The Amritsar Dessert Dash

Culture is the colour that fills a land. And to soak in that colour is why people travel. At least, I do. Anyway, it is an accepted fact that the best way to experience a culture is through its food. Hence, it should come as no surprise that when I was in Amritsar last month, my belly forgot all its bounds. With only a couple of hours in my hands to savour a slice of Amritsar in that tightly packed itinerary squishing in all the must-sees within a day and a half, I was determined to make the most of it. Thankfully, the mission was accomplished, and with it, my love for Amritsar cemented.

The Golden Temple, Amritsar

Curious to retrace my steps for an unforgettable dessert crawl through the distinctly captivating bylanes of Amritsar? Read on...

1. Shri Krishna Misthan Bhandar

The phirni of dreams...

After a failed attempt at entering the Golden Temple on the first day of 2017, I spent a better part of the morning prancing around the Golden Temple complex. Though many stops punctuated my act, the tastiest one has to be this little shop tucked away in a corner near the Mata Shri Longa Wali Devi Ji Mandir. The aroma of freshly fried puris and masaledaar chole from this food joint wafted through the nippy air as I stood there cursing myself for forgetting my wallet in the hotel (brilliant, I know). So when I was back in the vicinity after a stop at the hotel a few hours later, I headed here right away. Sadly, the breakfast (read: puri-chole) hours were up and I had to force myself to pick something else. Now, this turned out to be a blessing in disguise as I ended up having the smoothest and lushest phirni ever! So good was this phirni that the friend accompanying me, who was cynical about it at first, gobbled up the entire content within seconds after the first bite!  

Price factor: Rs.15 per phirni.

2. Gurdasram Jalebiwala

Perfect jalebis ever. See, no dripping sugar syrup!

Having read all the Amritsar food recommendations on the internet, I was acquainted with this name but wasn't totally psyched about checking it out. Reason? I absolutely dislike jalebis. They are sickeningly sweet and super messy with all the sugar syrup dripping everywhere. But when I had only 15 minutes left before leaving for my bus to Chandigarh and Zomato showed this iconic establishment in the vicinity, I made up my mind to try it out. And it did not disappoint. Honestly, the jalebis at Gurdasram has changed my opinion of this sweetmeat forever. They were perfect in every sense- perfect level of sweetness, perfect texture...I can go on and on! If you are a jalebi-lover, you shouldn't miss this mecca. And if you are a jalebi-hater, you cannot miss this mecca.

Price factor: Rs. 20 per serving of jalebi.

3.  Raja Kulfi Wala

The deceivingly rich matka kulfi.

On the way to catch the Chandigarh-bound bus, I managed to squeeze in one last stop in my dessert run: Raja Kulfi Wala. The night before, on a random walk after the hotel-arranged dinner in the bid to find Ahuja Milk Bhandar, we made a pit stop at A-One Kulfi. The kulfi at A-One was all sorts of decadent and delectable. (They put an additional serving of malai over their kulfi, guys!) Hence, I did not expect much from Raja Kulfi Wala and ordered a matka kulfi for the sake of it. Although it was a tad bit sweeter than how I like my kulfis to be, it was super rich and creamy and a perfect end to my dessert adventure in the land of Amritsar. 

Price factor: Rs. 30 per matka kulfi.