BENGALURU: Rich flavours, thick lassi and mouth-watering dessert – this is what our afternoon at Punjab Grill, Orion Mall, Rajajinagar, looked like. In a quest to explore the bylanes of old Delhi through culinary treat, the ‘Tales of Purani Dilli’ menu served justice to the whole experience.
My dining companion and I chose the all-time-favourite mango lassi to start the meal. Topped with tutti frutti dices and basil seeds, the thick dairy shake was soothing enough in the hot weather. While we were enjoying this, the chef sent Dahi Bhalla to our table. An influence of North India and Pakistan, the bhalla is prepared with moong dal, urad dal to make the batter, and later mixed with curd, making it taste much like dahi vada, only a little more filling.
The Tawa Aloo Chaat is a proper street food, only with a more refined touch. Popping these diced potatoes mixed with spices was fun. We put an end to the street food section with non vegetarian items like Fried Chicken with Tikhi Hari Chutney and Sigri Roasted Chicken tossed in butter. The fried chicken was more of a modern adaptation of the tangri kabab that is famous in Delhi, but it tasted good, nonetheless. The roasted chicken is a must-try as the butter makes it even more succulent to devour the whole piece. Soft and juicy, the dish had just the right amount of spice that hit our palate. Dahi wale gol gappes are available too, so if you are in the mood for some chatpata roadside snacks, look no further and dig in!
The next item – Chole Bhature – gave us the feels of sitting at a roadside Punjabi dhaba. But the music was a letdown, as we expected some Qawwali, Sufi or old Bollywood songs as that would have gone hand-in-hand with the theme of the menu.
We ordered for Chicken Korma and Paya Curry, which were flavourful, to say the least. The rich gravy of the chicken leg gave out an aroma of roasted cashews and cardamom, with the soft meat definitely making a mark. The paya curry tasted nice, but the meat could have been softer.
Influenced by Persian, Turkish and Afghan food, the dishes have an old-world charm but the food also has a whiff of modernisation, so people from all over the globe can enjoy it.
We came to the end of our meal with Rabdi Kulfi Falooda, which I enjoyed to my heart’s content, and also recommend. There has also been a heavy use of tutti frutti and basil seeds, making it interesting for guests to savour them.
The food festival is on till Oct 28. Cost for two: `1,500 (approx)