REVIEWS - DELHI
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vour of vegetables. Then came one of their originals, the ‘Amritsari Tawa f you had the chance to dine Chaap; (Rs 445); crispy and meaty, at the ‘Dhaba’ at the erstwhile good sized mutton chops, which Claridges in Surajkund, you might are crumbed and then folded in recollect its chic interiors and quaint masala – very good stuff. The chaap kitschy accents. This establishment has now moved to DLF Place, but The food at Dhaba, the management has managed to up DLF Place remains the ante on funky interiors. The placards along the way will have top-class on the qualyou chuckling your way to your ity front, and with a table, from ‘No Guts, No Galouti’ to ‘Child Water Served here’ to the bar called ‘Theka’, even more elaborate and hilarious their quirkiness will ones! The ubiquitous truck too has made its way into this restaurant, only add to the experibut this time you can enjoy ‘Mock ence of full on Punjabi Tharra’ in the truck itself, which is open from the side and is well khaana. stocked to seat over 16 guests. Don’t miss the ceiling lights shaped like reminded me of my childhood, light bulbs and the wall fixtures because it had the perfect balance of shaped like ‘nimboo mirchi’ that spice like I had savored when young adorn many a shop across the counand you could still taste the meat. try. Despite the likes of ‘Dhaba Prawns’ and ‘Highway Chicken Tikka’, I deThe restaurant is nice and spacious cided to opt for the ‘Bun Omelette’ with a typical counter for ‘handis’, (Rs 145). It was like a blast from the while each table has the adorable past. Bun and omlette was my staple little pickle martabans with condimeal in the town I studied in, when ments. At a whopping 115 covers, being at culinary school meant the Dhaba was still half full on a spending so much time around food weekday afternoon. Despite being that the simple things mattered the a fine dining standalone restaurant, most. the service standards are at par with the original Dhaba at the Aurangzeb For the main course, we ordered property. The management was in the Dhaba standard, ‘Balti Meat’ (Rs the process of getting the restau445)and ‘Brain Masala’ (Rs 325), rant’s liquor license at the time of both of which are lovely dishes from going to press, and thankfully they the seasoned kitchen. The ‘Balti will also have their own washrooms Meat’ has one marrow bone that I soon, so that guests don’t have to use eyed through the meal and this is the ones in the mall. probably one of the few places where I will order it again. Asli Indian We started with the Chef recomJust the Way it Should Be mended ‘Vegetarian Galouti’ (Rs Chef Saxena recommended the 195) and they were really good;al‘Tawa Mutton Pulao’ (Rs 325), a most buttery and with a lovely fladelightful rice preparation with what
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tasted like mutton boti kebabs and a good dose of tawa masala. I strongly recommend that you have some raita along with this fiery pulao. The good chef also asked us to try the ‘Dhaba Murgh Roast’ (Rs 325), which is their take on Tandoori Chicken and way better than the orange atrocity served in the name of all things tandoori. You can taste the rich, creamy marinade of hung curd with deep flavours of ginger and garlic. This meal is best enjoyed with a kadak ‘Tandoori Roti’, served piping hot and is awesome to sop up the last bits of meat and gravy on your plate. For vegetarians, the fare is straight out of any dhaba on the Delhi-Chandigarh highway: ‘Chilli Paneer’, ‘Kadhi Pakora’, ‘Rajmah’ and the heart warming ‘Yellow Tadka Dal’. The ‘Phirni’ for dessert was lighter than expected and actually quite comforting after a hot and heavy meal like this one. However, I do wish we had ordered the Bailey’s Kulfi instead. Incidentally, you can enjoy Panditji’s paan here as well! The food at Dhaba, DLF Place remains top-class on the quality front, and with a bar called ‘Theka’, their quirkiness will only add to the experience of full on Punjabi khaana. If you prefer Indian food when you eat out, then the Dhaba is a good choice. Throw in a couple of hours of retail therapy and you have a packed day of family, fun, friends and food! ■ by Parul Pratap Shirazi Rating: 4 out of 5 Price: INR 2500++ (meal for two) Address: Second Floor, DLF Place, Saket, New Delhi - 110017 Phones: 011-30146033
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