Chandigarh : The Chicken Saga

During the Chandigarh trip I was quite eager on dining Authentic Punjabi food. In any city or place when you visit, the place has to offer something for each of your 5 senses. Food that tickles your taste buds and leaves a lasting impression on your memory is what you are looking for.

I specially wanted to taste the Chicken Tikka, Butter Chicken, Tandoori Chicken... basically NON veg. And I hoped to get lots of it in Chandigarh. Dhaba style.

So at lunch time, we all got in the car and drove out to the markets... At first There was no restaurant in sight. Sector after sector after sector, we drove and asked people and drove some more. Yet no respite.. In the meanwhile the rumbling in our tummies grew larger than the Shamur and Sona Family audio cassetes that we were playing..

One thing that I really liked about Chandigarh is how well the city has been planned. The streets are really wide and ample space for gardens and separate lanes for cycles and rickshaws.. tough the city needs maintenance. I could see dead leaves everywhere and piled up mud and it looked like the streets haven't been cleaned for ages. Though If I compare it with some of the prime locations in Delhi or even Gurgaon, I think Chandigarh is lagging behind. But it scores way ahead with its planning. No doubt.

Back to the Chicken Saga, finally we encountered a restaurant but it was "Vegetarian Only". Then another restaurant came up and It was labeled "Pure Veg". Then suddenly there was a sprout in the availability of restaurants and all of them were Vegetarian.

Have the Chandigarh folks turned grass eaters ? I know that vegetarian lifestyle has its benefits but... guys... come on... we have to do what we can to combat the Bird Flu menace.

So anyways I noticed a Sher - e - Punjab restaurant and we all heaved a sigh of relief and jumped with joy at the same time. This restaurant will have what we need. After all it is a Sher (Tiger) - e - Punjab. As we cam closer, under the big bold "Sher - e - Punjab", was written "Pure Vaishno Vegetarian". Arrrrggggghhhhh.. @#$##$%#%$#@@.

We then reached Sector 17 Market which is one of the the posh markets of Chandigarh and found Subways and McDonalds and saw a Hot Millions at which we out of desparation. Food was ok and the chicken wasnt too good.

At night we tried our luck once more and found Tihal Singh's Chicken corner and food there was at best mediocre.

Next day on the way back dad and mom suggested that we Puran Singh's dhaba at Ambala bus stand. They said that whoever passes by there makes it a point to eat there. Be adviced though there are atleast 8-10 dhabas there in a single line by the names of :
Puran singh ka Asli Dhaba
Puran singh ka Mashoor Dhaba
Puran singh da Dhaba
Puran singh ka Asli Mashoor Dhaba

There were more but I think you get the point.

Anyways we asked arround and people told us that the one adjoining the bus stand is the original. The guy prepares big containers of chicken and mutton at a time and replaces them as they get empty. We had our fill of Chicken and Mutton Curry.

And oh dont forget to take a sip of the heavenly Keenu Juice they serve at the roadside.