Culinary scenes have changed drastically in the city of joy in the past couple of years and it is still evolving with every passing day. Five years back who would have dreamt of molecular gastronomy, liquid nitrogen ice creams, vegan meats, microbreweries or something like a fusion parantha in this city? Innovation is surely the survival mantra these days and several joints have already embraced this game plan. Few days back I was there at a new-age dhaba in the city on management invitation, and I found that my observation was again proved to be correct. This place is called ‘Pind Punjabi Dhaba’ and it is located at Bangur Avenue in the alley just opposite the Reliance Fresh outlet. The eatery has got a bright orange name board on black background and it is really hard to miss.
The place serves some amazing paranthas, kababs and lassis. I am yet to try their other items so won’t be able to comment much on them. I was invited to taste the menu of their Lassi & Parantha Festival which is now running at their outlet from 10th December to 24th December ‘16. There are loads of varieties of paranthas which they are offering during this festival which you won’t get in their regular menu. And most of them are stuffed fusion parantahs which will make any parantha lover go crazy with joy and excitement! Also the lassis available during these festival days can make you avoid simple and normal lassis in future 🙂
The joint can be termed as an urban dhaba and for some localites it is truly a savior since it remains open till 2:30am in the night! Huge number of people go for take aways and home deliveries from this place, but I would say the dine in experience can also be equally good since this place is quite easy to locate once you reach Bangur and has got a pleasant and neat ambiance. The moment you enter the dhaba you can see the front chassis of a typical Indian goods lorry with its headlight turned on. The place has got some simple décor with somewhat rural looking wooden chairs and simple wooden tables. The wall has got wall papers depicting gurudwaras. The other wall which faces the street is one complete glass wall and adds to that small urban element of this dhaba in terms of looks. Though the joint is not spacious or big enough but here the tables are placed at an optimal gap to carry on comfortable dining.
Now, let’s come back to the food items which are available during this Lassi & Parantha festival. If I go with an overview, there are total twelve variants of paranthas and six variants of Lassis that you will get during these festival days, i.e. till 24th December midnight which you won’t get in their original menu. Here are the variants of paranthas which you will get during these festival days – Bharwa Machhli, Cheese Corn Chicken, Italian, Kashmiri, Palak Paneer, American cream and onion, Aloo Matar, Kabuli, Keema, Maharaja, Jhinga, Chocolate. And here are the six variants of Lassis that you will get – Kiwi, Black Current, Hyderabadi Masaledar, Doodh Cola, Faluda, Pan Bahar. Price of the paranthas range between INR 90 to 180, whereas that of the lassis range between INR 80 to INR 140.
I tried most of the paranthas and all of them were stuffed paranthas, like I have said before. The stuffings were absolutely amazing and provided in generous quantity! So it’s worth the penny, no doubt. Overall, every parantha is huge and is very filling. I loved the Aloo Matar parantha, Italian parantha, Cheese corn chicken parantha, Keema parantha, Maharaja parantha and American cream & onion parantha. Loved all the fillings, especially the filling of the Italian parantha was most innovative since I found pasta, bell peppers, bits of cheese, etc in there and it overall tasted great. The Cheese corn chicken parantha had enough minced chicken filling with sweet corn spread all over embedded in the dough with grated cheese sprinkled on top, overall it tasted great when consumed hot. The Palak Paneer parantha tasted okayish with potato and spinach filling and grated cheese on top. The Aloo Matar parantha was insanely good, simple, light on stomach yet amazingly flavorful. The mashed green peas and potato filling was impeccable. And I loved the other two paranthas which were more like desserts – the Maharaja parantha and the Kashmiri parantha. The Maharaja parantha was surely for the dry fruit lovers and is a bit pricey for the same reason, whereas the Kashmiri parantha had simple aloo filling inside but had a jam spread on top with fresh fruit toppings. And yes, I loved all the dips and the chutneys which were served along with all these paranthas, all those generously stuffed paranthas and those chutneys were simply award winning!
And coming to the Lassis, I loved the Kiwi Lassi, Doodh Cola Lassi, and the Pan Bahar Lassi; though I felt the Pan essence in the Pan Bahar Lassi could have been increased to give it a stronger character. The Doodh Cola lassi was amazingly refreshing with that flavor and essence of Coke mixed in the lassi. The Kiwi Lassi had loads of smashed kiwi pulp in it which made it very flavorful, filling and interesting.
The service was tad on the slower side but if I consider the place as a whole, I must say this is one hidden gem! An absolute must-visit spot for parantha lovers in the city of joy! I would sincerely hope they open up more outlets in the city so that they can reach out to more and more people. If I have to rate this place I will rate it 8.5 out of 10 which is just awesome according to my rating standards! 🙂 Hope you have now got a clear idea of this place and its specialties. And this Lassi & Festival won’t be there running forever, so you need to hurry and reach this place by 24th December midnight! The yummy stuffed paranthas and those glasses of fusion Lassis are waiting for you! Hope you have a great time at Pind Punjabi Dhaba.
Cheers!
foodiedada 