The new branch of The Great Punjab at Baner lives up to its reputation for authenticity of taste, says Nupur Chaudhuri

The Great Punjab, Koregaon Park, is known for its authentic food. Whether the Butter Chicken or the Palak Paneer, the taste seldom fails to please the palate. So, when I heard that the restaurant now has a branch at Baner Road, I was curious to see if it would recreate its Punjabi flavour for its patrons on that side of town.

The Great Punjab is on the main Baner Road and there’s enough parking space with the option of valet parking, so it ups it score on that front. The restaurant, its exterior and interior, is very similar to the Koregaon Park one. The interiors greet you with polished table tops, rustish red and grey colour coding, nice bright yellow lights, and the trademark bits of Punjab — wheat panelled in glass, talwars, embellished thalis and so on.

The tables are spaced at just the right distance from one another, so you can enjoy your privacy and yet tune in to the chitter-chatter around. We settled into the cushioned chairs and browsed through the extensive, moderately-priced menu. There’s ample choice for the bingers and a section for the ‘weight watchers’. We left the latter alone, and ordered a mix of veg and non-veg kebabs. First, of course, we were welcomed with a Kadak Roomali Masala. This was an elaborate masala papad. The dollops of butter were evenly spread and you have to get your fingers and your plate messy to enjoy this one. They didn’t go stingy on the masala, so extra points there!

Now for the kebabs — The Chicken Hariyali was medium-spiced with greens. The pudina and coriander flavours were powerful, and the chicken was tender. The tenderness continued in the Murgh Kalimiri that had a pleasant peppery taste.

The Murgh Peshawari was tougher than the other two tikkas. Owners Tejpal Gandhi and Kanwaldeep Singh Sethi explained, “The Peshawari Masala is a family recipe handed down to us from our previous two generations. No yoghurt is used and that is the reason for its slight toughness. It gives a ‘Gawran Chicken’ feel.” The Peshawari masala was spicy, and Gandhi revealed that it was a hit in the area.

Speaking of spicy, there was less of it in two of our veg starters —  The Corn Seekh Kebab was stuffed with corn and mashed potato and it needed a dip in the green chutney for that extra taste. The Palak Paneer Seekh was super soft and the cottage cheese and palak mix a delight. It was a refreshing change from the usual seekh kebabs.

The Tandoori Aloo was the spiciest of the three. The blandness of the boiled potato stuffing was balanced with the outer tandoori masala. The basic gravies for the main course, we were informed, were brought from the Koregaon Park restaurant. The Mutton Rogan Josh had a layer of rogan (oil) that held the flavour of the deep brown and dark red onion gravy. The mutton pieces were tender and the Lachcha Paratha and Churi Roti were apt bread accompaniments. The Rogan Josh is a must try.

The Tawa Mushroom was a semi-dry dish that had mushrooms sauteed with onions and tomatoes, and cooked in a thick brown gravy. The two dals — Dal Makhani and Dal Tadka — were finger-lickin’ good. The desi ghee used here added to their deliciousness.

We rounded up our meal with Malai Kulfi that cooled the palate and dissolved the mingled spices.

Here’s the bottomline: The Great Punjab (Baner Rd) will take the area more than a notch higher in the food circuit.