The Punjabi Tadka!
To anyone living outside India, Indian food is almost always exotic. With us, true blue desis, the Punjabi cuisine is a favourite. No matter who you are, I'm sure you can't resist the thought of Dal Makhani and Butter Naan. So, when my girlfriends and I decided to meet for dinner, we decided to treat our NRI friend to some authentic Dhaba food. The Dhaba by Claridges is the new kid on the Punjabi cuisine block. But this newcomer comes in with all the gusto of a veteran- loud colours on some really eccentric furniture. Look around and you'll find a chandelier made out of chai glasses or a truck modelled into a table! The old Bollywood posters almost threw us into a round of Antakshari (yep, we're a strange bunch) till the hardbound menus were placed on our tables.
I've got to be honest, the menu confused me a little. Starting with a Chef's special menu, it went into a various kinds of cooking and serving styles like the Tawa, Tandoor and the Patila. But if you haven't already heard, punjabi and paneer always go together. So obviously, that's what we ordered- Some absolutely delectable Mughlai Paneer Tikka.
The paneer came in with mint chutney and onions topped with chat masala. The paneer by itself was beautifully marinated with yoghurt and just the right amount of spices. One bite in and we looked at each other knowingly, our impression was set.
Our choice in the non veg entrée was the Mutton sheekh. You got to taste this one to know for yourself. Nothing I say will do justice to the succulent pieces of mutton that make my taste buds water to date.
By now, we had happy full smiles plastered on our faces but like they say in Hindi 'Peth bhar gaaya par niyat nahi bhari' that loosely translates to, we were really greedy. So for main course we decided to stick to the cliché and ordered everybody's favourite Dal Makhani and Garlic naan.
One look at the serving style and portion and we knew we were taking a lot of this home with us. I have to say, it was one of the best dal makhanis I've had in Chennai, closely comparing to my favourite Dhaba in Chandigarh.
Finally, we were at the end of our meal. Phew. As tempting as the dessert looked, we decided to give our stomachs some much needed rest and called for the bill.
Just btw, we asked for all our dishes with minimum oil, butter and masalas because we're trying to indulge the right way.
