Situated in one of the quiet lanes off Southern Avenue, the dimly-lit interior of Sanjha Chulha, with pictures of quintessential scenes from North India, provides the perfect ambience for a peaceful luncheon on a lazy afternoon.

However, quite contrary to the softness of the surrounding, the food is a spice fest. But even though Punjabi cuisine tends to be rich and heavy on the palette — the use of butter being liberal —the food at Sanjha Chulha maintains a good balance.

The smoked kebabs paired with the spicy green chutney for starters were especially delicious. Starkly different looking from the regular ones, the geelafi seekh kebab drew attention as soon as it was placed on the table. It came in cylindrical shapes and looked really vibrant with minced tomatoes, capsicums, green chilies and onions in it. Though it looked unique, the taste left a lot to be desired.

The murgh pahari kebab was rich in herbs with a creamy interior. It was more traditional and the smoky taste with onions and a pinch of lime melted in the mouth and filled the heart with delight. The sumptuous main course dishes seemed to deliver more than what was expected. There was murgh tikka makhani and dal makhani with garlic naan.

After a taste, one can safely say that the dal makhaniis a must try. Rich with a topping of butter and cream, it is really hard to resist. The hot taste of the rajmapaired with the strong flavour of the garlic in the naan felt delightfully spicy.

The chicken of the murgh tikka makhani was tender but the curry seemed a tad too heavy with butter, yoghurt and tomato puree — it would have tasted better had it been lighter. To add a sweet touch to a delicious lunch, there was firni but it failed to fulfill the heart like a true dessert invariably does. It came across bland with a lack of ingredients like almonds, cardamoms or saffron, which one generally seeks in a sweet dish like firni.

Some of the other special items at Sanjha Chulha that are worth trying are tandoori chicken, mutton jalandari seekh kebab, chutney paneer tikka, bharwaan aloo, chicken bharta, mutton keema matar, paneer butter masala, palak paneer, gosht roganjosh, pindi chana and vegetable jhaal fareezi. In tune with the ambience, the staff was really welcoming and hospitable, always quick to serve the food.

“Our North Indian cuisine remains the top favourite. From the starters to the main course to the dessert, our classic dishes have never failed us. We keep our recipes close to our hearts but the secret ingredient is always love”, said the executive chefs of the restaurant, Md Shamshuddin and Md Maqsood.

The restaurant chain completed 15 years of serving Punjabi food to the City of Joy in 2017. That’s another reason to dive into one of their outlets and sample some hearty fare.