Pal ka Dhabha : Chandigarh

A wonderful Dhabha at Chandigarh! If you are at Chandigarh, definitely visit Pal ka Dhabha!

Some meals stay with you, some meals urge you to get that post going ASAP even if you are actually in a vacation 🙂 Our experience at Pal ka Dhabha was something like that.

We are currently vacationing at Tirthan Valley in Himachal Pradesh and we drove down here from Delhi in my dad’s Alto. We decided to break the journey and halt at Chandigarh for the night since it would have been a 12 hour drive otherwise plus we really wanted to watch the World Cup final if possible (Messi magic didn’t work, Sigh.. disappointed me). When we were wondering where to have dinner, the single answer I got from everyone was Pal ka Dhabha, sector 28, Chandigarh and hence we promptly landed there directly from the drive, all hungry.

The first thing you wonder when you reach Pal is that which one is the original since the sector 28 complex has about 2 or 3 of them. We asked around and were told they are all brothers who have spilt. All food is great. Since it was hot we choose the one which had a mist fan going and it did have maximum crowd too, whether to account it to the fan or food, we chose not to wonder.

We ordered “Rara Meat” , “Butter Chicken”, Naan and missi roti for dinner. Unfortunately the pictures from that day are so bad considering there was a green tinge to the light and my camera was out of charge. The “Rara Meat” was spectacular. Essentially, mutton cooked in whole spices and an onion semi gravy, this one also had liver in it.

Excellent balance of spices and we all loved it. Butter chicken, though not my favorite dish generally, (go ahead and judge me, I am not a butter chicken fan) had the right balance of sweetness and tangy. The child loved it and after many meals of not eating well, ate a full meal, thanks to the butter chicken. The naan was nice and crisp, not the rubbery cousin we usually get in the name of naan, at most places. We had a happy and satisfying meal and when I was served gud (jaggery) to end the meal with the bill, I was smiling wide. It had been ages I had gud at the end of the meal. So Punjab thing this is!

Happy with the meal, we decided to come back there for breakfast the next morning before heading out on the road. For breakfast we ordered the Punjab ka favorite “aloo parantha” and “lassi” . Both of them hit the spot right on. Correct amount of filling, rightly spiced and evenly spread. The hallmark of a good parantha.

The lassi, though not as thick as the typical Punjab lassi, was very flavourful and frankly, because it wasn’t as thick. it was drinkable.

What I also loved was the achar. A big container full going from table to table.

So if you are in Chandigarh, do have a meal at Pal Dhabha, I leave you with a sweet gud here while I go back to my hammock in the middle of hills where I am typing this post from.

See you with more stories soon.