Uttranchal Rasoi

INA is always a busy place to be, especially around Aurobindo Marg. Our little spot, Uttranchal Rasoi, sits right where the crowd from the metro and the market meets. It isn't a very big space, just a few tables and chairs that we try to keep straight, though the floor is a bit uneven. Every morning starts with the same routine of lighting the stoves and getting the pots ready. You can smell the spices from the doorway before we even open properly. We get a lot of people who are just passing through or heading to work. The walls are painted a simple color, and we have a few pictures hanging up that have been there for years. Sometimes the traffic outside gets so loud you can't hear the person sitting across from you, but that’s just how it is in this part of Delhi. We spend most of our time in the back, making sure there is enough food for the lunch rush. It gets very hot in the kitchen during the summer months, so we keep a small fan running near the counter. It’s a plain place, nothing too special to look at, but we stay busy enough. We know the neighbors around here well, like the guy who sells vegetables and the tea stall owner. We just keep doing what we do every day, cleaning up at night and coming back early the next morning to do it all over again.