Foods in Amritsar.....Start of a journey
Amritsar is a historical city also known to us as Ambarsar (apna
Punjabi Slang)….famous for the Sri Harmandir Sahib or as we all know it The
Golden Temple (Religious place of Sikhs). The city is well known for its rich
cuisine and culture…..
We, foodies search for food at each and every nook and
corner…of any city we are in…. Had a little over 48 hours in the city but
wanted to try everything (impossible task)… …..
Brothers Dhaba – Hall Bazaar, Amritsar
As it was lunch time, we started with Brother’s Dhaba
(Previously it was Bhrawan da Dhaba but now divided into two; Bhrawan da Dhaba
and Brother’s Dhaba. The taste, cuisine and the style of preparation is still
the same for both. ….
We ordered the signature Thali and also dal makhni (black
lentils whole) maah ki daal as we all Punjabis know….. OH ! My God… What lovely
flavors!!! The Chhole (chickpeas) were made v.well and the Dal was the
highlight…the paneer (cottage cheese) was good…..Dal and Chhole had lovely
flavor of Pure Ghee…… The Nan and the Paranthas were too good… I have always
noticed that the texture and taste of Breads (Nan, paranthas etc.) in Amritsar
is very different than any other place. Their style of making them is very
unique…and also not to forget the Amrit (Holy Water) aspect of the city (Amritsar) i.e. the water
available in the city has some properties which makes the dough so good (it’s a
legend)………
|
Thali at Brothers Dhaba |
Meal for Two – Rs. 500 /-
Prices ---4.0 / 5.0
Taste--- 4.0 / 5.0
Ambience ---3.5 / 5.0
Overall--- 4.0/5.0
Makhan Fish Corner – Majitha Road
, Amritsar
Makhan Fish......OK.OK....but again I would like to say over hyped by I
don't know…. Who all ?..media or paid previews but I will be genuine, truly.
Naam Bade aur darshan chhote....The place was just a drinking place full of men
(last visited September 2013)...... with glasses all around tinkling and tangling….families
wouldn’t dare to sit there…..We had 2 lovely ladies sitting next to us who went
there coz they had heard a lot about the place and did not want to miss it. But
i was not surprised to see that they were feeling very uneasy at that place..As
my wife was with me they gathered the courage to speak to us..…By the grace of
God they were staying at the same hotel as we were..So i sent my cab to drop
them at the hotel (they left their meal halfway).......They thanked me a
hundred times for this…..
But we are eaters and were hungry too. So had to give that place a try
in any case at it was already 10.20 in the night and we would not have found anything
good after that at that place( as per our cabby)
After much tussle we ordered Fish Fry (signature dish) a keema nan and
some chicken dish…. In half kg fish we got 7-8 small pieces of fried fish which
were good and tasted well. The Keema Nan was just ok and it felt like a thick
pillow….just ok… and the chicken dish was not good at all…. .. I had praised
and talked about this place a lot to my wife…and now had no words to soothe
her….
Fish Price 1400/kg.(Sep, 2013)...is it really worth....hmmmm....Keema Naan..160
bucks....but why... anybody who has earned a little name and fame thinks that
he can charge any amount for his food and people like us are fools who will
pay...but to what extent....Please think over it.....kab tak.......
Meal for Two – 1200/- plus
Prices –3.0 / 5.0
Taste –3.5 / 5.0
Ambience – 2.5 / 5.0
Overall – 3.0 / 5.0
Pal
Dhaba – Inside Hathi Gate, Amritsar
The hangover (frustrating) of the
dinner was not yet over but we the foodies can’t stop….So decided to savour
some real good non-veg now as the carnivore in us was craving for it since
long…..It was lunch time around 1p.m. and we headed towards the Hathi Gate area
where the famous Pal Dhaba is located (on recommendation of locals)..When we
reached we were surprised to see the size and the furniture at the joint. It
was just a small shop with long stool type benches and tables on one side and
the open kitchen on the other…….Anyways we had to try it in any case … So we
ordered 3-4 items like Magaz (Brain), Mutton Saag, keema kaleji and Chicken
Curry (dish I don’t remember)…….
|
Saag Mutton |
What a fabulous Taste….Just to die for....can’t express in
words.....Better than most of the big names in Amritsar food clan..... A must
visit to this place for having magaz, saag meat, mutton curry,kharoda , keema
kaleji (mutton mince with liver) chicken dishes and the butter nan which is so
well made that one can eat the nan on its own without any dish at all...Prices
range from Rs.120 to 400 which covers the full menu.......
|
Magaz (Brain Masala) |
Meal for two--- Rs.400 /-
Prices ---4.5 /5.0
Taste--- 4.5 / 5.0
Ambience --- Doesn’t Matter only Taste wins..
Overall--- 4.5 /5.0
Kulcha Land – Ranjit Avenue, Opp. M.K. Hotel , Amritsar
When is Amritsar, you have to have the Amritsar Kulcha
(Ambarsari Kulcha) the humble naan as we know here….. So we did our R & D
and found the place which serves the best Kulchas in the city…. Kulcha Land in
Ranjit Avenue….. Its located in the new locality and a upmarket area of
Amritsar. We reached at around 3
p.m. Thinking that we won’t get anything
as the place must have already finished up its stock and closed for the day….
But our luck was in favour and we got a place to sit inside the joint. It’s a
small place with seating inside (approx. 10-12 pax.) and outside 8-10 pax.
Short and simple menu.. with 2-3 types of Kulchas available ( Aaloo, paneer,
mixed ) We ordered the basic and the highest selling Aaloo wala Kulcha ( 60
bucks I suppose) . Service takes about 10 minutes as Kulchas are made fresh
8-10 at a time ( tandoor constraints) . A plate has 2 Kulchas, a bowl of Chhole
and pyaaz (onions) and hari mirchi (green chilli) in imli chutney (tangy
tamarind chutney) which is watery as it should be……. Coming to the taste..The
kulchas were well made with khasta texture (crispy) as they are made in
Amritsar ….the chhole were good too…. Nothing to die for… But Good…….
Meal for Two – Rs. 150/-
Prices – 4.5 / 5.0
Ambience – 2.5 / 5.0
Taste –3.5 / 5.0
Overall – 3.5 / 5.0
Some more popular places to eat in Amritsar
Kesar da Dhaba, Chowk Passian, Amritsar –
Excellent Dal Makhani saadi maah di daal. (simmered for more than 24
hours) and Lachha Paranthas,dollops of Desi Ghee.This place is a
foodies delight (must try)
Ashok Kulcha – Ranjit Avenue, Amritsar
Kanha Sweets, Lawrence Raod, Amritsar – Poori and Halwa (known for very good sweets too)
Beera Chicken , Majitha Rd, Sehaj
Avenue, Opposite Bhandari Hospital, Amritsar – Awesome Tandoori Chicken and
v.good Butter Chicken. (must try)
Have to try more places on my next
visit soon…will keep posted...as this is an unending journey…....