Box 8

Chicken Bhuna Wrap

Long working hours and nuclear families coupled with a general aversion to mind-numbing traffic and perpetually crowded restaurants has meant that home delivery of food is bigger than ever before and it's safe to assume the uptrend will continue in years to come. It comes as no surprise then that even rockstar chefs like David Chang are bullish on delivery kitchens. Chang's Ando dishes out some truly sexy South East Asian nosh and comforting American classics to dwellers of New York's Midtown and Downtown Manhattan. Back home, delivery kitchens are getting bolder with cuisines such as Tibetian, Japanese, Korean and gourmet burgers, all just a few taps away on your smartphone. Box 8 sticks to desi fare - with a few exceptions - but the presentation, pricing and portions are on point, and the grub ain't too shabby either. 

Roast Chicken and Curry

Obviously, for a seamless home delivery experience, the actual delivery is as critical as the food. My parcel arrived way before time than I'd requested despite my preference being mentioned on the bill. Frankly, i'm not too sure if it was their over enthusiasm or intention to finish off with my order asap, but i wasn't too thrilled about that. What if no one were at home to receive the food or if I was having guests over a little late? Anyway, the food arrived still warm and neatly packaged, without the curries spilling in to each other and creating an unpalatable slurry. So very well done on that front.

Chhole Tikki Meal

Chicken Overload Meal

The first dish we tried, the Chicken Bhuna Wrap, was also the most disappointing of the lot. Nice portion size and generous filling apart, the roll was slathered with a rather astringent masala which overwhelmed everything else in it. Avoidable. The Grilled Chicken Sandwich, on the other hand, was quite nice and so were the Chicken Tikka Biryani {served with raita} and Roast Chicken and Curry {fusion box} which had morsels of chicken ensconced in a spinach curry and served on rice. Both the rice dishes come with a lot of masala / curry and meat to the extent that if you have some white rice at home, a single person can probably make two meals out of it. 

The meal options come with your choice of curry, paratha and / or rice, a choice of 3 lentil based dishes - chhole, dal makhani, rajma -, kachumbar, green chutney and a dessert. I chose the Chhole Tikki Meal {with rajma and chocolate brownie} and Chicken Overload Meal {with dal makhani and gulab jamun}. All the 3 lentils were pretty nice, the dal makhani especially, and the butter chicken was very serviceable too. I ended up getting gulab jamun in both my meals but they were good so nothing much to whine about. The decadent Moong Dal Halwa provided a satisfactory finish to the meal.

Don't expect any fireworks from Box 8 but if you're after a reasonably satisfying and convenient meal that won't pinch the pocket, this is a very decent option.

{The meal was hosted by Box 8.}