Bright coloured walls, artistic graffiti, dim lights and the vintage look… it all takes you back in time as each corner is a reflection of the ‘He-Man of Bollywood’ at ‘Garam Dharam: Dhaaba te Theka’ where Dharmendra revealed that he prefers relishing food ‘dhaba-style’ instead of fine dining.

“Etiquettes make me uncomfortable. Some years ago, I was invited at a five-star restaurant but I didn’t enjoy savouring the dishes over there at all,” Dharmendra recalled.

“Unless hands are used while eating, I can’t enjoy food. Licking and slurping with fingers makes a meal complete,” the actor added proudly, saying that at ‘Garam Dharam’ you can do all that and more.

Sharing his favourite dishes, he said, “Although I avoid spicy dishes nowadays, but biryani, dal gosht, shalgam gosht are the dishes I enjoy eating.”

“It&’s unique that a dhaba and a theka will co-exist together in a place like central Delhi,” he delightfully added.

Musing over his cinema days, the actor, famous for his unforgettable ‘Ye Dosti’ song said, “‘Dilli’ and ‘dosti’ go hand-in-hand."

The place, bubbling with innovative ideas, also features the classic bike from the song which featured Dharmendra and Amitabh Bachchan as Jai-Veeru and a blazing red signature truck.

When asked who would be the special friends he’d like to invite to his restaurant, he was quick to retort.

"You all are my friends and it feels wonderful to see you all here,” Dharmendra said. “Friends need no invitation. They will all come on their own,” he told thestatesman.com.

Dharmendra was initially reluctant when the concept of the restaurant came to him, but bringing to light the feeling of friendship and warmth, the Bollywood heartthrob was ecstatic at the launch of the new restaurant.

“I was not ready to do it. I don’t know anything except acting. But these people approached me with so much love and support that I agreed to be part of it,” he said, narrating the tale of how he got on board.

“The one thing I told them was that the food should be delicious to make the place a hit,” the 79-year-old actor claimed.

“People fondly call me ‘Garam Dharam’ and it was a sudden idea to give that name to the restaurant,” said Dharmendra, at the launch. “I had never imagined that I will have a restaurant in Delhi’s Connaught Place area and it will be named ‘Garam Dharam’. Over the years I have got so many tags, from ‘Action Man’ to ‘He-Man’ and even ‘Garam Dharam’, for which I am thankful to everyone."

The actor also shared that whenever he comes to Delhi, the first thing he looks for is pure milk from villages. “Without that milk, even tea does not hold its taste.”

Reminiscing his childhood, he added, “Till tenth standard, I couldn’t be put to sleep without drinking milk.”

“Well, after that, liquor took its place,” he lightheartedly added for a laugh.

The restaurant, co-owned by Umang Tiwari and Mickey Mehta, is a tribute to the legend – the place flaunts Dharmendra&’s movie posters, framed pictures, filmy dialogues, movie-inspired items on the menu.

Desi-themed mocktails, cool refreshing drinks and scrumptious snacks make ‘Garam Dharam’ located in Connaught Place in New Delhi a great place for food lovers.

Know more about the restaurant:

Food, fun and films at ‘Garam Dharam’