Tag: Punjabi

  • Punjabi By Nature

    We’re not, but since food transcends all cultural and geographical barriers, we decided to drop in at the restaurant by that name, on Hosur Road. (ok Marigowda Road then) When coming from Koramangala, this is just after Manchester United.  (map) Parking is taken care of. In any case, it’s just a short walk from Forum. Builds appetite.

    We reserved in advance, since the web seemed to suggest that. But the process turned out to be quite funny. When you call the number, and tell them you want to reserve a table, they take your number and inform you that they’ll call back. They did, after 5 minutes, and I wondered if they should have some missed call service instead.

    The thing that struck us as soon as we entered was that they had somehow used up the space to transport people far away from the busy road right outside. Superb ambiance, complete with greenery, mood lighting, comfortable seating, soft music, a view of the microbrewery….. and giant TVs. They also seem to have outdoor seating. In all, a very relaxing atmosphere.

    From the liquor menu, we decided to check out the Gol gappa shots – puris (2) filled with Indian spices, and you can add the vodka shot yourself. From the four flavours available, we asked for pepper. Since the hours were happy, we got another couple of shots. It comes with a glass of beer., and we asked for one wheat and one dark lager. The Gol gappas were pretty awesome, and the wheat beer is perfect for less-than-occasional drinkers like us. The dark lager is more standard. The shots were at Rs.395, but considering that a glass of beer costs Rs.150 standalone, it was a reasonable deal. In addition their regular menu, they also had a  few tawa delicacies.

    We asked for the Tawa Magaz Masala and though we were told initially that it wasn’t available and that we could have the regular version (Amritsari Magaz Masala) instead, it miraculously did appear on our table in the end. The Kandhari Murg was our next choice, and the person who took our order very helpfully suggested that we could manage with a half plate. Ditto with the Chicken Keema Naan, when we asked for two and he said one would be enough. Turned out he was right, the damn naan was more like a medium pizza in terms of size. The brain was quite good and spicy. The Kandhari Murg was a yellow gravy dish (not boneless) with the creamy texture of regular white gravies and quite rich. Both worked really well with the keema naan, a bit spicy and quite filling.

    We were too stuffed to check out the desserts. That was a miss, especially those flambe Gulab Jamuns I had read about somewhere. The service is, as mentioned, very helpful. All of the above cost us just less than Rs.1700, including taxes and a 10% service charge. It’s definitely quite costly, but if you do decide to splurge, you wouldn’t be disappointed with the food and ambiance that Punjabi By Nature provides.

    Punjabi By Nature, No:6, Krishna Nagar Industrial Area, Behind Forum Mall, Hosur Road Ph: 49138800

  • O! Ustaad

    This review was first published in Bangalore Mirror. This is a much modified account.

    Thanks to the Gateway Hotel, you could end your gastronomic journey on Residency Road with ‘Arre huzoor, wah Taj boliye’. But in case you were wondering how to begin, you now have hope, in the form of O! Ustaad, at the other end. This is right after the St.Marks Road/Residency Road junction and placed under a certain Purple Haze, literally. Here’s a map. (the arrow mark is the right location) Parking should not be too difficult, since you have Hayes Road/ Convent Road also nearby.

    O! Ustaad claims to be an ‘asli Indian restaurant’, serving you the best fare from Lucknow to Mumbai and Delhi to Konkan with nazakat and nafasat, but we journeyed from the delight of Wah! Ustaad to the despair of Waah! Ustaad.

    This is one of the places where you shouldn’t go by outside appearances, because though the frontage might seem a tad dingy, the interior is bright and peppy. O! Ustaad definitely serves up an attitude and has a penchant for wordplay, judging from ‘Facebhook’ and ‘LaLoo’. The photographs of street food, and an eclectic mix of music from Junoon to classic rock, all add up to a unique character. So much for the mahaaul, now for the real haul.

    The menu may not be spread over a lot of pages, but it covers much ground in terms of geography. Kebabs from Lucknow, fish dishes from Goa and Bengal, vegetarian fare from Himachal and Punjab, and Old Delhi specialities, together ensure that both vegetarians and meat eaters are kept happy. Add to this the uniqueness of many of the items and the day’s special dishes and you’ll find that there’s no dearth of choice. Take a look. (click for larger image)

    From the 3 starters we tried, the Mutton Kulfi (one of the Day’s specials) was easily the best. The combination of melt-in-the-mouth mutton and a green chilly laden coating made it a unanimous favourite. The two starters we ordered from the regular menu were disappointing. The Pondicherry Bullet Paneer had no proof about the bullet or Pondicherry, and one of my friends had to be pacified as she felt she’d been conned into buying a Paneer Pakoda! The accompanying honey-lime dip didn’t make a good combination either. The ‘famous’ Chicken Salli Kebab was more potato than chicken.

    Himachali Dhingri Dhulma Lucknowi Gosht Korma Prawn Malai curry Bengali style Anda Paratha

    In the main course, the ones that impressed were the Murgh Khatte Pyaaz, with its unique gravy of vinegar soaked onions, pepper and yogurt, and the Himachali Dhingri Dhulma, with mushroom, capsicum and paneer in a slightly spicy gravy. The Lucknowi Gosht Korma, though decent, was lost in the bargain. The Anda Paratha is definitely worth a try too, and though the Gobi Paratha had an extra helping of chillies, it was still reasonably good, as was the Aloo Paratha. The Prawn Malai curry Bengali style had an excellent creamy gravy which was ruined by the overcooked, rubbery prawns. The Chicken Nasi biriyani, which was another Day’s special, was, as one of my friends put it, Tomato rice with chicken. Somewhere in the kitchen, a cooking oil well has been discovered, judging by the liberal usage. Though the menu lists 4 desserts, which we were eager to try, we were told that they weren’t available. The apple and chocolate pies we were offered instead were both quite avoidable.

    The service was quite prompt, and Jitesh, who looks after the Bangalore outlet, did a good job of helping us choose the dishes, especially since the day’s specials didn’t have explanations. O!Ustaad is worth a visit when you’re in that part of town.  A meal for two would cost about Rs.800. Though some of the dishes fell short of expectations, the uniqueness of the menu and a cheerful ambiance should make up for the shortfall. They also have lunch buffets which seemed reasonably priced.

    O! Ustaad, Below Purple Haze, 17/1, Residency Road, Bangalore – 560025 Ph: 080 41518147

  • Sultans of Spice

    Somewhere out there is a hotelier influenced into Dire Straits. 🙂 SoS (no, don’t go by that acronym, I’m just using it because its easier 🙂 ) is a restaurant in Koramangala, part of the BluPetal business hotel. The hotel also has Zheng (Chinese) and Latte-Tude (Euro Indian cafe). Its located on the Jyoti Nivas College Road, here’s the map. SoS is on the fourth floor.

    The restaurant has a mix of 3 cuisines – Dilli, Punjabi and Afghani. The ambiance is very pleasant, the lighting accentuates the paintings and the flagons, the seating is comfortable, and Jagjit Singh in the background adds to a relaxed feel.

    On to the menu. Each section has a selection from each of the 3 cuisines. Karthik had recommended that I skip Punjabi and concentrate on the other two. After a look at the menu, i’d agree, only a couple of items are tempting enough to hold their own against the Afghan/Dilli onslaught. The menu starts with the Thandai, and you can choose from ‘Annanas ka panna’, ‘Pudina Shikanji’, ‘Boondi Jaljeera’, ‘Dilliwali Masala Chaas’, ‘Kale Gajar ki Kanji’, and so on (Rs.60-80). We chose a safe Amritsari malai lassi, only because I’d already troubled my stomach quite a bit in the afternoon with all sorts of stuff i hadn’t had in a while – liver, brain kind. (Chandu’s Military Hotel with a couple of tweeps, but that’s another story. 🙂 ) The lassi was described as ‘A thick sweet yoghurt drink, with a flavor of rose water, generously dunked with fresh cream and dry fruits’. It proved to be quite good, and they were generous with the cream, but you could try out some of the other stuff, mostly because you don’t come across them regularly.

    You could also choose from the Shorba-e-Bahaar (soups) – Tamatar Dhaniya, Khumb Malai, Kalimirch Paya, Gosht Nehari, lasooni Murgh and so on.  The starters section also allows you to choose from the three different cuisines. For vegetarians – Bulani Kuchaloo, Tikka Rasmonak etc from Kabul, Keshav Bharwan Aloo..from Punjab, Dwarka Nath Papdi Chaat, Alu Mukki etc from Dilli. There are about 10 options in the Rs.110-180 range. My kind get to choose from Kebab-e-Mauhi, Jheenga Pashtooni etc from Kabul, Tandoori Kukkad, Boti Shoti, Kaleji Keema Lasooni, Rum waali Masaledar Chaampen (Old Monk flavored :D)  from Punjab, and Sultani Seekh Kabab, Dil Dilli Machli Tikka, Tunde ke Galawat (a hat tip right there, nice), Matiya Road Bharwan Tange etc from Dilli. In all, over 20 options ranging from Rs.240-450.

    For the main course, vegetarian – Guncho Keema, Dal Sultani etc from Kabul, the Sarson da Saag gang from Punjab, or the Paneer Gulle ka Qorma etc from Dilli, about 15 options in the Rs.180-225 range. The non vegetarians will be quite overwhelmed by the choices.. and their descriptions. Afghani Gosht ka Stew, Burrah Kaliyan etc from Kabul, Butter Chicken Makhan Singh da, Palak naal Macchi curry etc from Punjab, Karim’s Keema Matar fry  (another hat tip), Macchli Musallam etc from Dilli. Just over a dozen choices in the Rs.280-450 range. To go along with that, you could either choose from about 4 rice items (including a Karim’s Zaffrani Mutton Biriyani, a couple of veg options too) or the regular rotis (the Kabuli Naan is a relative exception perhaps) at Rs.160-230 and Rs.45-80 respectively.

    So, from all of that, we chose a Murgh Taftaan to start with. Its described as ‘the best seller in all of Damiyan market, boneless chunks of spring chicken in a green chilli, lemon and corriander masala’. It was quite the ‘melting in the mouth’ kind, though the lemon and corriander masala were subdued. The chutney provided could’ve been better too. For the main course, we had a Murgh Qorma Kabuli, “whole chicken cooked in tandoor simmered with a robust brown onion and curd qorma”, and to go along with it, a couple of kulchas. The chicken dish I’d recommend highly, thick gravy and well cooked chicken (not boneless, by the way), goes well with the kulchas. For dessert, you could choose from a few unusual options – Sitaphal ki Kulfi, Sultanat e Jamun, Amritsari Chikoo Phirni, Khar Yeku etc. (Rs.110)

    The meal cost us just below Rs.800, including a 5% service charge. The service is prompt and helpful, and they have a good feedback form that gets into specifics. I’d recommend you drop in at least once – for a range of items you don’t usually get to see on a menu, good service and a pleasant ambiance that really helps you relax. I’d also recommend that you go in a herd – that will help you take full advantage of the options available.

    Sultans of Spice, #60, Jyoti Nivas College Road, 5th Block Koramangala. Ph: 43431800/18

    Menu and Photos at Zomato

  • Chalo Punjab

    ..for dinner, that’s what we thought, after D had spotted it on her way back from work last week. No, she doesn’t work in Punjab, this is version 2.0 of what used to be called ‘Dal Roti’ in Koramangala, located just before the Sony World junction, on the left, when coming from the National Games Village direction, opposite the IBP petrol pump.

    Dal Roti used to be the value-for-money North Indian joint we used to frequent in our first round of stay in Koramangala. Coincidentally, I remember mentioning the last time we had been there, that it was time for a renovation, and that seems to be exactly what happened. So Dal Roti is now ‘Chalo Punjab’ with a ‘fine dining’ tag to boot. We reached there just after 8, and easily got a table. I think that can be attributed to this being the first weekend (I think) after the re-launch.

    Though the seating arrangements remains roughly the same, the ambience is must better, with more Punjabi flavor thrown in, in terms of props. I still wouldn’t classify it as fine dining, though its definitely a couple of steps above the initial version.

    The menu is more elaborate though, and if anything, we were spoilt for choice. You could start with sherbets/shikhanjvi/thandai/khatte aam ka panna or chaas/lassi or even an ice cream doodh sheikh (they’ve had  quite some fun with the spellings and the names), about a dozen options priced between Rs.40-80. If you’re the shorba kind, you could try ‘loveleen de tandrust shorbe’ – 3 veg and 2 non veg options, priced at Rs.70/80.

    There are more than a dozen veg starters including the Rawalpindi Railway Gobi and Peeo de Cheesy Palak rolls, at Rs.130/140. The non veg options would be about double of that, most of it in chicken (Rs.160/170) and about 4-5 options each in mutton (Rs.210) and fish (Rs.220) and a couple of prawn options too (Rs.250). For the main course, the grass eaters get to choose from about half a dozen dishes each of dal and paneer (including Major Patrick da paneer tiranga!!), in addition to over 15 other dishes, like ‘Simple di subz keema’, ‘marie memsaab di ishtew’, and ‘garima di gajjar methi malai’, priced between Rs.120-160!! There are about 8-10 options each in chicken and mutton (Rs.230-270) and 3-4 options in fish, prawn (Rs.230-270) and eggs (Rs.130-160).

    To go with that, you could have paratha/roti/kulcha/naan, priced between Rs.35-65, or biriyani/pulao/rice (like the Punjabi Times Chicken Fry rice!!) They also have thali options on weekdays – Rs.140/180 for veg/non veg. Now, you get what I mean by elaborate menu. Phew!!

    We skipped the shorba and started with a Chandigarh Chicken Cake (C3) 😀 That’s “generously spiced minced chicken cupcakes shallow fried served with a dash of coriander and chat patta masalas”. Its a perfect starter, complemented  well by the mint chutney, though 6 pieces in one portion meant that the stomach was filled a little more than we’d liked, especially when a glass of lassi was also used to wash it down. For the main course, we ordered a Kartarpuri Kajuwala Kukkad Kadi, “chunks of tender chicken simmered in a rich cashew gravy mildly spiced”, a Mardaan di Meat di Feast (!!), “a delicious recipe of tender juicy cuts of mutton slow cooked in a rich onion yoghurt & tomato, enriched with steamed spicy mutton koftas swimming in mouthwatering minced mutton gravy”, and to go along with it, a wheat naan and a cheese chilly naan. The chicken dish was more brown than white, but simply awesome, and I’d recommend it very highly. Thick and mildly spicy, it was done extremely well, so much that the elaborate mutton dish was reduced to second place, though those koftas were quite good.

    I’d have liked to try some dessert too, but was completely stuffed. I think just reading that menu fills half your stomach!! There are about a dozen dessert options (Rs.50-120) – the regular North Indian stuff – phirni (though this is Pammi ji’s!!), kheer, kulfi, rabdi, gaajar halwa, gulab jamun, and even a Mango Dolly ice cream!! Mind it!!

    All of the above cost us just over Rs.800. The service was excellent, and except for a tiny delay in bringing back my credit card (hmm), it was extremely prompt. The price may perhaps not be justified by the ambience, but its more than compensated by the tasty food, great service, and the phenomenal amount of choice.

    Chalo Punjab, 906/1, GNR Plaza, 80 ft Road, 6th Block, Koramangala. Ph:41105666/777

    Menu at Zomato

  • Oye! Amritsar – Koramangala

    Since we’ve frequented both Oye Amritsar and Oye Shaava on Church Street, and enjoyed the experience, we were eagerly looking forward to the opening of Oye Amritsar in our own neighbourhood. The Koramangala version is in the building just before China Pearl, the same road as Vicky’s and The Esplanade too – the one-way connecting Inner Ring Road with the road from Forum to National Games Village. (refer either of the first two links for a detailed route). Parking is not too difficult, in any case there are many sidelanes on that road.

    Since we planned to be there early, we didn’t reserve, but if you’re planning to be there after 8pm, reservations would help. The restaurant is on the first floor, and just like the Church Street version, watch out for the awesome posters on the stairway and actually all over the place. This seems to be a bigger place with indoor-outdoor seating options. The terrace faces the road, so its a good place to watch the world go by, if weather permits. It did, and there we sat. The only snag with the tables on the terrace is the lack of sufficient light – its difficult to read the menu, but you could ask for candles.

    The dhaba theme and the ambience is the same as Church Street, but looks like the menu has been changed a bit. It’s been quite a while since i visited, so there might have been updates I’m not aware of. They serve alcohol too, here, and the bar seems to be decently well stocked.

    The menu begins with veg starters, quite a few, and in addition to that, there are also tawa fried options. About a dozen options combined, priced, on an average, at Rs.90/165 for a half /full plate. This half plate option is something  i remember liking at Oye Shaava, so it’s good to see it in action here. There are also many options in non veg starters – chicken, mutton, prawns, and fish, priced at Rs.115-145/225. And if you’re the shorba kind, there are a total of 3 options – one each in veg, chicken and mutton, priced at Rs.60-80. The veggies really have no reason to complain, since I saw over 20 options for the main course. (Rs.145-165). In fact, I’d say there are fewer options in non-veg, but there are enough to choose from there too (Rs.180-345), including bheja and gurda, for those who love ‘spare parts’. To go with that, there are rotis/naans/kulchas (Rs.30-45) and rice options (Rs.110-165).

    So we decided to skip the shorba, and since the half plate option was available, we ordered two starters . Two half starters equal to one starter and all that logic.  The Dhuanwali Lahori Seekh (“Lahore, Paris of the East, home to the most creative chefs of the land of five rivers, crafted this seekh kebab of lamb mince smoked with coal embers and butter, skewered and tandoored”) and the Pahalwani Dhabe ka Maahi Tikka (“the famous rawas fish specially flown down from Amritsar and cooked to recipe by our friend Pahalwan Makhan Singh at his famous Maqbool Road eatery”). The Lahori seekh kebab completely disappointed, it was quite rubbery, and honestly, i have tasted better. I actually gave half a kebab (a non veg kabab) to D, so you can imagine. But thankfully, the Maahi tikka made up for it. We had to remind the guys for the pudina sauce though.

    For the main course, we ordered a Murgh Lahori (“whole chicken cooked with all the glory of Punjab Sindh flavor) and a Bheja Fry (“lamb brains cooked in a spicy masala on the tawa”), and to go with that a Makki di Roti, and a Masalawala Kulcha. We also added an Amritsari Kulcha later. Both the dishes were extremely good, though the chicken dish wasn’t boneless. Excellent thick gravy, though. The brain fry is not recommended.. to those who cannot handle spice 😀 This one could actually compete for the best brain fry I’ve had, not including D’s of course.

    The dessert section has the usual suspects – gulab jamun, phirni, jalebi, kulfi with rabri etc. (Rs.90-100) I haven’t seen a Gajrela and a Rasbhari before though. I would’ve tried at least one of them, but was too stuffed. There’s also a paan guy downstairs, in case you’re in the mood for the betels. 🙂

    All of the above cost us Rs.900, that includes a service charge of 7.5%. Slightly inflated because they billed us for a full plate Bheja Fry even though we had ordered only a half plate. (that would’ve been sufficient) For those who haven’t been to Oye Amritsar on Church Street, you should definitely try this out. For those who have, you know why you need to drop in. 🙂

    Oye! Amritsar, 54, Canara Bank Road, 6th Block Koramangala, Ph: 080 40994451

    Menu and photos at Zomato