Once you step inside Bhatija’s Kitchen in R S Puram, you will find yourself immersed in a heart-warming highway dhaba vibe. Specialising in Punjabi vegetarian cuisine, the restaurant has garnered attention for its unique charm — enhanced by a fully decked-up, colourful truck inside the premises. “We sourced a worn out truck from the scrap market in Ukkadam and upcycled it with hand-drawn paintings by an artist friend from Chennai,” says B Chirag Bhatija, who started Bhatija’s Kitchen three years ago as there were limited options for exclusive vegetarian Punjabi food in the city.
Jumbo thaali | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Though Chirag’s great grandfather migrated to India from the Sindh province during Partition, his immediate ancestors have made Coimbatore home for over five decades. “I played professional cricket for over eight years and stayed in cities like Hyderabad and Bengaluru. Whenever I returned home, I craved vegetarian Punjabi food. And, there were not many vegetarian places to try. Now the food scene is exploding with innumerable cafes and diverse cuisine options like Pan Asian, Japanese, and Italian,” explains Chirag adding that he went to great lengths to recreate a sustainable decor featuring charpoys (traditional woven cots) for seating as well as comfortable hand-made cane chairs, and walls adorned with colourful paintings and cultural motifs. “Be it the colourful bottles stacked up in a symmetrical pattern at the entrance or upcycled motorcycle props, every piece of decor has been handmade by artists from places like Jaipur, Rajasthan, Delhi and Bengaluru,” he says.
Sustainable decor featuring charpoys (traditional woven cots) | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
As he gets talking about the food, a tandoor platter arrives. While paneer tikka, a harmonious blend of spicy and flavourful tandoor masala, and grilled to perfection is lip-smackingly good, the crispy broccoli tikka promises a delightful crunch with every bite. The platter has six varieties including aloo tikka, corn cheese, sheekh kebab (made with minced vegetables, paneer and potato) and hara bara (with green vegetables).
Bold textures, hearty flavours, and spices — the staples of Punjabi cuisine never disappoint. Whether you are a vegetarian, a non-vegetarian, or a dessert lover, it can satisfy all your cravings. Over comforting paneer stuffed naans perfectly complemented by a wholesome shahi paneer gravy, we savour it all. You can also try the jumbo thaali and wash it all down with masala chaas, flavourful blueberry, chocolate, mango, or strawberry lassi, and mocktails.
Dhaba decor | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Retracing his three-year journey, Chirag is proud that he took the plunge when the pandemic started and made it to top five north Indian restaurants in the city now. “We have added sizzlers, pastas, veg bowl manchurian, white sauce pasta, but at heart we are a Punjabi restaurant specialising in koftas, methi malai mutter, stuffed kulchas and cheese garlic naan.” And that explains why shaam savera kofta , a delightful coming together of sweet and spicy tomato-cashew paste and palak-based gravy and melt-in-the-mouth malai koftas transport me right to the heart of Punjab.
Meal for two costs ₹600 approximately. Located at 190, East Sambandam Road (near Anandhas), R S Puram. Call:8754802444
