Ethnic flavour

Barnalee Handique visits Taste of India, a gourmet haunt for authentic Indian fare, and recommends it to youngsters who want to relish some good food keeping their pocket money under consideration

Just round the corner from the heavy hustle and bustle of the schizoid traffic of Vimanagar, near Dattaray Chowk, is this tiny little eatery, Taste of India. As the name implies, the restaurant offers authentic Indian cuisine, and has earned itself a reputation of serving the best desi dishes in the locality.
Situated in an industrial area, Taste of India has become a favourite with young professionals. And since it's not heavily priced, it's flocked all the more by a young clientele. Deepak Bisht, an ex-IT professional himself and owner of the place, says, "The main idea of setting this place was that one can enjoy different regional cuisines in reasonable prices under one roof." Bisht not only knows the nitty gritties of the food he serves, but also knows how to present it to the city's gastronomes. This aspect is incidentally the first thing that grabs your attention.
"The food is a big hit with my colleagues and me. We frequent it nearly everyday during lunchtime. The food served here is scrumptious. It's like home cooked food with less oil and spices," says Rahul Chada, a professional. Ditto with Bikram Seth, an executive. "It is like a home away from home. You get to savour all the regional cuisines under one roof. Moreover the dishes are well priced and don't burn a hole in your pocket," he reasons. It was a cue that we were not going to miss. We decided to see what's on offer and also to savour some of it. The bright coloured menus are in-depth and extensive.
The menu is a plethora of lunch combos, biryani combos and fusion combos like Indianised Chinese dishes available in both vegetarian and non- vegetarian. Also, the fare served here is generously proportioned and doesn't give you a chance to crib about quantity. As far as the dishes go, a huge draw are the special ones like dum aloo, banarasi chicken, chettinad chicken Maratha, malbar fish curry and Goan dishes. And naturally, these impressive delicacies draw in strolling passer-bys.
An observation before we left: once the waiter staff learns you are interested in exploring authentic fare, they are more than willing to pitch in and help you on your gourmet odyssey.