Punjabi Tadka Indian Restaurant, South Pattaya

[Jingthing]

Recent report.

The place was very crowded with big tables of Indian/Pakistani men!

Food still good, one item was indeed TOO SALTY and the tandoori chicken overcooked so not juicy. Maybe blame it on being busy. The place has soul, the same dish on a different day may be different, it's not for those seeking perfect consistency. Still a fan.

Edited October 3, 2010 by Jingthing

[bubba1]

mutton samosa's are great

[SausageKing]

Recent report.

The place was very crowded with big tables of Indian/Pakistani men!

Food still good, one item was indeed TOO SALTY and the tandoori chicken overcooked so not juicy. Maybe blame it on being busy. The place has soul, the same dish on a different day may be different, it's not for those seeking perfect consistency. Still a fan.

Indian food popular and i love it..sk

[Jingthing]

mutton samosa's are great

Save some for me, last time they had run out!

[bubba1]

when i went there was only a lady working there and one young guy. Lady took the orders, cooked the food and then came out to ask if everything was OK. Small town feeling to the place. I love it

[Jingthing]

when i went there was only a lady working there and one young guy. Lady took the orders, cooked the food and then came out to ask if everything was OK. Small town feeling to the place. I love it

If the lady cooked it, perhaps that wasn't the primary chef. At least that's my impression. The place definitely can be a REAL experience, not always predictable.

Edited October 13, 2010 by Jingthing

[bubba1]

when i went there was only a lady working there and one young guy. Lady took the orders, cooked the food and then came out to ask if everything was OK. Small town feeling to the place. I love it

If the lady cooked it, perhaps that wasn't the primary chef. At least that's my impression. The place definitely can be a REAL experience, not always predictable.

It would be great if you could provide us an organization chart of the place. Would also be grateful if you could negotiate a 10% discount for TV members,:jap:

[Gers1873]

My most recent Pattaya Indian food experience

Yesterday evening I uses Waiter on Wheels to order from Little India to the valu of almost 2000 THHB.

Food arrived quickly however the food quality was shockingly poor.

In summary:

Samosas – as good as I have ever eaten – excellent.

Chicken Tikka – small dry cubes of tasteless chicken – worst ever.

Lamb / chicken dishes – excellent quality sauces spoiled again by dry pieces of chicken and even drier lamb.

Aloo Gobi – delicious.

Nan breads – so – so

Chapatis – excellent.

VERY Unlikely to EVER order from Little India again. Looks like its back to Ali Baba

[Jingthing]

Update on Punjabi Tadka.

New menu. New prices. Possibly in some cases smaller portions.

Food still delicious.

Pretty much all items have gone up. Some mildly like 10 or 20 percent. Some extremely such as lamb samosas from 60 to 100 baht. 60 baht was kind of a giveaway.

I don't really blame them and in my view the food is worth the money, but you can no longer say it is an especially remarkable bargain.

Cheers.

[RabC]

Well I am probably going to get flamed off the page but here goes.

Went to Punjabi Tadka for a meal last night and:

OK Three of us went, two of us having eaten a lot of Indian food worldwide including India and Bangladesh.

Starters:

Chicken Tikka had only had a quick marinade so flavour was only on the outside.

Lamb and Chicken Samosa, I can say no more really than totally bland.

Mains:

We had 2 veg dishes, 1 Chicken, 1 Lamb and 1 Prawn all I can say is the prevailing taste was chilli, not too hot but just chilli. No real sense of taste of what should have been all the individual spices and herbs that are used in good Indian cooking.

The food wasn't bad just not good, my two friends and I will not be going back. There was a big enough selection of food ordered for us to see that it wasn't just one or two bad dishes.

[JSixpack]

Well I am probably going to get flamed off the page but here goes.

Went to Punjabi Tadka for a meal last night and:

OK Three of us went, two of us having eaten a lot of Indian food worldwide including India and Bangladesh.

Starters:

Chicken Tikka had only had a quick marinade so flavour was only on the outside.

Lamb and Chicken Samosa, I can say no more really than totally bland.

Mains:

We had 2 veg dishes, 1 Chicken, 1 Lamb and 1 Prawn all I can say is the prevailing taste was chilli, not too hot but just chilli. No real sense of taste of what should have been all the individual spices and herbs that are used in good Indian cooking.

The food wasn't bad just not good, my two friends and I will not be going back. There was a big enough selection of food ordered for us to see that it wasn't just one or two bad dishes.

So what's YOUR favorite Indian restaurant in PTY?

[RabC]

Well I am probably going to get flamed off the page but here goes.

Went to Punjabi Tadka for a meal last night and:

OK Three of us went, two of us having eaten a lot of Indian food worldwide including India and Bangladesh.

Starters:

Chicken Tikka had only had a quick marinade so flavour was only on the outside.

Lamb and Chicken Samosa, I can say no more really than totally bland.

Mains:

We had 2 veg dishes, 1 Chicken, 1 Lamb and 1 Prawn all I can say is the prevailing taste was chilli, not too hot but just chilli. No real sense of taste of what should have been all the individual spices and herbs that are used in good Indian cooking.

The food wasn't bad just not good, my two friends and I will not be going back. There was a big enough selection of food ordered for us to see that it wasn't just one or two bad dishes.

So what's YOUR favorite Indian restaurant in PTY?

I do not have one, I am yet to find a decent Indian here and believe me I have tried just about everywhere. Yes there are places that do Southern Indian food but I am after Northern Indian/Bangladeshi/Pakistani style.

[Tolley]

Well I am probably going to get flamed off the page but here goes.

Went to Punjabi Tadka for a meal last night and:

OK Three of us went, two of us having eaten a lot of Indian food worldwide including India and Bangladesh.

Starters:

Chicken Tikka had only had a quick marinade so flavour was only on the outside.

Lamb and Chicken Samosa, I can say no more really than totally bland.

Mains:

We had 2 veg dishes, 1 Chicken, 1 Lamb and 1 Prawn all I can say is the prevailing taste was chilli, not too hot but just chilli. No real sense of taste of what should have been all the individual spices and herbs that are used in good Indian cooking.

The food wasn't bad just not good, my two friends and I will not be going back. There was a big enough selection of food ordered for us to see that it wasn't just one or two bad dishes.

So what's YOUR favorite Indian restaurant in PTY?

I do not have one, I am yet to find a decent Indian here and believe me I have tried just about everywhere. Yes there are places that do Southern Indian food but I am after Northern Indian/Bangladeshi/Pakistani style.

Try the Mantra the Indian food i had there last night was excellent. A bit more pricey than some but still excellent.

[Jingthing]

Recently had the kofta curry (potato and cheese fritters) and it was seriously delicious, though the koftas themselves were a skosh too greasy. Negative reviews are as valid as anything if that's how you feel. I don't have stock in the place other than a sincere desire that they stay in business. I haven't tried the samosas for awhile now, but I wouldn't have called the lamb samosa bland. I do ask for my food very spicy though and that's how I like it, spices AND chilies. Also I recently did find the previous fabulousness of their chat dishes had dropped a notch or two. For me, given how I feel some of their food is very, very tasty, I am still happy to tolerate the quirkiness of this place, though if they dare to raise their prices AGAIN anytime soon ...

Edited December 20, 2010 by Jingthing

[AbeSurd]

Recently had the kofta curry (potato and cheese fritters) and it was seriously delicious, though the koftas themselves were a skosh too greasy. Negative reviews are as valid as anything if that's how you feel. I don't have stock in the place other than a sincere desire that they stay in business. I haven't tried the samosas for awhile now, but I wouldn't have called the lamb samosa bland. I do ask for my food very spicy though and that's how I like it, spices AND chilies. Also I recently did find the previous fabulousness of their chat dishes had dropped a notch or two. For me, given how I feel some of their food is very, very tasty, I am still happy to tolerate the quirkiness of this place, though if they dare to raise their prices AGAIN anytime soon ...

I'll second all that.

I'm still going at least once a week.

Exploring their vegetarian dishes at the moment.

Compared with what else is on offer in Pattaya for reasonable priced Indian food they're still very good.

[Jingthing]

OK, folks, based on some more recent experiences, I want to lower my rave about this entire place a full notch or two. Sometimes the charming quirkiness can come off more as funkiness. I am not off the place, but I am no longer enthusiastic about it. More adventurous, very tolerant food lover types should probably still check it out though (they still do have their strengths). What prompted this? A rice dish so rough it looked like it was cooked on an open fire in a refugee camp. A portion of chicken in a curry (though on the bone which I like) fit for a peckish toddler. Oh well.

(Maybe something happened? Any dish?)

Also, maybe the mods can edit the title here from "Find of the Decade" to "Find of the Week"

Edited December 22, 2010 by Jingthing

[paul1970]

Looks like the place has closed down, was going to go there Saturday as hadn't been in a while and the place was in total darkness. Ended up in the Indian near Subway on Beach Road Shere Punjab I think it's called. 1200 baht for 2 people for some very bland food, wont be going there again.

[Jingthing]

Update on Punjabi Tadka!

They are definitely still open and going strong.

However, the original location IS closed. The new location is directly across the street. It doesn't even seem to have a sign yet saying Punjabi Tadka in English but it really is Punjabi Tadka (same menu).

Although yes they did raise the price on many items since the original opening, the food is still quite good. The new indoor space is a little bit better than at the old place, but it remains a somewhat funky experience. I suggest people revisit.

[Whyowhy]

Is it still the "find of the decade"? Lol

[Jingthing]

Is it still the "find of the decade"? Lol

It was certainly the find of the month (back in the day)! Find inflation

?

To clarify on the price situation, they did only raise the prices the one time from their original prices, which were remarkably low for the local market. So their prices now are more average for Pattaya Indian, some even lower than average.

Also note: there is dosa section on the menu but at least for now, they are not actually doing dosas.

Edited March 18, 2012 by Jingthing

[doctormann]

Update on Punjabi Tadka!

They are definitely still open and going strong.

However, the original location IS closed. The new location is directly across the street. It doesn't even seem to have a sign yet saying Punjabi Tadka in English but it really is Punjabi Tadka (same menu).

Although yes they did raise the price on many items since the original opening, the food is still quite good. The new indoor space is a little bit better than at the old place, but it remains a somewhat funky experience. I suggest people revisit.

Well, I did revisit and I'm sorry to say that this place has probably lost my custom.

I called in on Wednesday evening last - first time since they moved across the road - and ate in the A/C room at the back, which is certainly an improvement on the one at the old location. I had the chicken tikka starter, followed by the mutton karahi and jeera rice. I had a garlic naan on the side and a sweet lassi to drink.

The chicken tikka consisted of six small pieces of very dry chicken - good flavour but no onion or coriander or pickle with it, just the chicken.

The mutton karahi had a good flavour but the mutton was 90% bone with very little edible meat. The portion seemed rather smaller than I was expecting as well. On previous visits the portions have always been on the generous side.

The rice, naan and lassi were fine.

When I received the bill I was surprised to find that they now charge for water - I'm sure that this was free previously. In total, the amount came to 550 Baht, which was well up on the 350ish Baht that I have typically paid on previous occasions for about the same amount of food.

I think that Indian Touch, just a bit further up Pratamnak, is now a better option.

DM

[Jingthing]

OK, thanks for your comments on your experience. I can understand your reaction perfectly well. Frankly, even in the early days I found their meat portions skimpy. On my last visit, it was mostly a vegetarian experience, so I wouldn't have noticed what you did. I also assumed they have always charged for the bottle of drinking water. BTW, I had the Punjabi style "kulcha" bread this time and previously ... still great and I'd be surprised if you can get better in town. I have definitely been a fan of Indian Touch and remain so, but I must say my last two visits were a notch down for some reason. Restaurants in general are inconsistent and in Pattaya more so.

Edited March 23, 2012 by Jingthing

[Jingthing]

They've got a clear large sign up now: PUNJABI TADKA. So easier to find. Come and get it. (Or not.)

[Jingthing]

Update on a recent experience at Punjabi Tadka. OK, they can cook flavorful Indian food, but I'm sorry, I don't like being treated like a one off tourist, and that's how it feels when you order a 1/2 order of tandoori chicken for 120 baht, not expecting a 1/2 chicken but also not expecting four small tidbits of chicken either. Bean counters Indian style. Portion size was always an issue with some dishes there (especially meat portion) but considering they raised their prices, they are offering a less appealing curry proposition. Oh well!

Edited May 6, 2012 by Jingthing