Delhi’s Broadway 2.0 – The return of an icon

Established in 1956, Hotel Broadway hosted diplomats, politicians, artists, and writers till it closed in 2020. It is now gearing up for another innings, starting with the reopening of Chor Bizarre featuring a longer menu, but the same music playlist

Updated - October 30, 2024 03:32 pm IST

Chor Bizarre at the Broadway Hotel

Chor Bizarre at the Broadway Hotel

Hotel Broadway stands where Delhi ends and Dilli begins — where chaos in rhythm gives way to rhythm in chaos. As the weather takes a turn here in the capital, it is also getting ready for a new life.

Its iconic restaurant Chor Bizarre, which made fans out of many leaders, diplomats, politicians, artists, writers, and Bollywood legends, started humming those notes of days gone by once again this week. Opened in 1990, it was single-handedly responsible for introducing many to Kashmiri wazwan, and reintroducing many more to that classic era of Hindi film music. It threw open the gates of nostalgia on October 16.

The playlist has remained unchanged.

An old map of Delhi in the restaurant

An old map of Delhi in the restaurant

Just like the most of the restaurant – the Tiffany lamps, the likes of Humphrey Bogart, Marilyn Monroe, and Steve McQueen looking at you from the corner, that staircase going nowhere, the vintage car turned into a chaat-mobile... Even the crack on the floor.

For, when it comes to this one, Rohit Khattar, founder-chairman of Old World Hospitality, credited for inventive Indian cuisine via Indian Accent, and contemporary brands like Comorin, Fireback, and Hosa, would rather continue to celebrate the past. “Chor Bizarre is an icon. It is from the ’90s. So, I’m not going to mess around with that. People love nostalgia,” says Khattar. Well, so does he.

The vintage car turned chaat-mobile

The vintage car turned chaat-mobile

He was 27 when he converted part of the Hotel Broadway’s guest lounge into the themed restaurant, and in an age-appropriate attempt at being “cool”, chose to pun it. Yet, his collection of seemingly mismatched art and knick-knacks somehow brought everything together. “Of all my brands, this one is closest to my heart. It was my first,” adds Khattar.

It was also where once he missed meeting the then Pakistan Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif. Having heard about the place’s Kashmiri Tarami, Sharif had decided to visit. It was late in the night and Khattar, after having been “disturbed for a lot of celebrity visits, had just asked the staff a few days back to treat all guests alike and not wake me up every time”. So, they did not!

He quickly took back his decision. For, who knows, despite howsoever embarrassing it might have been, he might have otherwise missed that meeting with Sharmila Tagore, too. “I used to sing her movie songs all the time, and Mere sapnon ke rani (from her 1969 hit with Rajesh Khanna - Aradhana) was my favourite. And, to my embarrassment, that was how someone introduced me to her,” he recalls.

Chor Bizarre has a bigger bar and a lengthier menu now. Yet, its Tarami (which is actually the beaten copper dish in which traditional wazwan is served), galouti kebabs, and palak-patta chaat, among many other items on the menu, still invoke the same feeling of warmth and unpretentiousness that has always defined Old Delhi.

The Kashmiri wazwan served in a tarami, a beaten copper dish

The Kashmiri wazwan served in a tarami, a beaten copper dish

Chef Srinivas A, whose association with Chor Bizarre goes back to 2008, could not be happier at the reunion and is visibly proud to “once again serve real India on a plate”. Hence, here, neither the music overpowers conversations nor it is the other way round. It is only when the food arrives at the table that the clinking of the cutlery drowns the crooning of Rafi, Kishore, Lata, or Asha. Only till the playlist throws up a curveball in an unfamiliar Shammi Kapoor song, and you quietly once again start revisiting your memories.

The hotel, meanwhile, having stood at the confluence of two Delhis on Asaf Ali Road, since 1956, is undergoing refurbishments and should be open for guests in a couple of months. On a road that has lost many of its landmarks to time, Delite Cinema among the few still breathing, Hotel Broadway might have a come a long way from the Rs. 15-a-room days, but Khattar promises its spirit remains the same.

Old brochures of the hotel

Old brochures of the hotel

For the uninitiated, it opened when a businessman from Kashmir – Tirath Ram Amla bought the building in an auction. The goal was to convert it into a summer home for the family. The fine print, that he missed, was a mandate to run it like a four-storeyed hotel. It was also perhaps the city’s very first high-rise hotel too. Khattar’s mother inherited it from her father and ran it till the family had to shut it down in 2020 due to COVID-19.

There were even rumours of the family parting with the property. “No. We were always very sentimental about it. My grandfather built it. My mother ran it during the 1970s, ‘80s, ‘90s. So, there was never an intention to sell it at all. Who knows! By the time I get older, perhaps my kids will take over. We’ll see,” Khattar says, while hinting that there might just be more Chor Bizarres in the near future. The hotel’s dingy bar, Thugs, that paid an ode to Hindi film villains, might make a comeback too.

After all, there are still basements full of myriad pieces collected from across the globe, many old Bollywood posters waiting to get framed, and perhaps many more mismatched chairs waiting their place around a table.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.

seductrice.net
universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
prowp.net
webmanicura.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
mfhoudan.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
kftz5k.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
casino-natali.com
iprofit-internet.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
healthandfitnesslives.com
androidnews-jp.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
britsmile.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
kakakpintar.com
jerusalemdispatch.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
rajasthancarservices.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
hemendekor.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
worldhealthstory.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
techguroh.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com