A whiff of home

One would miss the entrance to ‘Paratha Plaza’ in Indiranagar quite easily, were it not for the red and white sign placed on the sidewalk.

Walk in and you would see a small space, neat yet unremarkable, big enough for around 36 people. So what is it that makes this restaurant a favourite choice of people in the area?

“It is our menu of course,” says Pankaj Agarwal, the manager of the branch. “We offer ‘parathas’ that retain the quality and flavour of this authentic North Indian cuisine. We offer simple and pure food that will remind one of home.”

This statement finds favour with the crowd, many of whom are regulars there. From families on weekends to a bustling office-going crowd on weekdays, the clientele at this place is mixed.

“But the one thing that is common among all of them is that they keep coming  back. Some people come every weekend while there are others who come almost daily,” avers Pankaj smiling.

It is not hard to see why. The restaurant offers 26 varieties of ‘parathas’, the most expensive of which costs Rs 80. Coupled with mint chutney and pickles and accompanied with a small bowl of curd, these ‘parathas’ are enough to fill enough to hungriest of tummies.

These Indian breads come with a variety of stuffings made from potatoes, radish, ‘paneer’, green peas, cheese and so on.

“The main crowd comes in at lunch time on weekdays and is made up of executives,” explains Pankaj. “Since they are looking for a filling lunch at pocket-friendly prices, we have not extended our menu or included fancy items. Stuffed ‘parathas’, main course and rice items are what we offer. The fastest moving items in the menu are the ‘50-50’ paratha (which has a stuffing made of potatoes, ‘paneer’ and onion), ‘Your pleasure my pleasure’ paratha (made of green peas, sweetcorn, potatoes, onion and capsicum) and ‘Golmal’ (potatoes, onion and cheese). ”

The restaurant and the food might seem a bit plain to customers looking for something a little above the average though. It is a purely vegetarian menu and there is no marked difference in the tastes in the ‘parathas’ — the stuffings are cooked just right but the distinctive flavour of the individual ingredients is missing. There is no dessert section and people with a sweet tooth will have to adjust with lassi’.

There are eight outlets of this chain in the city, all owned and managed by K K Agarwal and his wife Seema, who relocated from Patna to set up this business here. The one in HSR Layout had the largest crowd before the Indiranagar branch went on to steal this spot.

Asked about the decor, Pankaj says, “There is no particular theme for any of the outlets. The decor depends on the space available. We just focus on creating a space that is clean and comfortable.”

While ‘parathas’ are the mainstay of North Indian cuisine, Pankaj says that the number of South Indians coming in to the restaurant is no less and they love the food here too.

“While the ingredients can’t be changed, we are always open to tweaking the spice levels in different items, depending on an individual’s tastes. But so far, no one has ever made a request like that. All our customers are more than satisfied with the food we offer them,” he says. ‘Paratha Plaza’ is located on 100 Feet Road, HAL 2nd Stage, Indiranagar.