Bite-sized Delhi for families

Highlight include a swim in the vast outdoor pool, an oasis from the metropolis beyond its high walls. It has to be one of the few pools where eagles swoop down to the ornamental fountains to take a drink. Lying on the bold yellow and white fluffy towels on a lounger is the perfect place to recharge before venturing out.

However in the safe hands of Delhi Food Walks this is in fact one of the best ways not only to eat genuine local food without a hint of tummy ache, but to get under the skin of these streets bursting with colourful humanity.

Our enthusiastic young guide, Lokendra, met us with water bottles and wipes at the ready in the Chandani Chowk area of Old Delhi. First stop was the Sikh temple, Gurudwara Seeshganj Sahib, which provides food for those in need and in fact anyone who is hungry and serves cups of tea 24/7. There’s even a free shoe cleaning and repair station. We learnt that Sikhs treat all gods as one and Scarlett and Fin loved to hear that the holy book is treated like a living entity and put to bed at night. A tour through the kitchens showed us the scale of the operation here massive sacks of wheat flour and rice. All the food is donated and made by volunteers, as is the impressive washing up station!

Pushing on through old Delhi’s crazy streets where it’s not unusual to dodge a moped on the pavement or get caught up in a procession – tonight was Hunuman Yayanti, the birthday of the Hindu god Hanuman.

Our first food stop was Natraj Café on a street corner near the train station. Here we ate aloo tikki, tasty potato patties stuffed with lentils, served in little foil trays with tamarind and green chilli and coriander sauce. A thumbs up from the kids.

Next up was the Lane of Parantha, a dish so famous, the whole street is named after it. We sat down at a table between the locals dining on naan bread with a choice of 26 stuffings from green pea to cottage cheese.

With plenty more food stops to go, we realized we had to pace ourselves! Lokendra led us down Kinaari Bazaar, otherwise known as Wedding Lane, a crazy collection of small shops packed to the gills with gold and rainbow coloured sari cloth, fancy edging, jewellery and fake flowers. And off down Naughara Street, nine houses that date back to the 18^th century built by the Jain community when house facades were considered the face of the body, and the bigger the door the wealthier the family.

A quick richshaw ride took us to Jama Masjd, the largest mosque in India and the Muslim part of old Dehli.

Here we discovered the delightfully named, Gali Kebabiyan – Lane of Kebabs! And the illustrious Karim’s, renowned for its goat meat kebabs. Fin was impressed that here you could literally order an entire goat for 8800 rupees (£107) – No. 8 Tandoori Bakra on the menu! We opted for smaller, very tasty portions.

Lokendra pointed out a restaurant where you can buy meals for homeless people which seemed an appropriate enterprise in this city teeming with all life.

Next stop was Aslam Chicken, a tall narrow restaurant across four floors which serves the best butter chicken you’re every likely to taste, eaten with Roomali Roti, bread as thin as a handkerchief. This place gets so crowded the waiters lose track and people hold onto the back of chairs to reserve a seat! We wash ours down with a Thums Up – the local coca cola.

Although we’re almost bursting by now, there’s room for dessert. We stand in the street outside Cool Point, with mini terracotta pots full of kheer, mashed up creamy rice pudding with grated pistachio on top that we all love.

But our all time favourite stop is the last one. You would not look twice at this Kuremal, an open shop-front with just a concrete floor, plastic chairs, a huge freezer and a list of flavours on a board. This downbeat ice cream parlour proves the motto ‘never judge a book by its cover’, as out comes the most exquisite scoops in myriad colours.

We adore the kiwi and lychee sorbets and the coconut and mango ice creams. The rose petal flavoured ice cream is unbelievably delicate made with rose petals dried in the sun and marinaded in sugar syrup.

Lokendra laughs at us all as we manage to polish off an impressive amount of scoops after saying we were full. Best of all is Kulfi, reduced milk, sugar, pistachio, saffron and cardamom. A complex combo of flavours that literally tastes of India.

This food walk has been living proof that it’s well worth making the effort to go local in a place as culturally rich as Delhi. Children will challenge their taste buds and their minds too.