 Some
of us love to cook and some don't. If you happen to belong to the
second category but yearn for good homely food Queen's Restaurant
on Church Street is the place for you. Started off as a small food
joint in early 1974, it has expanded over time, but not too much.
And that's just what makes it so cosy. What's surprising is that despite
being around for 26 years not many people have heard of it. Soneelam
Chodha and Anil Chodha,a husband and wife team, were instrumental
in starting off this cool place. Actually, it was all Soneelam's 'baby'
who felt that Bangaloreans deserved a taste of delicious Punjabi food.
The moment one walks in, the very first thing that hits you is
the unique décor. The rustic scene makes you feel you are in a village.
The mud plastered walls, copper dishes, chatai napkins, iron and
cane furniture, bright broken tiles along the walls, the yellow
cement floor with broken colourful tiles, dim lights and earthern
pots here and there put you in a relaxed mood. The credit for this
décor goes to Anshul Chodha, the talented son of the Chodhas' who
is an interior designer and architect. The place is crowded most
of the time and can accommodate 40-42 poeple at a time on a first
come, first serve basis. There is no bar attached as the Chodas
believe in clean and healthy fun.
All of you who thought that Punjabi food is always oily, heavy
and spicy will be in for a pleasant surprise here. The owners claim
that even if you eat here daily, you do not ever upset your stomach.
An average vegetarian-meal costs Rs 100 and a non-vegetarian meal
costs Rs 150-200 for two people.
The best part about the service is the personal touch because at
least one member of the Chodha supervises
the service. Celebrities like Anant Nag and Kumar Bangarappa, apart
from the young crowd, can be seen relishing the Punjabi food here.
The other unique thing about the place is that the preparation of
every dish is personally supervised by Mrs Soneelam and if one is
lucky, is also cooked by her sometimes! Name it, you have it - chats,
biryani, tawa and tandoori food to beverages. Queen's specializes
in kadai chicken, kadai paneer and paneer jal farezi. The Chodas'
have 12-13 people to help them run the place, out of which four
are cooks and the head cook is Ramdev Sahoo, who has been there
from the past seven years. According to him, ''As Mrs Soneelam is
very fond of cooking, she has personally shared her expertise in
Punjabi cooking and trained all of us.
The restaurant is open between 12:00 and 3:30 pm in the afternoon
and 6:00 to 10:30 pm in the evenings. "Our restaurant has entered
the Penguin Food Lovers Guide to India and Nepal as one of the best
eating places in the country," says a proud Anil Chodha. This place
is certainly a favourite among youngsters and for those who relish
Punjabi cuisine - in a home away from home. So go over and enjoy!
Contact No: 25596361, 9845000554, 9845040706
Aditi
Kumar
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