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   |