Dera

Dera @Taj Chandigarh is an absolute delight, it stands out way ahead of, even the other on premise Restaurants, in terms of its friendly Staff with personalized touch (I did not get her Name, but she was from Sikkim, such a warm hostess with great customer focus, truly an asset to Taj Group), when asked about off menu drink Kaali she arranged for same, super efficient service snd also got us to meet Chef Navjyot to customise the menu as per our requirement. Dera's food is legendary and when combined with efforts of Young & Passionate chef like Navjyot, the experience moves to next level. He customized our Non Veg platter and was perfect melt in mouth with right amount of spices along with his Recommendation for Lahori Olive Chilli Naan was quite a blast of taste. Taj has gems of people to make their galaxy shine, however Mr Navjyot and our hostess that day, surely makes it shine brighter. Kudus to them and good work Dera in keeping standards high in such a competitive Food scene

It's Taj so you expect excellent quality. No doubt the taste was terrific. The main theme of this restaurant is serving old or pre-independence Punjabi recipes. If you go through the menu you will notice the recipe names are a bit different from the more common names that we are used to knowing. E.g. Chana masala is mentioned as Kabuli Choley Martaban. Maybe there can be a difference in the method of preparation. We ordered two starters Mushroom Malai Galouti and Pushtooni Subz Tikki, both of which were mouth-watering. The portion size was sufficient for two individuals and they were prepared with perfection. Then we got on to the main course items and ordered Kabuli Choley Martaban with Masaledar Laccha Paratha and Lahoori Chilli Olive Naan. The portion size of Kabuli Choley is sufficient for 3 individuals if you take starters first. Coming to the bread you can count the number of layers added to the Laccha Paratha. So crisp and yummy! Olive Naan is one of the signatures, and you can taste the appropriate amount of fermentation done in the making. We finished with Shan-E-Dera which is basically similar to Ras Malai as we know in other places. It was perfect too. When you go to places like these you expect the highest standards of quality and service. The staff as expected warmly welcomed and bid farewell. Even in between they regularly checked on us and took feedback. Overall the whole experience was pleasant. The prices are a bit on the higher side but not too high. Then it is Taj, you can’t go wrong with it.

Dera @Taj Chandigarh is an absolute delight, it stands out way ahead of, even the other on premise Restaurants, in terms of its friendly Staff with personalized touch (I did not get her Name, but she was from Sikkim, such a warm hostess with great customer focus, truly an asset to Taj Group), when asked about off menu drink Kaali she arranged for same, super efficient service snd also got us to meet Chef Navjyot to customise the menu as per our requirement. Dera's food is legendary and when combined with efforts of Young & Passionate chef like Navjyot, the experience moves to next level. He customized our Non Veg platter and was perfect melt in mouth with right amount of spices along with his Recommendation for Lahori Olive Chilli Naan was quite a blast of taste. Taj has gems of people to make their galaxy shine, however Mr Navjyot and our hostess that day, surely makes it shine brighter. Kudus to them and good work Dera in keeping standards high in such a competitive Food scene.

Recently visited Dera ,Taj for ‘Lost recipes of Punjab’ fest. The menu emphasis on recipes of dadi’s and nani’s. Chef Gurleen curated every dish with perfection . I really loved having matar ka halwa , Yes! Your read that right , it’s matar (Green peas ) halwa even I was shocked when I heard that but trust me you should definitely try this and you’ll fall in love ❤️ Visit Dera , Taj Sector 17 chandigarh for the scrumptious lunch/dinner .

'Lost Recipes of Punjab' (Food Festival) at Dera @tajchandigarh ; From 22 - 31 July (Lunch & Dinner) Chef Gurleen @what_gurleen_did_next has brought one of the most exciting Food Fests to the City. Food habits have changed and recipes have been lost over time. I usually have 'Bajra Roti' in winters but it's getting increasingly difficult to source good quality Bajra as the crops have been shifting geographically, because either eating habits are changing or they're not commercially viable. Someone once told me that Wheat wasn't the primary grain for Roti in Punjab, we used mostly Makki (Corn), Bajra (Pearl Millet), Missi (Black Chickpea). Hence, lots of recipes were/are being lost which were at one point a part of Undivided Punjab that stretched from Delhi till Kabul in Afghanistan. Chef Gurleen has made an effort to bring some of those dishes through this Food Festival. Though everything is fantastic, I'd particularly recommend Lahori Charga, whole chicken that's first Steamed, marinated and then fried, it's not oily at all and super Flavourful. Moreover it's a recipe that I've not heard of. There's also Amm (Mango) Da Paneer Tikka which is Paneer stuffed with a bit of mango and smothered in Mustard. It works!! There's Keema Karela, a fantastic dish which is making somewhat of a comeback as I've seen it appear on some Menus now; and even Chana Palak. It's also fantastic to see Churi as a dessert. Back in the day whenever I use to go back to the farm from the boarding school, Churi was always made by my grandmother. While everyone runs away from ghee nowadays, we insisted on pouring more n more of it in this mash of Roti, Ghee & Sugar Or Shakkar (Jaggery Powder). In short, it's a fantastic experience and seeing some dishes/breads from my childhood appear in this Fest is really amazing. Yes they're being lost, but then as long as Chefs like Gurleen will keep making such efforts, we would always be able to retrieve them and they won't be lost forever. Don't miss this bite into our History!

Did you ever like History as a subject? No? me too :/ But you know what, you can still love it when it is served with delicious food at the food festival - Recipes of Punjab' at Dera @tajchandigarh; From 22 - 31 July (Lunch & Dinner). All thanks to Chef Gurleen @what_gurleen_did_next for bringing this amazing food fest here for us in our City Beautiful. That brings out again all the recipes that were lost in #undividedpunjab. As a matter of fact, the time has made these all recipes so extinct and the flavours added onto them by Chef Gurleen make these recipes magically unique, you just cannot find these anywhere else at so ease that Taj Chandigarh has brought to you. Let's check out what and how are they discovering lost Punjab and serving the history of those undivided Punjab kitchens to us. LAHORI CHARGA Out of all that is served, I will highly recommend trying out this recipe, a marinated chicken which then is steamed and deep-fried but magically not oily at all, the Chef’s magic you see. PANEER AMM(MANGO) DA TIKKA For all your tangy food cravings and all those who like an extra squeeze of lemon in their meal. Here is the best deal for you, paneer stuffed with mango and smothered in mustard. What a wonder. KEEMA KARELA At first, I was like no, I can never ever be part of this strange Karela admirers gang, but now I love karela too but just for what Chef Gurleen has served to me. I will still keep hating Karela Sabzi which my mom cooks for us once a week. ☹ MALAI WALA MURGHA I am sure everyone who is reading this must have at any point in time eaten creamy chicken, but I can bet you on this that hasn't had this kind of creamy chicken in your life. Such creaminess and chicken just melts in your mouth. One word - Mind Blowing CHANNA PALAK Another fantastic creation by Chef @gurleen. Garlic chickpeas cooked in Spinach gravy took this dish to another level. The combined flavour of both the channa and palak was just superb. Here comes my favourite part dessert. MEAT DA HALWA Though I am an explorer, I was like what, Meat ka Halwa, really meat. How can someone cook halwa out of meat? But I cannot put it in words but the texture, and the aroma was just so scrumptious. It takes a really good 3-4 hours to get this meal ready to be served. CHURI Anything goes extinct, but Churi? Not really. Let’s not let it go extinct ☹ That leftover Roti, Desi Ghee & Sugar (or Shakkar/ Khand – Crushed Jaggery) and Bebe Ji ka pyaaar put together. All in all, with the efforts of Chef Gurleen a recipe of History, poured with a dash of wonderness and served with the magic of flavours. Let's dive into this scrumptious history class together at Taj Chandigarh

The elegant Indian Restaurant with inviting ambience Dera – A Top Indian Restaurant in Chandigarh with ambience with its split level design, warm lighting, a busy show kitchen and a fun interactive counter. The hotel is one of the finest luxury hotels in Chandigarh. Located in the heart of the city, at Sector 17, the property is close to all major shopping hubs and business centre’s and a famous all time favorite destination for many of the Film stars, Politicians and Government Officials. Rich and Elegant interiors with Curved Glass walls. This is Luxury at its finest with the staff ever-ready and delighted to serve you. I recently got a chance to try their new dinner menu and here is my review regarding it. Event & Ambiance: - Sizzling Friday Night. Dera has recently launched a special sizzling Friday night menu with unlimited starters, main course and desserts. The Special Menu is for both vegetarians and non vegetarians costing Rs 1550/- and Rs 1750/- respectively. The ambiance is amazing with a live flute music played by a professional that brings back the feel of fine dining. Food: Lavish and cooked to perfection. The best thing is Taj has inbuilt kitchen where they make their own spices and other mandatory essential cooking products, which is one of the main reason behind the perfect taste in the food. It started with a welcome drink. I tried their Sweet Lassi which was very refreshing and thick. Moving on too Appetizers we had Tehdaar Panner Tikka(melts in your mouth), Bharwan Khumb Kali Mirch, Dahi Kay Shole (Highly recommended) and Aloo Nazakat served in a hot sizzler. Dahi Kay Shole – One of the best, I have ever had. Though I am not a mushroom lover but Bharwan Khumb Kali Mirch served at Dera made me fall in love with mushroom. Panner Tikka was also good. I also tried one of their famous Non Alcoholic Cockatil – Kaali (The Digestive dad of all the lemonades, the magic of angostura bitter, ginger ale, cumin, honey black pepper & lemonade) which tasted amazing and is highly recommended. The other options in drinks were Lava Green, Coco Loco, Fresh Lime Black or White, Strawberry Delight, Flavored Iced Tea, Angelina and Island Cooler. In the main course we had Paneer Long Latta, Kathal Masala, Handi Dal, Jeera & Pyaaz Pulao, Aloo Pudine ka Raita served with Assorted Breads. Panner Long Latta and Handi Dal were made to perfection with perfect balance of spices and flavors. Generally people of my age don’t prefer eating Dal but believe me they have best dal J. Pulao (Basmati Rice) was perfectly cooked. In the breads their Laccha Paratha & Butter naan is recommended. Coming to desserts we were served Shan-e-Dera and Moong Dal Halwa. I picked the Moong Dal Halwa made with pure desi ghee J and I loved it. I was completely full otherwise I would have pick one more bowl of Moong Dal Halwa J I really loved the presentation of food served in Thali giving a traditional and homely feel . Overall a great place with luxury ambience, great food, friendly & supportive staff . A experience never to forget. Thanks Team Dera for being a great host! I'll be back with my friends and family. Cheers! :)