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 Sarson Ka Saag and Makki Ki Roti. Where in
Chennai can you find this authentic Punjabi dish? If you like
Punjabi food and don’t know where to head, guide yourself into one
of Chennai’s popular eat-outs, Dhaba Express. After successful
operations in and around Chennai, Dhaba now comes to T Nagar.
Situated in Sarojini Street, this place is definitely worth a visit.
The place is beautifully decorated with dim
lights and bamboo furniture. The entire area is filled with several
potted plants, providing a wonderful ambiance. Water is served in
what they call as ‘lota’ to give the complete Punjabi feeling.
 Dhaba Express is the ideal place to visit if you
are celebrating a victory, feeling low or just in the mood for a
treat. The nicely done décor and the good service add to the comfort
level.
Dhaba Express has about 12 official outlets in the city, two in Ooty
and one in Vizag. These offer a plethora of exotic north Indian and
special Punjabi food. “Most of our customers enjoy Dal Makhani and
Paneer Punjabi among the vegetarian meals. While chicken tikka,
mutton and special seafood are very popular among the
non-vegetarians,” says Kewal, one of the owners of Dhaba Express.
“We actually specialise in tandoori and Chinese food,” he adds.
 The food served here is made by chefs who come from various parts of
north India like Punjab (of course), Haryana and UP. “Most of our
chefs are trained by us. My brother, Sachin (one of the other
owners), is a professional cook himself,” he says. One interesting
thing about them is that they make most of the masalas themselves
instead of buying readymade ones. “This makes the taste unique and
distinct. We also orders special carrots from Punjab itself for
certain dishes.”
 While the other outlets have already established themselves in
Chennai, the one in T Nagar is just about a month old. It has been
found that about 70 per cent of their crowd is youth! Dhaba Express
also organises Dhaba theme parties both in the restaurant and also
their A/C hall called Banjara. This Dhaba also has plans of expand
itself to other states like Bangalore, Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam
apart from opening four more in Chennai. One can also try the buffet
lunch priced at Rs 60 at the Teynampet and Nungambakkam branches.
 “It's been just a few days since this outlet has opened. We are
hoping and expecting people to come over and check out this place
soon,” exclaims a very cheerful Lila, in-charge (T Nagar branch).
“Our basic motto is to provide people with authentic north Indian
food with good hygiene and give them a fine dining experience,”
concludes Kewal.
With framed photographs of old Hindi heroines like Madhubala and
Meenakumari staring down at you and Himesh Reshammiya’s strikingly
similar tunes playing in the background, this roof garden restaurant
will definitely leave you licking your fingers!
Sandhya Santhanaraman |
