BENGALURU: New restaurants crop up in Bengaluru frequently but it’s not everyday that an iconic eatery makes a comeback. Old Bengalureans, here is some good news for you. Queen’s Restaurant at Church Street, which was once the ‘adda’ of those who worked in and around MG Road or Brigade Road, and college students alike, will now reopen doors in May near New BEL Road with a new name Queen’s Home Kitchen.
After having been established in 1974, the typical Punjabi-style restaurant closed in 2017, owing to termination of the lease period. “We wanted to reignite the brand, which has a 44-year-long history in the city. So we launched a WhatsApp service during the first month of the lockdown to deliver food. From 30 customers, we were soon serving 300,” says Anshul Chodha, who besides managing the family run business, is also an architect.
Anshul’s mother, Soneelam Chodha, has always been passionate about cooking and serving people, which eventually gave way to Queen’s Restaurant. “We moved from North India to Bengaluru in 1969 and I think my mom was one of the first food entrepreneurs in this city,” says Anshul, who claims that, “We were the first ones in the city to start serving authentic Punjabi cuisine which was then new in Bangalore’s usual food menu.” So it’s no surprise to hear that the menu at the second inning of the restaurant will include phulkas, along with other Punjabi dishes like butter chicken, channa bhatura, aloo tikki, and chaats like papdi chaat and raj kachori chaat.
Giving a glimpse into what goes on in the kitchen, Soneelam says, “Onion-garlic paste and wet masalas are a typical indication of Punjabi food. I have included these two through the years. All the masalas are prepared in my kitchen.” Agrees Anshul, who proudly adds, “It is a perfect example of home-cooked food. My mother curates the recipes with two ingredients, love and care.”