Bhangra on the taste buds

For an upscale Punjabi dhaba experience head to The Dhaba Project

February 06, 2015 06:18 pm | Updated 06:18 pm IST - Thiruvananthapuram

Butter chicken is a signature dish at The Dhaba Project

Butter chicken is a signature dish at The Dhaba Project

If you are the kind of foodie who doesn’t mind going the distance (and battling rush hour traffic) in search of good food, then a trip to the newly-opened The Dhaba Project is worth your while. A dhaba, as you may well know, is a roadside eatery serving hot, authentic Punjabi food and is to be found all along the highways of North India. In keeping with tradition, The Dhaba Project, an enterprise of Hotel South Park, is situated on the National Highway Bypass at Kulathoor, a little past the Infosys campus, and is the city’s answer to a bona fide Punjabi dhaba.

As you pull up at the entrance of the restaurant, you are greeted by the peppy beats of a dhol, drummed by an artiste in full bhangra regalia, no less. “The dhol rings each time a patron walks through the door,” says chef Joginder Pal Singh, executive chef, as he leads us into the restaurant. Inside they’ve tried to keep the spirit of a traditional dhaba alive with the minimalist décor but have taken care to give it an upscale twist with comfy backrests, muted lighting, landscaped lawn and the like. There are a row of enclosed air-conditioned, private dining rooms available, but we decide to dine al fresco, underneath a thatched roof pavilion, seating ourselves on one of the plain wooden benches and tables.

Just as we expected, the menu is chock-full of the choicest dishes of Punjabi cuisine. There’s missi roti, malai kofta, tandoori chicken, butter chicken, kadai paneer, chicken do pyasa, paneer tikka masala, ajwaini fish masala... We’ve not even ordered and the taste buds are already doing a Bhangra, in tune with the beats of the dholwala! Sensing our confusion, Chef Joginder offers his suggestions: kebab platter (non–vegetarian), butter chicken, kadai paneer, kadai mutton, vegetable pulao, dal makhni and malai kofta plus a roti platter, comprising kulcha, pudina paratha, naan and tandoor roti. Gulp.

As we sip (slurp, rather) our way through a tall glass of lassi that’s just right (not too sweet, not too sour), Chef Joginder says: “Foodies in the city seem to have a partiality for Punjabi food. It's something that I've observed ever since I came here to work at South Park almost nine years ago. We felt the time was ripe for a full on authentic dhaba. The Dhaba Project's speciality is tandoor dishes and for the purpose we have installed a commercial tandoor oven, which we've bought from Punjab. All the dishes on the menu are time–tested recipes handed down for generations.”

The food arrives and that too fairly quickly, which comes as a nice surprise. The kebab platter (two portions of tangdi, reshmi, haryali, tandoori etc) is soon wiped clean. On to the rotis and the side dishes. Butter chicken is creamy and scrumptious as is the malai kofta; both the chicken and the kofta (paneer balls) are so tender that they melt in the mouth and makes for a great combo with pudina paratha. Dal makhni is another creamy delight, where the black gram dal has been cooked as soft as the gravy itself. Kadai mutton teamed with butter naan too is must try. We’re hardly a quarter of the way through and already we’re full thanks to the richness of the food. It’s definitely not a cuisine for the calorie conscious.

Dessert was initially not on our menu, though the menu features a variety of sweet treats such as gulab jamun, besan burfi and kulfi. But then who can resist crispy jalebis hot off the pan?

The Dhaba Project is open from 11.30 a.m. to 11.30 p.m. Apart from Punjabi food, diners can opt for vegetarian (Rs.100) and non-vegetarian meals (Rs.150). For those who want a snack on the go, the restaurant also has a live chaat counter with items such as paapdi chaat, dahi chaat, bhel puri…the works. “In a month’s time we’ll be opening a separate Chinese menu too,” says Chef Joginder. Although the restaurant has got 200 seats, it’s best to book a table in advance, especially if you turn up during lunch hour or after 7.30 p.m. Contact: 09544404530.

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