THE ONLY THING MISSING IS THE SERVERS DOING BHANGRA IN THIS DESI PUNJABI THEMED RESTAURANT

DHABA - A PUNJABI THEME

I've always been amazed by the very idea of dining raw, dining ethnic, dining desi. The best possible experience I've had of dining like that would be in Chowki Dhani in Jaipur. And it is really tough to recreate that experience of getting close to our desi roots. However, this beautiful joint in Rajouri Garden states it plain and simple right in its name.

Dhaba - A Punjabi Theme is, as the beautifully thought of name that must have taken them ages to think of suggests, a Punjabi Themed restaurant that looks like a Dhaba. MIND = BLOWN. Well, the name is a spoiler for what awaits you inside, but the door of the place is very distinct. It has two massive statues of what seem to be Pharaohs. Well, okay, Punjab may have had Pharaohs for all we know but we were too busy focusing on the Bhangra.

Dhaba has a dining hall on two floors and a banquet/ party hall as well. The dining hall that we sat in was very homely. It felt like we were at our Ludhiana wali bua ka ghar with the khaat styled chairs, the pickle jars on the walls and the beautiful coir ceiling with the lights.

The servers were dressed in kurtas and salwars and wore a nice ethnic Nehru Jacket on top. It almost felt like they'd start playing "Pretty Woman" from Kal Ho Na Ho and a flash mob of waiters, servers and managers would break out. TUM BHI KAHO NA, PRETTY WOMAN!

THE FOOD

The place was very well protected from the scorching heat outside as we were sitting in the pretty chilled out khaat-esque chairs. But nevertheless, we ordered ourselves a Virgin Mojito and a Sweet Lassi. But the drinks were right on point. I could feel the thandak go through my body with the lassi. The thick, creamy, frothy drink was a perfect start to the lavish meal that was about to come. The Mojito was VERY refreshing. The lemon flavor hit you straight in the face like a Punjabi Punch. 

The best part of any meal is the appetizers. To kick off your meal with the meatiest, unhealthiest, little bites of carbs. Damn. THAT IS WHAT I LIVE FOR. And following the same lines, we wanted to go for the Non-Vegetarian Platter, but were suggested against it by the server. He said it may be "too much" for us. TOO MUCH? BOY, YOU DON'T KNOW ME. YOU DON'T KNOW MY FAMILY. YOU DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO OR HOW TO LIVE MY LIFE. But, he was right. It really would have been too much as we were done and dusted halfway along the meal anyway. That server was just looking out for me. A true bro.

So we ordered the standard Chicken Tikka and Tandoori Aloo for the basics, and also the Reshmi Chicken Tikka for variety. The Chicken Tikka came in a truck. A... truck? Whose trailer opened up to reveal the beautiful pieces of chicken. Now, ladies and gentlemen, chicken tikka at every other place is red or orange, and is charred to bits. But here at Dhaba, it was pale. YET the flavor was the same! I was amazed by just how beautifully it was cooked. There was no black bits, the meat was soft and yet so flavorsome. Probably the best chicken tikka I've had in a long time.

The Tandoori Aloo and the Reshmi Tikka were great too. The aloo coated with sesame seeds and stuffed with more aloo and peas. The reshmi tikka was smooth and tasted like a more subtle version of the chicken tikka. The presentation of both dishes was amazing as well.

By this time, we only wanted to "try" the main course and not stuff our faces with it. But we over-ordered, yet again. Their specialty was their Butter Chicken, which we ordered, but just to get a taste of their vegetarian dishes, we got the Dal Makhani. Too much, makhan? No? Well... we ordered some butter naan to go along with it anyway.

And just then, at that particular moment, when I took a small piece of the naan, which was made with the bottoms of babies, it was that soft, and dipped it into the heavenly creamy Dal Makhani.. I died a little. I died a little and went to Punjabi heaven, surrounded by girls doing gidda while Jagjit Singh sits next to me singing Hosh Walon Ko Kya Khabar, Bekhudi Kya Cheez Hai. 

True Story.

The Butter Naan along with the Butter Chicken and Dal Makhani was the end of the meal for us. We were not able to finish it all and had to get the remaining packed. There was no space left for desserts, which I'm sure I'll be headed back for anyway.

THE VERDICT

A lot of places try and focus on the ambiance and vibe of a place and forget the main reason people visit them, the food. Dhaba is a prime example of simple food done well. They serve North Indian classics (as well as some Chinese delicacies) and they do a fine job at it.

Dhaba is a MUST VISIT place. If you don't want to go there because I said it, go there for Jagjit Singh. He'll appreciate it.