Most often, conversations take a backseat when there’s pani puri involved. At Sukhsagar, a plate of those scrummy globular, aloo-stuffed delights with spoonfuls of tamarind and mint chutney, ensure they have us quiet for the next couple of moments allowing us to occasionally fan our mouths that are on fire. The waiter, watching us take huge gulps of water, hurriedly gets us their special chaat that’s delicious and sweet. A mishmash of spongy dahi bhalla, crusty papdi, pomegranate, tiny cubes of potato, apple and drizzled with brittle yellow sev and bathed in sweet curd, this chaat is worthy of the ‘special’ status it holds at Sukhsagar.
A franchisee of the famous Sukhsagar in Mumbai, this is a no-frills place. You could choose to stand and have your food on the counters or head up to the first floor to dine in air-conditioned comfort. Our table has plastic plates …we wonder why, but the noisy children playing a game of catch and bumping into tables, answer our question.
The restaurant is rather packed for a weekday and there is a birthday celebration on in full swing, at the party hall. Despite that the service is quick. The starters arrive soon — crispy vegetables from their Chinese menu. Flaming red and zesty like this season’s shade of lipstick, the uneven chunks of crunchy corn, capsicum and cauliflower are addictive. Meanwhile the pahadi paneer slathered in green mint chutney arrives. Soft with a delicate smoky aroma, we believe it’s a healthier option but definitely not the tastier one.
Sukhsagar’s specialties include pav bhaji and idlis too. The Kashmiri naan sounds good along with vegetable kofta, and burnt garlic rice. While the main course arrives we glance through the dessert list which has kulfi, falooda, ice cream... everything made in-house. The whiff of sautéed garlic announces the presence of the burnt garlic rice. It’s so full of flavour that you can help yourself to a portion without any accompaniments. Kashmiri naan, speckled with juicy red cherries, is like an orchard in Kashmir with a stuffing of apple, pineapple and raisins. It pairs up rather well with the tangy kofta stuffed with paneer, khoya and spices. Too bad we are full and decide to skip the malai kulfi that we had been longing for but the sufficiently sweet naan more than makes up for it.
Sukhsagar is located at 1A, Harley’s Road, Kilpauk. For details call 97908 99430.
