Growing up as a non vegetarian in India can be a bit frustrating; from having to collectively indulge in your one vegetarian friend by ordering paneer at restaurants, to having your favourite foods banned overnight, and worst of all, having to put up with up people who proudly call themselves eggetarians. But there is one place that makes all these inherent disadvantages of a life of subtle persecution worth it, a small meat joint just off Hill Road, they call it Imbiss.
Looking at Imbiss from the outside you’d think it was someone’s garage with a hastily installed kitchen and some uncomfortable looking seats. And you’d be right, that’s exactly what it is. As far as places to chill go, Imbiss is terrible, it’s crammed, loud, smells like dead chicken, the water they serve is lukewarm, the staff aren’t the friendliest, and the seating is even less comfortable than it looks.
On paper that would make for a complete disaster of a restaurant, but somehow Imbiss managed to pull through and open up three branches, and the reason is simple; the food. At Imbiss, it’s all about the food. We’ve been regulars at Imbiss ever since the very beginning, and in all these years the two items we truly grew to love were the Meating Joint Burger and the Jaeger Schnitzel
Meating Joint Burger
Price: Rs.310
The Meating Joint Burger is Imbiss’s signature dish, and with good reason. It’s massive, and it’s amazing. Now all beef burgers are beautiful in their own special way, but the Meating Joint’s beauty is in its size, the thick rich beef patty and of course the crisp pieces of bacon that criss-cross that are beautifully layered between the lettuce and fried egg. As far as hamburgers go the Meating Joint is a bit spicy, so watch out for a stray chilli. When the contents of a hamburger are enough to put off at least five major religious groups, you know you’re onto something.
TBR Insight: You might want to wear a bib because it can get soggy as hell.
If a giant hamburger just isn’t for you, the Meating Joint does have a little brother that’s every bit as good.
Jaeger Schnitzel
Price: Rs.250
The schnitzel is a piece of meat that’s been beaten wafer thin, breaded and deep fried in batter to a level that would make Colonel Sanders blush. Schnitzel is generally beef, and while Imbiss does have some nice beef schnitzels, the Jaeger (which is our personal favourite) is pure unadulterated pork through and through. As far as taste goes it’s a bit bland, but you won’t even notice it when you wash it down with the delicious side of mushroom gravy.
