Monday, 25 September 2017

The Dream Kitchen, Magarpatta.

Gulab Jamun

In what can only be described as a meta moment straight out of the movies, reminiscent of the kind of scenes that are inserted in the script to add a touch of humour, the otherwise unassuming owner of The Dream Kitchen {TDK} and budding music artiste, Jeet Walia, instructed one his floor staff members to play 'mera wala gaana' {his song} even as we were discussing the restaurant's excellent Punjabi playlist. No, he wasn't referring to his favourite track, but one that he'd sung himself. Such an occurrence was a definite first for me and yes, it did leave me a tad amused. 


It's a refreshing change, though, that the decor does away with Punjabi restaurant tropes like colourful wall art and tacky lighting and is instead pleasantly muted with the only bursts of colour provided by the multi-hued chairs and charpais. There's an al fresco area which unfortunately was shut on the day due to the rains but I'm totally looking forward to enjoying a hearty meal there during the winter. The rooftop restaurant overlooks the Magarpatta - Kharadi road dotted with swathes of green patches so makes for stunning views during either lunch or dinner time through its French windows. There's no alcohol but given the grub on offer that shouldn't be a deal-breaker at all. 

Chatpati Chaap

Now I don't mean to enforce clichés here but a good Punjabi restaurant is one that makes me put aside the cutlery, roll-up my sleeves and dig straight in with my hands and The Dream Kitchen made me do that at very onset of the meal. Soya chaap is an extremely popular vegetarian snack / appetizer and even though it's commonly available here in Pune I hadn't tasted it yet. TDK does a few variations of chaap from which we were served Chatpati Chaap which is first deep fried and then marinated and BBQ'd in a tandoor resulting in a myriad of textures and flavours.

Lasooni Murgh Tikka

Lagaan Ki Boti

The Lasooni Murgh Tikka comes coated with a thick-ish marinade that only adds more spunk and succulence. Extra brownie points for that perfect charring and a slightly smoky-burnt taste which makes the crucial difference between good and great tikkas. The Murgh Afghani Roll came with a spicy chicken filling wrapped in rumali roti and garnished with cream to mellow down the spices while the Lagaan Ki Boti had boneless chunks of mutton tossed in a dark brown gravy that keeps the meat moist even as the temperature drops.


Our main course comprised of Chicken Rara, Mutton Bhuna and Dal Makhani and all the 3 dishes scored impressively. The non vegetarian dishes had a similar looking, but distinctive, curries and generous quantity of well cooked meat served on the bone. The Rara, of course, had a chicken mince based gravy but it was the Bhuna, bolstered by the unctuousness of mutton, that won hands down. Not one to be left behind, the Dal Makhani was one of the best I've had in the city and goes well either with the perfectly flaky Lachcha Paratha or stuffed Amritsari Kulcha or just good ol' steamed rice. 

Kesari Phirni

Shahi Tukda

Desserts included Kesari Phirni, Gulab Jamun and Shahi Tukda and there was nothing much to complain there either, except for the desiccated coconut sprinkled on the Gulab Jamun. I particularly enjoyed the creamy, saffron infused phirni which, just like the other two desserts, wasn't cloyingly sweet.

Not that I eat rich, spicy food often while dining out, but The Dream Kitchen will be high on my list the next time I need my Punjabi fix of tikkas, dal makhani and crispy butter naan. It should be on yours too.

{The bloggers table was hosted by The Dream Kitchen.}

No comments:

Post a Comment