A trip to the lanes of Punjab

As one enters Chalo Punjab, a restaurant in Koramangala, it seems as if Punjab has come alive in Bangalore.

The spicy Punjabi delicacies can be enjoyed amidst a typical Punjabi ambience.
The restaurant offers a host of Punjabi delicacies like lassi, shorba and the most popular sarson da saag and makke di roti.

“Our thalis are very popular as well. We generally serve a welcome drink and a shorba as starters and the thali consists of various vegetarian dishes like paneer butter masala among others,” says Harpreet Bathija, the owner of Chalo Punjab.
Malai kofta is another speciality.

The soft koftas with the rich gravy, served in a bucket in a typical Punjabi style, are a must-try. A dish with an innovative name, Rawalpindi railway chicken, is prepared with a concoction of red chilly flakes and yoghurt and finally toasted in the pan to perfection.

Dishes like these add an element of fun to the cuisine. With a blend of many spices, kaake da kesari kukkad consists of tender spring chicken marinated in a secret masala and saffron. It is then pan roasted and garnished with fresh coriander.

The starters consist of aloo tikki with a crisp coating of sev. The soft corn and the crispy sev as a topping is one of the specialties here.

How can one miss the paranthas in a Punjabi restaurant? The aloo
parantha served with a generous helping of butter is priced at Rs 35.

The other non-vegetarian dishes like butter chicken and nalli gosht, a mutton delicacy, are a must-have. Nalli gosht consists of tender meat, flavoured with garam masala, and can be coupled with a kulcha.

The kebabs, which are priced between Rs 100 and 150, also have some very innovative names like nazire de neza kebab, kaalu ke kalimirch murg kebabs and kalmi kebabs.

Even the ambience of the restaurant stands out. The windows are lined with multi-coloured glass bangles instead of panes, giving the place a different feel altogether.

The interiors of the restaurant portray the various aspects of the life of people in rural Punjab. Figurines etched in the walls showcase the daily routine of people like milking the cow, spinning a yarn or enjoying the nature on a swing.

The live kitchen gives the visitors a peek into the kitchen secrets of the chefs of the restaurant. “The ambience was designed by my late husband and it was completely his idea.

We have a restaurant on Bannerghatta Road which serves authentic Punjabi food and wanted to give a facelift to the restaurant we had in Koramangala,” adds Harpreet.

Along with the ambience, a lot of emphasis has been given to the presentation. The menu cards have been embroidered with Phulkari work. With the owners helping out when the restaurant is packed, the place surely has a homely feel. For details, call 9886299222.