The Punjabi Rasoi — Restaurant in Bengaluru

Whatever this restaurant dishes out, it certainly is not Punjabi. In fact it is of no particular type or origin. Nondescript is the word.

Went there for lunch with the wife on my insistence on the day to have Punjabi food and was left red faced. She was of course understanding of my predicament.

Where do I begin? For starters this place is poorly maintained. Stained upholstery and shabby interiors. With the stale and suffocating atmosphere in the dining room, we decided to move the open air sit out area. Marginally better but by the time the food arrived, the malodours from the bathroom was unpleasant to say the least.

The Aloo capsicum sabzi had around six small and I mean small cubes of potato and possibly four even smaller pieces of capsicum in a thick oily gravy that tasted of nothing on earth. And to think I specifically asked for a dry dish with no gravy! Now coming to the Rajma, this was no different. There were probably ten rajma beans in the very same disgusting gravy. The ghee rice was palatable but then it doesn't take much cooking talent to do that.

The best and saving grace in this whole episode was the tandoori roti's. I know it sure is possible to mess this one up and I have had my share of that too but this was good. Or maybe it seemed so in the light of the poor side dishes. And oh, the standard pickled onions were ok but that is in no way representative of the cooks skills, or lack of it.

To say this was probably the worst Punjabi food I have attempted to eat would be no exaggeration. Highly not...

We were nearby HSR layout and at around lunch hour, with hunger pangs, we were debating on where to have lunch as each one of my family members had different suggestions.. as we were unsure of which restaurants served good vegetarian lunch in the area..did a quick search online..reviews threw up mixed response as usual..called up a good friend of mine..pat came the suggestion - "The Punjabi Rasoi"..just FYI - this restaurant serves both vegetarian and non-vegetarian food..

Well, it so happened we were closeby and headed there..as we entered the place, it seemed full just as any other good restaurant would be on a weekend. As we sat a table, the paper, on which plates were meant to be kept had some funny quotes that got us laughing..see the pictures attached with this review..

The person who waited at our table (Babul) ensured good service - food reached the table quickly and serving of food on the plate was done properly and neatly.

For starters, a peshwari paneer tikka and mushroom tikka were selected (both were great - rightly spiced).. following which for main course we ordered a Punjabi Paneer (panner + tomato tadka & quite spicy)..a malai kofta (too sweet for my liking) and a dhal makhni which was good along with tandoor rotis and a Pineapple curd Raitha (I know this sounds weird..but man that Raitha was like a dessert..one of the best we've tasted)

Overall a good dining experience..pricing was okay considering the food taste and location..they do have seating both indoors and partly outdoors as well. Valet parking...

Disclaimer: I am writing about this restaurant after having the food here, numerous times, for more than 4 years. Also, I have mostly taken a take-away.

What this place is good for: If you want to have typical north indian fare - Dal Makhani and Butter Chicken are safe bets. Always good, the taste is consistent. For the price, they offer good value for money. You can also try Chicken Do Pyaaza, which is another of my favorite. My typical take away was Butter chicken and rotis. Mutton Keema is super. Also, try the fish tikka, if available. You will not get stuff like that elsewhere. But it is subject to availability - many times they don't get stock of fish (however, they do keep some in their aquarium and I have often told them to use it for tikka but they dont listen..)

What this place is not good for: In food, I do not like their buttermilk/chaas. It could be so much better. I don't like their ambiance. I do not like the furniture they have - their chairs are not comfortable. The place is stuffy, if you are inside. Try to get a place outside if you can. Evenings 8 pm, they are often full.

Will I go there again? Oh,...