theme of the restaurant.

At the turn of the century, Machan underwent a revamp. The airy cane furniture was replaced with upholstered seating, a tiger print carpet now covered the floor, and the walls were decked with artwork depicting Indian wildlife. A breakfast buffet was also introduced. The new look of the Machan, however, did not go down too well with old-timers who missed the charm of the original restaurant.

This was taken into account when the restaurant shut down in July last year for renovation. Machan 3.0 is closer in spirit to the original Machan, dictated as it is by an understated bamboo and cane décor. The big wildlife murals on the walls have been replaced by terracotta animal heads. And the new menu is reflective of the restaurant’s original philosophy—inspired by forests, both in India and across the globe.

The buffet has been done away with (even for breakfast), and instead, you have an international menu with poetic names such as The Ocean Turns Purple, which is a poached sea bass served alongside a mashed potato dish.

However, old favourites such as the Bull’s Eye are still a part of the menu, albeit in a new avatar. Incidentally, the Bull’s Eye, which has been a star dessert from the beginning of the restaurant, was created by accident in the early ‘80s. Having run out of regular chocolate cake and not wanting to disappoint the guest, the chef heated some leftover sponge chocolate cake in the microwave, made a hole in the centre and put a dollop of ice cream and chocolate sauce, and voila the Bull’s Eye was created.

Other favourites such as the kathi kebab, pao bhaji, and the Thai prawn curry also continue to be on the menu.

Machan never had a beverage menu before. You could order a beer or if you wanted a cocktail, the menu from the next-door Ricks was offered to you. Now it boasts of a full-fledged bar menu which draws inspiration from nostalgia and, of course, nature. There is, for instance, the Number One cocktail named after the restaurant’s address, as well as the popular discotheque of the ‘80s of the same name. It is a blend of gin, guava, apple, and elderflower.

Having reopened in the middle of a pandemic, the Taj group is obviously taking all precautions to ensure the safety of the guests. At Machan, a state-of-the-art purification system to control the spread of microbes and to maintain indoor air quality has been installed.

The staff all wear masks matching with their spiffy uniform and guests have the option of asking for a glass partition between tables.

In a way, one can say, Machan is ready to step into the new era, although, not without a slice of history to add to the taste buds.