Stone Works

In the early 90s,dining out options in Chandigarh werent as many and diverse as they are today.

In the early 90s,dining out options in Chandigarh werent as many and diverse as they are today. Stand-alone restaurants were few and dished out multi-cuisine Indian menus (and unlike those today where Thai dishes take top priority) with favourites such as butter chicken and dal makhni leading the fare. If you loved Mughlai meals (kebabs in particular) or were looking to impress friends from another city,Khyber restaurant in Sector 35 was always the first destination. One of the oldest Indian restaurants in the city,Khybers menu made special place for cuisine from the North West Frontier Province with a lot of dum and tandoor cooking. Its,perhaps,still the place in the city where murg tikka Afghani never disappoints. Ditto for achari mushroom tikka thats cooked on a seekh and would please a non-vegetarian palate equally well.

Now,more than two decades later,Khyber has gone in for a change of name. As Pashtun,its not only looking to cement its predominantly Afghani influence in the menu but has plans to take it further. For starters,Pashtun has rolled out a Pathar Ke Kebab festival. The name can be confusing for those new to the concept,but its actually a tribute to the old style of slow cooking on stones.

Back in the day,sandstone was carved to make use for slow cooking. Not just Afghanisan but even Himachali kitchens followed this method. The team at Pashtun,we are told,has sourced stones known as ankalo in Himachal Pradesh. The menu isnt lavish and the time the stone takes to cook justifies it. The Pathar ke kebab here come in six variants. We settled for paneer khajoor kebab,murg blueberry kebab and machali hara dhania kebab. The menu also brings in dum biryani and two new additions to the breads a multi-grain roti and masala roti. The kebabs are served in the same stone platter that they have been cooked in. So if you have toddlers dining with you,its advisable to have them at an arms length. That said,the kebabs were piping hot and the fish kebab was simply succulent with no overdose of spices. The true surprise is the murg blueberry,which is the restaurants own concoction and adds a sweet flavour to the spicy chicken mince. Its a flavour that will have a wider appeal. Paneer khajoor is similar with the use of dates and the result is another winner for us. The multi-grain rotis are clearly for the weight watchers and as much as they are packed with nutrition (and are very filling indeed),we felt the need of a spicy gravy to really enjoy them. If you are keen on biryani,the keema biryani is a new version but wont appeal to lovers of mutton biryani that the restaurant is famous for.

The festival is on till September 13

Meal for two:Rs 650 (including tax)

Location:SCO 333-334,Sector 35-B

Contact:2607728

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram