If you’re here for the wooden bridge located in Srinagar that crosses the Jhelum river, sorry! Perhaps my search optimisation is finally working. This is about the Kashmiri restaurant in Whitefield, Bangalore. Though it has been around for at least a year, we chanced upon it only very recently, thanks to a conversation with neighbours. We reflected that our gluttonous days, when we used to actively seek out nearby, and even far-off restaurants, are probably over. But that’s a different subject.
Habba Kadal is probably the most spacious restaurant I have visited in Bangalore, outside of those hipster microbreweries. From what I saw and read, it’s a heritage hub, and in addition to the restaurant, also hosts crafts, fine arts and theatre.
Make sure you walk around a bit before choosing a table. Or better still, order, and then walk around, because it does take a while for the food to make it to the table. It is cozy, as promised, and there are enough options for small and large groups.
The order was taken reasonably promptly, and I think it went downhill from there, mostly thanks to the service, or rather, the lack of it. Given the specialty cuisine, I think the experience can make or break it. The food, as I mentioned, takes time, but there was pretty much zero expectation setting. It took an hour, and it’s a struggle to get the staff’s attention.
We got ourselves a non-veg thali and a Wazwan Trami. To note, the menu at the location is different from the one online (including their website). The non-veg thali had Mutton Rogan Josh, Matsch(Keema Balls), Mutton Yakni, and rice with chutney, and Haak. The flavours were good if not extraordinary, but for the Rs.1325, a bit more meat and a little less bone would have been nice. The Wazwan version switched the Mutton Rogan Josh for Chicken, and the Yakni for Mutton Rista. On a relative note, this was better. Given the nature of the cuisine and that it would be new to people, a good idea would have been to point out the different dishes. We figured it wasn’t happening, and finally asked when the staff reappeared, which was a while after the food was served. In between, we were asked if we wanted kehwa, to which we said yes, and it never appeared.
We struggled for this one. Mostly because the menu came to us a long while after we asked for it. Shufta is apparently a classic Kashmiri dessert made with caramelised cottage cheese. The menu said it ‘pares well with vanilla ice cream’. I probably should have taken it literally instead of assuming it’s a spelling error. I think it pared off the dessert’s own flavours to a large extent.
The meal came to a little over Rs.3000, and I think I’ve had my fill. But there seems to be something going for it, judging from the almost-full scenario, and rave reviews online.
Habba Kadal, 326, Inner Circle, Whitefield Ph: 076187 85900