‘The Pindi Bangalore’ might be new to this city but the roots date back to 1948, when the first Pindi was started in the Pandara Market area in New Delhi. Close to the India Gate this legendary restaurant still attracts a large crowd including foreign visitors who are always in the hunt to try North Indian and Mughlai Cuisine. The word ‘Pindi’ comes from Rawalpindi which is famous across the world for its different style of cooking. The restaurant is located on the Outer Ring Road in HSR Layout in Bangalore / Bengaluru .
Read my review on other nearby restaurants like Keetos, Via Milano
The restaurant is spread over two floors where one floor is air-conditioned and houses the bar, the other floor is on the roof top, something only a few restaurants have in Bangalore. The view of the Outer Ring Road is amazing. The roof top seating is mesmerizing with the cool breeze blowing. The seating is either on sofa or iron chairs and the décor is modern with large bulbs and flower pots hanging from the roof.
We tried a number of items here like the Red Card Martini and the Cuba Libra in Cocktails. The Red Card Martini was made with Cranberry Juice and was served in a Martini glass, amazing in taste. The Cuba Libra had sour mixed with Coke. We also tried a couple of mocktails like the Virgin Mojito and the Sunrise, both the drinks were refreshing.
As Pindi is famous for its Tandoori items we were really excited to try their appetizers, so we ordered the Shahi Veg Tandoori Platter which had Malai Paneer Tikka, Afgani Chaamp, Veg Seekh Kebab, Dahi Ke Kebab and Paneer Kurkure. The Malai Paneer Tikka was subtle in taste while the paneer was really soft and melted in the mouth. The Afgani Chaamp was on the other end of the spectrum as it was spicy and super delicious. The Veg Seekh Kebab were again soft and succulent. The Dahi Ke Kebab went really well with the home made green chutney. But the star was the Paneer Kurkure dish as soft pieces of paneer were deep-fried with a coating of poppadoms. It was a rare combination of soft paneer and crunchy papad coating. The appetizers go really well with their home made masala onions.
For the main course we had the Dal Makhani, Paneer Sharmille and the Sarson Ka Saag. The Dal Makhani was mushy and creamy as it is shimmered overnight. Sarson Ka Saag is something that you don’t find often in most of the North Indian Restaurants, but the one here was flavourful and delicious. The Paneer Sharmille is made with crushed Paneer strands and other veggies like capsicum and carrots. The dish was rich and tasty. We tried the curries with a variety of breads like the Garlic Naan, Tandoori Roti, Laccha Paratha and the Missi Roti. No doubt the combination was excellent. We also tried the Veg Palao with a variety of vegetables and a strong flavor of Kewra.
The dinner at Pindi was unforgetful as the taste of these Muglai dishes came out really well at take you straight to Delhi. The cost for 2 is close to Rs. 1000 without drinks.
Pindi – Scorecard –
Food/Taste – 8/10
Service/Hospitality – 8/10
Value for Money – 8/10
Ambiance – 9/10
Quantity/Quality – 9/10
Overall Rating – 4.2/5
An excellent choice when it comes to North Indian food.
