The big, fat veggie dinner

Puranmal, the pure vegetarian restaurant at Juhu, is perfect for large family dinners, so get your dada-dadi, nana-nani, et al to join in the food carnival

Puranmal, the pure vegetarian restaurant at Juhu, is perfect for large family dinners, so get your dada-dadi, nana-nani, et al to join in the food carnival

On a Sunday evening when India was playing its first big World Cup encounter, against England, we expected the crowd at Puranmal, Juhu's latest fine dine restaurant, to be quite thin.

Bhuni Hui Arbi Tamatar. Pics/Prathik Panchamia

Surprisingly, this wasn't the case. Not only was the lobby overflowing with mostly-Gujju families, but patrons were also standing outside the restaurant. We stepped in with an understanding that it would take a while to get a table. The huge flat screen TV beaming the live match was a relief; at least we wouldn't miss England's innings. When we jotted our names on the guest list we were told the table would be ready in ten minutes. This was surprise number two for the evening.

Noticing our interest in the match the hostess graciously gave us a seat with a good view of the projector screen. By now, Andrew Strauss was ripping our bowlers apart.

Quickly, we placed our order -- Mixed Kebab Platter (Rs 250) for starters, Bhuni Hui Arbi Tamatar (Rs 200), Dal Makhani (Rs 180) with Lasuni Naan (Rs 60) and Pudina Paratha (Rs 50) for the mains. Unfortunately, the waiter didn't hand us with the mocktails/juice/milkshake menu but we did see a few interesting-looking concoctions on adjacent tables.

The food arrived in good time despite the overcrowded house. The Kebab Platter had a mix of the usual suspects -- Tandoori Paneer/Gobi, Stuffed Mushrooms, Bhuna Aaloo, and Veg Seekh Kebab. Unlike a majority of restaurants that do a terrible job of vegetarian kebabs, the kitchen at Puranmal doled out perfect fare -- the paneer was soft and succulent, the seekh wasn't brittle, the mushrooms were well done and the mustard on the cauliflower was yum.

On to the main course, we decided to skip the many paneer-based dishes on the menu. deliberately. Not too many restaurants venture into recipes that include Arbi (Colocassia) so this had to be tested. The vegetable was refreshingly not dunked in the typical onion-tomato paste. It was light and easy on the palate. Our only grouse -- the tomatoes should've been chopped into tinier pieces. The Dal Makhani did not disappoint.

By the time we were done, the match was nearing its climax, and like us, the entire restaurant was cheering for India. Puranmal looked like a mini-stadium, where the tension was pal-pable. The match ended in a tie, and we drowned our sorrows in a Kesar Pista Gulab Jamun (Rs 130). Our kind of dessert-therapy on any
given day.

At Bharat Bhavan, near Mithibai College, Juhu, Vile Parle (W); Call 26716939 Puranmal didn't know we were there. The Guideu00a0reviews anonymously and pays for meals.