There are some times when you wake up in the middle of the night... starving and craving for that one particular dish from that one particular place. Sometimes you have that really fabulous meal earlier in the day and just couldn't pack away that one small morsel and are so regretting it now. It has happened to me with mom's cooking, and with a few restos in Bangalore - the Shawarmas of Kebab Magic, the biryani from Richies.And now- its everything on the menu at Taa'am. This is a small restaurant in the basement of a largely residential area on Queen's Road.
A friend and colleague of Sudhakar's introduced the gang at office to the place and after one visit, Sudhakar kept talking of this dish called the Laham Mandi... and he talked and talked and talked, till in the middle of the week one day, Anoushka and I decided to meet him for lunch there. Its truly a place in the basement, a sliding door for an entrance, neat and clean table and plastic chair setting and a huge curtain separating the open kitchen area from the dining area. And of course the first thing we ordered was the Laham Mandi.
The Laham Mandi is an Arabian version of biryani. It comes on a huge platter - one mandi = two supremely satisfied people OR One supremely happy, ravenously hungry individual (keyword being ravenous here)The rice is soft, mixed with vegetables, on top of which is the hunk of meat. What you get is a really big slab. Along with this comes a bowl of mandi soup and a mint chutney that will have you constantly asking more for. Its tempered with slivered onions giving it a fabulous flavor. You need to hold up the piece of meat, use your spoon and simple push the meat of the bone. That's how soft and succulent it is. This dish is cooking constantly in a huge vessel on the side and if you sit in the right place you will get a peek of it. Its of course ghee heavy, but in that nice way.
Laham Mandi with Soup
Another must have here is the lamb chops. Its one a plate and even though you will find it difficult to stop, you better simply because there are so many other great things to eat here. The meat may seem a bit charred on the outside, but that's the hue its gets after its done its time in the tandoor. The meat is soft and you know the marinade has been on a long time.
Lamb chops (one to a plate)
Another great combination at this place is the Khichdi Kheema with chutney. We visited on two to three occasions and the chutneys that come along constantly change. When we ordered the Khichdi Kheema there was tomato chutney which kind of wiped away the memory of the mint one. Am not a fan of khichdi, but this was not the watery version you tend to associate with the word khichdi. It was a more dry and firm version with dal and spices. The kheema, topped off with butter was spicy and with the rice and chutney seriously made you wish science progressed on that tummy for hire concept.
Khichdi
And the accompanying Kheema
Tomato Chutney
There were some visits where the folks with us wanted to go easy since they had important client meetings in the afternoon and did not want to the entire conference room to hear their satisfied snores. They grudgingly ate biryani rice with baingan ka salan on one occasion. The biryani rice was more a khushka, but really tasty and as for the salan, vegetarians, you will have a great thing going here.
Biryani Rice
Baingan Salan
They do have a sweet dish they call falooda. It doesn't look like what we know as falooda, but is quite tasty for a milk based sweet. If you have been able to save some space after this meal, then its worth a try. The Mandi will cost you Rs 250 and honestly, it will take 2 heavy eaters and one eating champion to finish this off. The menu has a range of other Indian/Chinese dishes which is an attempt at pleasing finicky people. Haven't bothered trying so won't comment on that. A meal for two will come to Rs 400 if you order kebabs and soft drinks as well. There is a unisex loo which is clean. On Fridays lunch service begins a bit late, after the day's namaz is done.
Address: Queen's Road Cross, Munniswamy Road (After Caricon ACs)
Phone: 9845538234
Accepts Cards:
Parking: Easier if you are on bikes
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