Saturday, November 24, 2007

Queen's stinking ways


Queen's on Church Street is the first refuge for all north indians in Bangalore missing 'ghar ka khana'. Until a year back, I too was a regular. I guess I was guilty of over-visiting to a point where I outgrew it.

What best to order depends on what time of the day you land there. If it's early evening, I like to choose from their chaats menu. It's always a close call between Aloo Tikki, Dahi Papadi Chaat and Paani Puri. If it's a not a tie, ie. But if you are not the chaat types, veg or egg rolls are a good bet for any early evening snack.

If I land up for a long leisurely dinner, chicken tikka kebabs make an excellent starter. Sometimes I am guilty of overdoing it with chicken tikka curry for main course. The bread menu has choice too but I rarely deviate from the healthy and simple phulkas. Plus a veg dish of stuffed capsicum or baingan ka bharta usually rounds up the meal for me. Not counting the Sirka Pyaz (vinegar soaked onions) and pickle that make the usual accompaniments at Queen's.

For a quick lunch, Methi Aloo is my big favourite. It tends to be dry, so always order a curry to go with it. Methi tadka dal does just as well for me. But my lunch is never complete without steamed rice and a glass of buttermilk to wash it down.

PS: Sadly biryanis are nothing home to write about. Mutton (in all forms) is average. The service is bad at peak hours and the owners seem least bothered about guest experience - including the stream of sewer water running in front of the entrance, the last time I visited them a year ago.

[Original pic by mutantlog]