Hungry in Chandigarh: Pal Dhaba

My short and hectic stay in Chandigarh Mohali started with a wonderful lunch at Pal Dhaba. This iconic eatery is famous for its Punjabi Dhaba cuisine. Its a favorite of locals and tourists who make it a point to visit this place every time they come to Chandigarh. Me and my pals were famished after a long flight. A friend, familiar with the terrain, suggested we hit this joint. What followed was a discovery of the amount we could actually eat when the food is so good and an array of superb Punjabi surprising food.

Surprising because I never had punjabi food this way. This was the authentic dhaba version. Take for instance Tandoori chicken. I have had literally a hundred variations of this stuff. But almost nobody made it so tender, not-overtly spiced and flavorful. Its the same stuff yet different.

The butter chicken we ordered next is huge. The photo dosen't do justice, but the serving is massive! Same thing, never had butter chicken made this way. This wasn't sweet at all and really yup. We also had the mutton and chicken curries. Mind you thats 4 non veg dishes and we were totally digging into all this stuff and almost finished.
Obviously we had the lassi and that sealed the fate for a dreaded 2 hour siesta.

I can't wait to go back to this place after things chill a little bit.

Edit: I ate here 5 times in 3 days. I had butter chicken 3 times. I have loosened my belt a notch. It gets boring after a while cause there isn't much in terms of variety of offerings and you surely wouldn't wanna have this as regular fare. Its definitely a must visit in Chandigarh, but the dhaba fascination wears off quickly. I wouldn't repeat a visit, rather spend the time looking for some more rustic offerings. For example I heard of some Dhabas on the highways who serve really good everyday Punjabi food. There are some sweet shops and upper scale restaurants in Chandigarh you should check out rather than repeat eating at a place 5 times. Now I am really hungry for some succulent tandoori from Pal Dhaba....