Kheema Kulcha To Laal Maas: Koramangala Has A New North Indian Food Address

If you love yourself a good ol’ greasy North Indian feast with plenty of classics thrown in, head straight to Punjab Bistro in Koramangala.

Honest confession… when we crave comfort food, it is usually butter chicken and garlic naans that we reach for. Because nothing can satiate it better than a big, fat North Indian meal, full of usual suspects like tandoori chicken, naan, paneer tikkas and more. And tapping into this need is Punjab Bistro, Koramangala’s new north Indian restaurant. Located at the same place where Punjab Grill used to be (same folks now run Punjab Bistro), the menu promises no gimmicks, no molecular gastronomy or high jinks. Instead you will get classic flavours and tastes, with a few twists.

The place is done up simply, with a bar and and an outdoor space too. Basic seating and and an all-white and wooden interior make up the space. They do have a list of refreshing summer mocktails like the mango {canned pulp rather than fresh} and mint number. But do give the minty, salty and made with fresh pineapples — Pineapple Sparkler — a try. We also tried the gin-based Singapore Sling from the cocktails section, but we found it way too sweet. We’d say stick to their iced buttermilks and their kesar lassi (excellent!). Kids can do milkshakes like Oreo shakes and more.

For food, start off with the very interesting Nalli Ka Shorba. Bone marrow is stuffed into palm hearts (to look exactly like a cross section of a lamb bone) and then topped with a hearty, meaty broth. The palm hearts were delicious and the shorba played a nice role in making them shine through. The soup was served with lavash and garlic breads. For vegetarians, there is a spicy tomato and basil shorba, which will remind you straight of Rajdhani train journeys. Up next was Chilgoza (pine nut) Paneer — tikkas stuffed with cheese and then grilled. This was a nice twist to the usual paneer tikkas. We would have loved more spice in the Broccoli Cheese Lollipop, but the desi quesadillas with spinach, corn and cheese was a hit with us. The Lahori Chargha Murg is a steamed and then grilled version of chicken legs {much like the tandoori chicken) served with freshly made raw mango pickle. This got a big thumbs up from us.

For mains, do save some room for the Laal Maas, a salty and spicy lamb dish from Rajasthan made with just a few ingredients to be mopped up with the sweet sheermal. The crisp roti was perfect to mop up the umami lal maas gravy. There was also the Chatpata Murg, which we found a bit too full of masalas, but we gave our hearts to mini Amritsari Kheema Khulcha and Chur Chur Paratha. So good. End your meal with the Malpua Pudding {layers of malpua stuffed with custard and dates} and the light and fresh strawberry, rasgulla, and whipped cream Bistro Special Mille Feuille.

The menu is all set to represent your rajma, butter chicken and naans apart from what we tried. Go here when you are looking to dine on north Indian food with family because portions are generous and can be easily shared. Even the desserts here are big portions and can be easily shared between three people.