What started on 14th March 2014 as a mere Electronic Food Cart, soon shaped into a flourishing and much adored, humble restaurant on 19th June 2016 and over time became the pride of Greenfields Colony, Faridabad.
The journey so far…A one of its kind, standard steel setup over an e-rickshaw, which turned out to be a show stopper since its very inception, bringing the new and unique concept of live kitchen on wheels (hence the name Food on Wheels), was started by young Chef Ayush Rastogi, (head chef and owner) an 18 year old, IIHM student (Rookie Chef Winner) out of his love and passion for food, with the help and support of his family, especially his mother Archana Rastogi, who plays a crucial role in the working and running of the outlet.Well starting a food joint is not an easy job, even if it’s a food kiosk, and though Chef Ayush and his family got a lot of love and support from their customers, they also had to deal with their share of problems. They started with a staff of mere four people, and due to this shortage and lack of experience in this field, they struggled for a while. But they turned their struggles into a blessing in disguise and treated them as basic training and learning experience. As it was a new joint and they had limited experience and income, and since it was a food cart located on the main road, there were hygiene issues, which though the owners gave great deal of attention but still not everything could be improvised and taken care of. They themselves sat outside without a shed over their head irrespective of the weather, the staff was short so Chef Ayush himself had to do tedious jobs like chopping onions, sometimes even cleaning tables, serving customers himself and whatnot. But not once did he take any job as small or below his calibre, because of his passion for cooking and the belief that no work is small, rather learning at the bottom lends to greater success in future. They also faced the problem of seating arrangement and there was none and the customers, though loved the food served, but could not enjoy the same with their families at the venue itself. During their initial tenure of 1.5 years their journey was no less than a roller coaster, but all they learnt from every problem and gained more experience, love and support over time.
Being an HM student, Ayush juggled between his college and restaurant, attending classes till evening and then working at the outlet till night. His friends and faculty have been really appreciative and supportive of his passion and dedication, which also showed in the fact that in his first year he represented his college in Bangkok and won the title of Rookie Chef and did everyone proud. He interned at Oberoi (one of the best brands in the World) for a span of 6 months and gained more experience and insight into the workings of hotel/restaurant. Ayush took the customers feedback seriously and implemented his knowledge and experience into working on it .
Though his food and tenacity for serving delicious food that would a smile on everyone’s face was raved and talked about immensely, there still persisted the problem of having no dining area, and so solely for the purpose of convenience for his loyal customers, finally on 19th June 2016, they expanded FOW food cart into FOW restaurant, a small and quaint restaurant with a total cover capacity of 30 expandable to 40, with dim lighting, copper and cream painted walls, food quotes hanging on the walls.
Since they opened a restaurant, they had more space to work with and keeping the need of the market they expanded their menu as well by introducing an under-counter serving basic but delicious and filling sandwiches, burgers, wraps, shawrma and basic beverages. They have expanded the staff as well, all of which is trained by Ayush himself, given his hotel management background. The restaurant was opened with the sole purpose that the customers could dine in with their families and enjoy piping hot food and so their décor is very minimalistic as the main focus is on serving finger licking good food.
Coming to the best part, the food….
So since their forte is Mughlai food, I focussed mainly on that, and boy was I pleased. Their food is a reflection of their own personalities, generous, humble, simple yet full of love and warmth.
Stuffed tangri- plum chicken legs, filled with chicken seekh keema, coriander, minced onion and marinated in white malai paste, tandoor to make it a succulent, fall apart delicacy one would thoroughly enjoy, its mildly spiced and creamy, loved it!!
Chicken burrah- a really spicy chicken preparation, rubbed with special burrah masala… delicious enough to keep wanting more.
Among their tandoori preparation, I also loved their mutton shammi, chicken kalmi and achari chicken.
Soya kaleji- a very different and wonderful soya preparation, boat shaped soya pieces marinated in chicken masala and tandoori masala, its spicy and oh so good!!
Aloo firdozi- again a new dish I tried and loved it. whole potatoes, with scooped centre, filled with peas, paneer mixture, coriander, chillies, coated with roasted sesame seeds, skewered and roasted in tandoor, a dish full of flavour and texture .
Amongst other preparations, I tried their dahi ke kebab( thankfully they were not typically sweet, made of paneer and hung curd, delicate and tasty), veg galouti kebab and soya malai tikka . 
Chicken Gurdaspuri- one of their best sellers, a delicious combination of butter chicken gravy with minced mutton seekh, a spoonful of mutton roganjosh gravy, with green chillies, mint leaves and succulent and juicy boneless chicken morsels, a very different dish I have tried in so long that certainly gave me the best of both worlds!!
Harimirch ka chicken- served on limited days, fully prepared in desi ghee, this is another of their highlights and I second that. Juicy, tender chicken pieces, cooked on bone and without water in desi ghee and green chillies to maximize the flavour and intensity of it, the dish doesn’t support any gravy as such but who needs it when it’s covered with desi ghee and such yumminess!!!
Tawa mutton seekh- a thick keema gravy with capsicum, onion and mutton seekh grilled to perfection, its spicy and just so full of flavour.
Amongst non-veg gravies their chicken rarha, butter chicken and mutton roganjosh are famous and delicious too.
Paneer Changezi- something different again and worth trying, it’s the veg version of chicken changezi, it’s a yogurt based gravy which is spiced up(hence lending the yellowish red color) and served with big yet soft chunks of cottage cheese.
Dal makhni- yes nothing out of the world about it, but that’s what made me go for another spoonful, it’s very homely and if you like smokey food just mention the same to Ayush and he would smoke it with charcoal giving it a completely different taste, that you can’t have enough of.
Tawa Chaap- thick gravy with capsicum, onion and soya pieces, medium spicy but packed with flavour.
Mixed biryani- now they don’t serve dum biryani, rather it’s an instant biryani prepared on spot, so if anyone is looking for the real deal, this is not the one, but this particular one is loaded with chicken seekh, mutton seekh, tandoori chicken and mutton morsels, topped with caramelised onion adding sweetness and crunch to the entire dish, packed full of flavors, it’s something I enjoyed!!
mAmongst breads, I tried their keema kulcha (naan filled with chicken/mutton keema and put in tandoor), lachha paratha, garlic naan (which was loaded with crispy garlic on top), mirchi paratha and their cheese and chilli naan (butter naan filled with shredded cheese and green chillies, something different).
Since they recently started their undercounter, I tried their sharma, Lebanese roll, mushroom do pyaza sandwich and peri peri paneer burger. The shawrma was loaded with finely diced chicken marinated and roasted for long in the shawrma machine, the Lebanese roll was a pita pocket loaded with chicken chunks, bell peppers, black olives and mayo and was filling and enjoyable. The burger, sandwiches and beverages are decent, nothing out of the world. Yes, they can improve on the same.
Apart from their dishes mentioned on the menu, Ayush loves experimenting and introducing new dishes as weekend specials, he aims to grow and learn more and eventually dish out regional dishes with his own twist on them, something certainly worth looking forward for.
Their food (dominantly Mughlai) speaks for itself and is well worth visit to the far away land of Faridabad!! The only reason I emphasised on their journey and Chef Ayush himself was because of the inspiring story and the passion underneath it all. At a very tender age of 18, when most of us don’t even know what to have for our next meal, this young entrepreneur is serving others, running a full-fledged restaurant and making sure everyone leave with a satisfied smile and overloaded bellies!!