Brothers Dhaba, Amritsar

Amritsar. Golden Temple. Brothers Dhaba. The three words go hand in hand and it is due to both the location of the restaurant as well as the taste of the food that Brothers Dhaba has to offer. Brothers Dhaba is walking distance from the Golden Temple and is unmissable to the passer by on the way out of Govind Saab. It is highly recommended to complete the Amritsari Dhaba experience after paying ones obeisance at Govind Saab.

The full name of Brothers Dhaba is Bade Bhai ka Brothers Dhaba and is a direct outcome of the elder brother of the family that owned Bhrawan Da Dhaba starting up his own restaurant in 2001. The two restaurants run side by side without apparent trouble and Brothers Dhaba is clearly positioned on the hygiene platform on a relative level. The restaurant is fully air conditioned and there are a lot of uniformed staff attempting to be very prompt in service.

At Brothers Dhaba, we sampled two dishes which are the trademark of Punjab as a whole and Amritsar in particular. The Amritsari Kulcha and Sarson Da Saag with Makki di Roti. The Amritsari Kulcha is a many layered Kulcha with a stuffing of a potato an onion paste. Amritsar does not go easy on ghee and butter and the Amritsari Kulcha was not an exception. It was cooked to perfection soft when bit into, yet maintaining the essential crispiness of an authentic Punjabi Paratha. The Kulcha was served with Pindi Chole, some salad and a bit of boondi raita and is pretty much a meal by itself.

Sarson da saag and makki di roti is a staple for the Punjab households during winter. The leaves of the mustard plant are cooked into a gravy, and it is served with rotis made from corn flour. The dish is served with a generous dollop of white butter on top of the saag, which immediately banishes all thoughts of health food, but greatly augments the sensations of your taste buds. It is up to you which way you want to go, but Amritsar is definitely not a place for the cholesterol conscious.

The Sarson Da Saag was very tasty but I somehow like the one served at Urban Tadka Mumbai better. You can call me blasphemous but I am just being honest. The Amritsari kulcha however was outstanding and Bade Bhai ka Brothers Dhaba is not to be missed when in Amritsar.

A meal for two at Bade Bhai ka Brothers Dhaba will cost you approximately Rs 200/-

How to get there: As mentioned, Brothers Dhaba cannot be missed when you approach the Golden Temple. It is located right opposite the Amritsar town hall.

Makhan Dhaba, Amritsar

Fish Amritsari is possibly the most ubiquitous fish preparation found in the menu cards of Indian restaurants. In Amritsar and was saved culinary blasphemy by managing to taste the preparation at the restaurant Amritsar residents consider to be the veritable home of the dish - Makhan Dhaba at Lawrence Road.

Makhan Dhaba has been serving up Amritsari Fish for six decades now and is again a restaurant that is defined by the dish. The restaurant very basic to say the least and has sparse seating arrangements. Residents use the outlet more from a take away perspective, but you have to remember its Amritsar, the land of milk and honey, food is about freshest, purest ingredients, fantastic taste, if you are looking for ambiance you best remain in Mumbai or Delhi. The taste of hot fish, beautifully flavoured served fresh from the frying pan, in cold, wintry Amritsar is an experience to be treasured and a must do in the city of the Golden Temple.

The Amritsari fish is effectively fried freshwater fish, which has been marinated in a spice rub, having a distinct flavour of Ajwain which is the real trademark of the preparation. The fish used for the preparation in Amrtisar is the freshest sole from the waters of the Beas. Makhan Dhaba has apparently specialised in keeping the fish the freshest possible through a special process until the same is ripe for frying. The fish is served to you, soft and tender, the skin is nice and crisp, covering the soft white flesh. The spice rub gives every morsel fantastic flavour.

A nice touch is the fact that as you are waiting for the fish to be served, you are served a morsel after the fish is cooked just right to check for taste. I guess they fry it slightly longer for the customers who are not that comfortable with having fish.

Bengalis, myself included are slightly snobbish about fish, especially freshwater and believes that it is a sing for a non Bengali to even attempt to cook river fish. However I doff my hat to the chefs at Makhan Dhaba and rate the Amritsari fish as high as any that I have ever tasted.

How to get there: Makan Dhaba is on Lawrence road, and seems to have recently changed location slightly. However it is still near Lawrence road and the locals should be able to clearly point the newer whereabouts to you.

Fish Amritsari at Makhan Dhaba is served by weight, in multiples of 250 gm. Each 250 gm will cost you Rs 200/-