I have a massive sweet tooth and Indian desserts are known to be extremely sweet and from them the sweetest is quite possibly the jalebi. Jalebi is basically deep fried flour batter that is soaked in sugar syrup. Dangerously dangerously sweet. It is definitely one of those sweets / desserts that will only be enjoyed who like it sweet. Now, England has been blessed with great authentic Indian food due to the influx of Indian, Pakistani and Bengali people in the country. So, there is no shortage. And as a result one of favourite jalebis is from the Bengali sweet shop, Banoful. They have a few branches around the country. It is on the thicker end and it is more caramely than the usual bright orange version. But that has been taken over and now Delhi in Manchester takes the number one spot for the best jalebi in England. For me anyway.
Delhi Manchester
Delhi is a sweet shop right in the middle of Curry Mile, Wilmslow Road in Manchester. Every time we’ve been there’s always people in there. Very busy and popular. They do the usual Indian sweets, which you’ll see beautifully displayed at the front. But what we’re interested in is at the back of the shop. At the back you’ll find the jalebi man. He sits there all day (usually with one frown on his face) making jalebi. You go up to him and just inform of him of how much in kgs you want. And then you watch him make it in front of you. I love this part. It adds theatre and drama to the whole occasion. We like ours extra thick, so if you do too, make sure you tell the man that.
What’s different about their jalebi?
The colour is not bright orange like the usual jalebi, it is more on the translucent side. But the real difference is in the taste. There is something in the syrup that really makes it distinctive and super addictive. And funnily enough, it isn’t sickly sweet like the usual jalebi. It’s difficult to describe, so it is definitely something you have to try to truly experience and appreciate.
Anecdote
Banoful was my go to for jalebi as mentioned above, but Delhi is now the one. I wish there was a Delhi branch down south. My wife was the one who put me on to this in the first place, so kudos to her. But here’s a funny coincidental story. On the day of our wedding, I happened to go to Wilmslow road to pick up some sweets to gift to her and her family. And totally randomly we decided to choose Delhi and also completely randomly we decided to get some jalebi too. I remember this because I kept telling her that I got jalebi all the way from Delhi for you (dad joke I know). This is all before I knew how much she liked it and before I even knew of its existence.
Getting there
Google maps location link: click here
