JOIN USEmbarking on a grand culinary journey almost 35 years back, fine dining restaurant Tandoor on MG Road claims to be the first open kitchen North Indian restaurant in South India. The place was started in 1981 by BS Chadha who moved from Delhi to Bengaluru.
“Mr Chadha found that there was no restaurant in the City serving authentic Mughlai, Punjabi, North Indian and tandoori food. His family was connected with the hospitality industry and his passion for good food prompted him to start Tandoor,” says Raaj Singh, executive director, who runs the place along with the founder.
One is welcomed by the royal interiors comprising Shekhawati hand paintings. The restaurant, with its regal ambience, can accommodate 200 people, with seating spread across two floors. People can also host parties there and there is a large car parking area as well.
“Tandoor is the largest seating capacity North Indian eatery in town. Cricketers and celebrities like Aamir Khan, Deepika Padukone, Narayan Murthy, Sunil Dutt, Suhasini Mani Ratnam and MS Dhoni have visited us and appreciated the food,” smiles Raj.
Some of their signature dishes include ‘mutton seekh kabab’, ‘murgh malai tikka’, ‘paneer tikka’, ‘fish tikka’, ‘fish amritsari’, ‘mutton ran-e-shartaj’, ‘butter chicken’, ‘dal makhani’, ‘paneer makhani’, ‘balti gosht’ and ‘badam kheer’ along with a variety of rotis and ‘naans’.
“We have also added some items like ‘makki chaman’, ‘methi matar malai’, ‘dahi bhindi’ and ‘lasooni jhinga’ over time for our patrons to relish,” he adds.
And what has held its charm since then? “Two of our cooks have been with us since the very beginning and the rest have been here for not less than 25 years. They have maintained the same taste that keeps our customers coming for more. Besides, we only buy the raw materials and grind and prepare our own ‘masalas’ inhouse. Also, no pastes and packed purees go into the gravies; only fresh tomatoes and onions are used,” says Raj. The recipes also do the trick as he shares, “The ‘balti gosht’ is Mr Chadha’s personal recipe and it’s very different from what you get at other places. Even the ‘mutton ran-e-shartaj’, ‘butter chicken’ and some other delicacies come from his wide repertoire. Our dal is cooked for over 18 hours on flame which imparts a special flavour to it.”
He highlights that regular supervision on their part has ensured that there is no change in quality. The place attracts not only people from different parts of the City but also many expats and tourists for the rich dining experience it offers. It is open from 12pm to 3 pm and 7 pm to 11.30 pm and is located at No 28, Centenary Building, MG Road, Craig Park Layout, Ashok Nagar. For details, call 25596961.