23 February,2011 09:58 AM IST | | Priyanjali Ghose
Kingbite, a new fast food joint in town offers a variety of chaats but falls short on the authenticity factor
On a chilly, rainy evening, the idea of trying out Kingbite, a new place serving up chaat and chai, sounded more than welcome to us. Locating the eatery was not a problem either as it is located right on the main road on the Jeevanbheema Nagar. A small space with red tables, yellow chairs and clinical lighting, this fast food joint reminds you of the innumerable assembly line squeaky clean chaat places that can be found all over the city.
Kingbite
Food: average
Service: self
Ambience: dull
Balle Balle Paneer Paratha
However, one look at the menu and you realise that Kingbite aims to bring street food from all across northern parts of the country on to your plate. From Mumbai vada pav to Uttar Pradesh dahi paapdi chaat, this self-service eatery lists a long line of mouth watering street fare.
Since the menu offers nearly 20 varieties of chaat, we decided to begin our experience with Raj Kachori (Rs 30), which sadly was nothing home to write about with its bland mix of curd and sweet and sour chutney. Not satisfied, we decided to go for the paratha and the rice combos, both of which again disappointed us.
The Kadhi Chawal (Rs 55) was written as a must try. However, the kadhi with onion pakodas in a curd gravy was watery and tasted too salty for our liking. The only relief were the pickle and raita served with it. Nothing remotely tasting like paneer hit our palates when we bit into the Balle Balle Paneer Paratha(Rs 75), another must-try as mentioned in the menu.
The parathas were dry with hardly any paneer stuffing in it and did not appeal to our taste buds much. But the milky Elaichi Chai (R20) was the only saving grace of the meal. The steaming, milky chai, flavoured with cardamom is a sure mood lifter on a rainy evening. Our decision to end the meal on a sweet note with Gajar Ka Halwa (Rs 30) also turned out to be a bad idea. The halwa was soggy and lacked the taste of thick kheer and a nutty flavour.
A little depressed by the experience, we decided to end our meal and wanted to wash our hands as we did not dare to try anything else on the menu. However, we realised that Kingbite had no sink where we could wash our greasy hands and we had to be content wiping our hands with paper napkins. Kingbite hasu00a0 a menu that seems perfect for a quick grab but the food is strictly for those evenings when you just can't think of a better eating out option.
At: Kingbite, 10th Main Jeevanbheema Nagar, HAL 2nd Stage
Call: 25201808
Meal for two: Rs 200
Kingbite didn't know we were there. The Guide reviews anonymously and pays for meals.
