The newly opened Dhaba offers relishing Punjabi food and its retro ambience takes us back to the 80s and 90s

Carrying forward a thirty year old legacy, Dhaba has now found a new address at Commons in DLF Avenue. Offering a vast variety of delectable North Indian especially Punjabi food, this one attempts to provide a true Dhaba experience in terms of both food and décor.  

As you step in, the décor is a trip down memory lane. With use of bright colours, retro posters and vintage collages it is a throwback to the 80s and 90s. A huge truck mural greets you right at the entrance, recreating the vibe of a highway eatery as Punjabi music plays in the background. 

Their menu is divided into three parts – the Tandoor, Tawa and Patiala food. With signature Recipes Since 1986 and the new experimental Highway Specials, there are a whole lot of new and signature dishes for everyone to try.

We left it to the manager, to get us their recommendations. As we waited for our food, we couldn’t help but notice that a great deal of care has been given to create the ambience. From the menus which have fun anecdotes in each page, to the tables and coasters, everything has good detailing to them. A special mention to their staff, especially Ravinder who helped us through the dinner, all with a smile. 

Before starting off with our gorge fest we browsed through the Theka – their menu for beverages. Yet to get their liquor license, we tried two of their mocktails or Mock Tharra as they like to call it. The Aam Panna came in a banta bottle and has a very mellow taste. 

The Virgin Annarkali is a refreshing mix of mint and pomegranate mocktail. This one definitely came to be used to wash down all the meat and masala that followed next. 

We began with their Non Veg Platter which offers a mix of their best from the starters menu. It was impossible to choose which one was the best out of the five on the platter as everything was cooked to perfection.

 The Galouti Kebab – which is slow cooked minced mutton is extremely soft and melts into your mouth like butter. With the exact right amount of spices this one completely won me over. 

The Highway Chicken Tikka from their Tandoor section, was a burst of flavour with every bite. These spicy boneless chicken morsels were well complimented by the green chutney. 

Another one from their tandoor section, the Murgh Malai Tikka was soft, juicy and creamy. Having tried several tikka, as one would living in the Capital these really stood apart with its flavours. 

The Mutton Seekh was also perfectly juicy and was mildly spicy. We finished our platter with the Amritsari Macchi which was a deep fried fillet of sole fish. This one was extremely crispy, fresh and surprisingly low on oil. 

Before moving to the main course, we couldn’t stop from trying their lassi. A part of their Theka menu, we tried the Mawe Di Lassi. Expecting it to be thick and heavy, we were slightly apprehensive to try this before our main course. We were in for a surprise as this was just perfect, neither too sweet nor too thick. 

For the main course we were recommended to try their Balti Meat. One of their signature dishes from the Patiala section, it’s a dhaba style mutton curry. The flavours are strong and get you hooked right from the first bite. The big succulent pieces of mutton are extremely soft and the spices go right into the meat. 

Eating at a Dhaba, we had to try their daal. The Pind Wali Dal Tadka, was a little low on the spice quotient as one would expect a dal fry to be. 

We had this with their Garlic Naan and Lal Mirch Paratha. The Paratha was a refreshing change from the ones we are used to having as this had a distinct taste and smell to it. 

To cool down all that spice we went straight for the desserts. We tried their Phirnee and Matka Kulfi. While the texture of the phrinee was a turn off, the Matka Kulfi won us over. Served in a cute small mud pot, the kulfi is garnished with dry fruits and is almost addictive. 

We ended with the Dhaba Ka Meetha Pan, which honestly did not appeal to us. Perhaps after all that sweetness of the Kulfi, maybe going for a Saada pan would be a better option. 

Review done on invitation

Address: Dhaba, Dlf Avenue, Saket

(Cover: Non Veg Platter)