09 March,2011 10:17 AM IST | | Namita Gupta
For those who have been missing their chaat and home-food like thali fix, the newly opened Khushboo's fills the gap between street food and fine dining
When a chaat and North Indian restaurant from Delhi sets up shop in Bangalore, it is bound to attract eager chaat freaks like a swarm of bees hovering over their prey. Enter Khushboo's and you can feast your eyes on hordes of Indian mithai section on your left with racks of neatly wrapped namkeen behind. On your right is the chaat counter where the chaatwaala will make fresh chaats on order. In the centre are the chairs and tables, which are already seeing packed days and evenings, despite the place being only a couple of days old. Thanks to the Dilliwali chaat tag and the word-of-mouth that's going around.
Khushboo's
Food: average
Service: brisk
Ambience: spacious
Pay first for your order from a single-page menu of chaats and thalis, get your coupons and then hand the coupons to the respective counters and plonk yourself in the middle section of the eatery. We recommend you refrain from ordering the Pani Puri (Rs 30), since the golgappas are too thick due to the extra rawa and the chutney is too watery, probably to cater to largeu00a0 crowd. The paani though is fresh with a minty zing.
The Aloo Papdi Chaat (Rs 50) is a mouthful of delight with the right amount of curd, chutney, boiled potatoes and sev sprinkled on the bite-sized papdis. There's also Katori Chaat, Aloo Tikki, Samosas, Raj Kachori and Chilla (chickpea flour bread). The Chilla we saw that was being served looked burnt and thick, so we tried the Pav Bhaji (Rs 60) which was quite average. The Paneer Parantha (Rs 60) was served cut in four quarters and nothing to rave about either. The Paneer Tikka (Rs 175) though was succulent and flavourful tossed with the right amount of seasoning and onion and capsicum for added flavor.
The mood of the eatery is quite vibrant as there's always a flurry of activity on at any time of the day. With chaats starting from R 25 onwards, our fair city is leaving no time lapping it up to satiate their pre-dinner hunger pangs. There are also Combo Thalis (Rs 80) with a basic Roti, Rice, Dal and Sweet, perfect for a quick out-of-office lunch.
Yes, the sabji is missing, probably owing to the steep price of veggies, though their dal quite makes up for anything else. But are their thalis any competition for the Mast Kalandar chain down the road? We think not.
The Gulab Jamuns (Rs 15) are just the way you would get in Delhi, large and round with a dry fruit stuffing and soaked in extremely sweet sugar syrup. There will be more dining space by next week, since the restaurant is busy sprucing up its first floor, but the sad part is the menu that will remain the same.
At: Khushboo's, 85, 4th Main, 4th Block, 80 Feet Road, ST Bed Layout, Koramangala
Call: 40916162/63.
Meal for two: Rs 500
Khushboo's didn't know we were there. The Guide reviews anonymously and pays for meals.
