Buffalo meat a hot seller in Delhi

NEW DELHI: The city is typecast as a chicken guzzler but beef-the buffalo variety-is surprisingly popular, and the top-seller at many restaurants.
Mahabelly, a South Indian place in Saket, serves erachi curry and erachi fry-erachi being Malayalam for buffalo meat. "Those are the top-sellers from my menu," said Thomas Fenn, co-owner of the restaurant, adding that the Kerala House controversy has had no effect on their sales.Mahabelly doesn't use the word 'beef' in its menu, sticking to erachi instead. The staff explains the word to guests who don't know Malayalam.
In Hauz Khas Village, Fork You has fajitas (served with cottage cheese, chicken, tenderloin), Mexican Burger (chicken/beef) and The Great American BBQ Bacon (chicken/beef) on its menu but Vivek Tripathi, a spokesperson for the restaurant, said the 'beef' isn't cow meat.
"We all know that cow meat is not available in India. We have never had any problem serving buff. Even after the controversy, we don't think there's going to be any problem," Tripathi said. But the restaurant hasn't decided whether it should clarify that 'beef' in its dishes means buff. "It's understood, right?" Tripathi said.
Most Delhi restaurants get their buffalo meat from Nizamuddin and Jama Masjid areas, although some import it from Australia. Tenderloin, for instance, is imported.
Ramesh Pradhan, manager of Yeti, said their shapta (thin slices of buff) and momos with minced buff are popular round the year. "We aren't doing anything illegal." Another restaurateur in Hauz Khas Village said on the condition of anonymity that they might add a disclaimer about making beef dishes with buffalo meat if others do so.
At Majnu Ka Tila, which is famous for buffalo meat dishes, the restaurant owners refused to comment to avoid trouble. "If this controversy continues, we will put up a board to clarify that buffalo meat, not cow meat, is served here," said one. Another said the controversy might spur interest in buffalo meat.
A staffer at Imperfecto, Hauz Khas Village, said they dropped buffalo meat from their menu five months ago as there were few takers for it. "We would get two orders in a week. But in the last two days, the demand for it has increased. We will soon put it on our menu again," he said. Another restaurant, Hauz Khas Social, refused to comment.