Prepare to be taken by surprise

Keep your eyes peeled at the unassuming Paratha House in Kodihalli, or you may miss out on some of their best items

Do it for the lassi: Among the signature dishes at Paratha House in Kodihalli is their lassi, which is so thick that they serve it with a spoon. Photo: S. Mohan Prasad

Paratha House is an unassuming, rather inconspicuous eat-out. Once you enter and scan the menu, you may be quite tempted to place it alongside all the other north Indian restaurants that you’ve frequented. However, it takes a keener look in order to appreciate the food, or you may just miss out on some of the signature Punjabi dishes on offer here.

I say this because I made just that mistake. I decided to dispense with the preliminary appetisers and soups, and plunge right into the main course, this time. First on my list of orders was the rajma paratha. Although hot on arrival, I found that it tasted unimpressive, was quite hard around the edges, and was tough to break.

I decided to give it one more try. This time I ordered the sweet corn cheese paratha, mainly because the ingredients are a favourite of mine. The parathas are served one in each plate, accompanied by pudina chutney and cool curd. The rich dark green of the pudina chutney looked immensely inviting, although it was a bit too salty for my taste. For the rest of the meal I decided to eat the parathas without dipping them in chutney. This, I found, was a wise thing to do, because finally, my spirits lifted.

The sweet corn cheese paratha tasted quite good and was soft this time around, but it was the capsicum paratha that rates the highest among the three kinds that I tasted. Being the thickest of them all, the fragrance of the capsicum was quite evident and did not disappoint at all in terms of taste either.

Light and simple

Next, I tried the phulkas for a taste of something light. As I saw them being served straight out of the pan — they were still puffed up when brought to serve the customers — I couldn’t resist ordering one for myself, with the baingan ka bharta to accompany it. Again, I was convinced that I made the right choice because the bharta exceeded my expectations with its smoked, mashed eggplant.

The most impressive of all, however — and the one item that can even mask the saltiness of the chutney — was the Punjabi lassi. I noticed this quite by chance (having missed it in the menu) written in bold on the list of the day’s specials. Tempted, I asked the waiter what exactly a Punjabi lassi entailed, and was presented with a large glass of lassi topped with crushed nuts and a swirl of rose essence — it is so thick that they serve it with a spoon. If nothing else, visit this place for a taste of that lassi.

(Paratha House is at 144, Ramaiah Street, between Diamond District and Anjaneya Tech Park, Old Airport Road, Kodihalli. Call. 9886212302)