PACKING FOR A TRAIN JOURNEY

A discarded Indian Railways coach converted into a deluxe rail-themed restaurant serves dishes inspired by trains of North India... Indian musafirs, you just can't miss this!

- PRIYAMVADA RANA

IN Delhi, Chanakyapuri is a high-profile area that is replete with foreign embassies, plush five-star hotels and broad avenues. While the diplomatic heart of India primarily invites dignitaries, now it could be a stopover for the Indian musafir too who can satiate their taste buds dining on a train without boarding it! A new rail-themed restaurant, Kapasaa, has opened, converting an actual 3,000 kg rail coach into a 55-seater restaurant, offering dishes that are not just named after trains in India but also bring flavours of the places they travel to. TMS visited the restaurant on the tranquil Abai Marg. It chronicled stories of the waste-to-wonder initiative of the Indian Railways through delectable food on the wheels.

Best out of waste

The restaurant nestled along a serene boulevard, offers a refreshing escape from the city's pollution and bustle. Behind it, the greenery of the Chanakyapuri Railway station add to the themed ambience, lending it an into-the-woods charm. The restaurant features a refurbished coach on an artificial track to resemble a stationary train while its facade resembles a platform. Guests can either choose to sit in alfresco dining overlooking the green space or be seated in the coach. Our curiosity took us inside where the interiors were adorned with framed glass hangings chronicling the history of railways with episodic turns; how the Indian Rail network became one of the largest in the world, the monumental launch of the first passenger train in the country that ran from Mumbai to Thane in 1853 to anecdotes related to 'The Father Of Railways', George Stephenson, who built several locomotives that could pull both passengers and freight.