Sanjeev Kapoor's Khazana

Punjab On The Platter

When Tony and Rupinder put their mind, effort and experience together, it was sure to bring out a good product. After the success of Banjara, Legacy of China, Pop Tates and Riverdale, it’s time to unveil Urban Tadka - their newest venture positioned as ‘Good Food Indian Restaurant’. The restaurant, primarily serving cuisine from north of India, was my choice for this month as I believe Mumbai needs scores of "good" Indian restaurants as against "fancy" Indian restaurants. Urban Tadka fits the bill as it is ethnic but still contemporary. The place is rustically Punjabi making you feel absolutely at home and the ambience still gives you the feeling of eating out.

We set out for dinner on a Monday night, assuming it would be easy to find space and would be quiet and ideal to to entertain friends but we were in for a big surprise! The place was packed and there were people waiting for tables. Although we didn’t need to do that.

Our first introduction to the place was course the menu card. Urban Tadka has its goodies listed on the design of a slate, something we as kids used very constructively. And then once the colourful crockery was in place in front of us, our grand meal started off. We opted for ‘Nimbu Chicken’ giving out wafts of lemony aroma as the menu said it was a ‘must have’. I was pleasantly surprised to see chunky chicken pieces with bones with a little bit of thin runny gravy, served as a starter. You have the first bite and you just can’t stop. ‘Fish Tikka’ was incredible too, perfectly succulent and juicy. The ‘Tandoori King Prawns’ however, did not meet my expectations. Although, my guests quite enjoyed the preparation. I personally think the prawns were a tad bit overcooked.

For main course we tried the ‘Ambarsariya Murgha’ in thick red gravy which reminded me of the sumptuous chicken that I sampled on the roadsides of Amritsar. Combined with chunks of flaky ‘Laccha Parauntha’ it is definitely worth writing about. The ‘Keema Kaleji’ served with ‘Pao’ is a tangent to the theme but nevertheless proves that the owners want to cater to different palates but with a policy. Yeah, they sure have a policy in place, I noticed, as they clearly refused to cater to a ‘Jain food’ request. But the non-Jain vegetarians have a lot to look forward to. Among other things, the almost perfect ‘Sarson Ka Saag’ with ‘Makai Rotis’, is a meal by itself and is priced at less than Rs 100. Great food at a great price! The other vegetarian dish we tried was the unusual ‘Chole Aur Aloo Ki Biryani’, being a chef, I can tell it’s a very carefully made preparation! Black dal was heavy as usual, but then that’s what everyone loves, don’t we all! Yellow dal tadka can do with a lot of improvement. By now we thought we were stuffed and then we set our eyes on the ‘Jalebis’. One small one wouldn’t hurt and would be just right as a dessert, especially when it is topped with home made rabdi.

We left with very full stomachs but it wasn’t very heavy on the pocket. I would recommend the restaurant for all those who want fresh, authentic, well made Punjabi ‘ghar ka khana’ on a budget.

Urban Tadka, Seven Bungalows, Juhu-Versova road, Andheri (west), Mumbai - 400053
Tel: (022) 26328172/73
Average spend for two is Rs 500