Taking charity to a whole new level, The Northern Frontier, a restaurant specialising in Kashmiri cuisine, is playing host to a charity dinner for the Bhatkya Vimukta Jati Shikshan Sanstha (BVJSS), an orphanage based in Wagholi. To be organised on the first Monday of every month for the next six months, the first such dinner was held on February 2.

"It was on the initiative of my mother, who has been actively involved with the BVJSS in the past, that we decided to implement this idea. All proceeds of the dinner will be given directly to BVJSS. Today being the first day, we've received an encouraging response and hopefully, as news of the charity dinner spreads through word-of-mouth, we'll see more footfalls in the coming days," said Gaurav Sharma, co-owner of The Northern Frontier, located on Nagar Road, near Aga Khan Palace.

With an ambience which reflects strong influences of the northern and north-western parts of the country, the standalone joint is an ideal place to take along your close friends and family for a relaxed, laidback meal. An understated elegance and a mature touch to the décor catching your eye, the emphasis here is definitely on the food. Everything, from the starters (especially the melt-in-the-mouth Paneer Malai Tikka) to the main course (with the lip-smacking Tabak Maaz and the delicious Nader Monje, fried lotus stem snack, a traditional Kashmiri delicacy), was truly a feast for our taste buds. Among desserts, there was a choice of gajar ka halwa, phirni and malai kulfi and we decided to partake of the delectable gajar ka halwa, a real treat. And yes, also on offer was beer/wine of your choice to wash down the delicately-flavoured cuisine.

"This is a unique endeavour and one that we hope will prove to be of real help to children in our orphanage. In all, there are 280 children at BVJSS school and orphanage, out of which 55% are boys and 45% are girls," said Ratanlal Jadhav, superintendent, BVJSS. "Initially, the premises was located in Mundhwa; in 1992, we shifted to the present location at Wagholi. A designated collection van of the orphanage does rounds of the entire city daily, collecting clothes, foodgrains, stationery and such other items needed for the daily subsistence of the children," added Jadhav.