Panjabi Tadka a popular downtown Springfield draw (review, photos, video)

Panjabi Tadka’s quiet, 50-seat dining room is located just left of the Paramount Theatre on the block that also houses the former Massasoit Hotel. Both historic sites are to be included in a long-awaited $40 million renovation scheduled to begin later this summer.

Although we can surmise that the quiet of the restaurant may be somewhat disturbed by the impending construction project, we are happy to report that the restaurant’s owner plans to continue with business as usual.

The list of appetizers at Panjabi Tadka includes the usual suspects; Samosas, Pakora and Tikki. Soups make an appearance in the form of Lentil Soup and Coconut Soup (both $3.50), as does a diced Kachumber Salad featuring cucumber, tomatoes, onions and spices tossed in their homemade Tamarind Chutney.

Anyone who reads this column regularly might note that there have been quite a few Indian restaurants in the rotation of late. And anyone who is truly paying attention surely has noted our affinity for a good appetizer sampler as a way to test-drive several options, so it should be no surprise that we chose a Mix Platter ($10).

Diners can choose either the standard mix or a vegetarian option, and our vegetarian platter included the meatless varieties of Samosa, Pakoras, and Tikki as well as Paneer Pakora. The Samosa was as a Samosa should be: a large scoop of mildly spiced potato and pea filling inside a crispy, lightly fried pastry shell. It was frankly possibly the best we have had, and my guest deemed it lucky for the other Indian establishments that we had not sampled this one first, as it surely would be where the bar had been set.

The other items on the platter were also nicely prepared, with the Vegetable Pakora coming in at second place on the plate in our opinion, if only because the Tikki were so similar to the Samosa. Two chutneys arrived with our platter, and we enjoyed both the spicy tomato-onion relish and the sweet tamarind sauce. Despite our inner foodies knowing full well that it is not traditional in the cuisine of all regions, we both missed the bright green coriander chutney that is so often present in the Indian relish tray.

The remainder of the menu was divided in the manner most common in American Indian eateries: a section for vegetarian curries and the remainder of the entrees divided by protein (in this case chicken, lamb and seafood), plus a section for Tandoori and Bread. Panjabi Tadka also offers a trio of Combos, a far more common in Chinese restaurants than Indian ones. The Panjabi Combo Platter Dinner for Two consists of a choice of one vegetarian and one meat entree and comes with Tandoori Chicken, Tadka Dal, rice, naan, soup, dessert and coffee or tea for $45.

Entree Specials on the evening we visited included Lobster Masala, a Chef’s Special Biryani with shrimp, lamb and chicken (both $23), and an interesting sounding Chicken Achari featuring pickled vegetables ($17). Two Naan were also featured and when we picked our breads we chose the Shahi Naan with garlic, onions, cheese, almonds and spices as well as the perennial favorite Aloo Naan from the standard menu. Both naans were adeptly prepared, and we appreciated the interesting flavors offered up by the puffy Shahi Naan along with the textural diversity provided by the crunchy sliced almonds that punctuated the softness of the bread.

Braised dishes at Punjabi Tadka include many familiar favorites such as Vindaloo, Saag, Jaffrezi, and of course “Curry”. Fans of Fran know that I have never met a Korma that I didn’t like, so we kept to the usual chicken ($15) when ordering the creamy, rich dish. What qualifies a Korma as authentic has been greatly disputed by diners far more knowledgeable than us (yogurt or coconut milk, tomato or no tomato, saffron or turmeric) but I know one thing: we expected a rich, buttery, cardamom and coriander forward sauce studded with nuts and golden raisins and we got it.

Lamb was to be our second protein and we opted to have it in the form of Saag - the curry-forward cooked spinach sauce - for $16. The Saag had a similar flavor profile to the Korma in a nod to the house spice blend, and the tender chunks of flavorful lamb also did not disappoint. And our “medium” spice on both curries was as we had hoped - spicy enough to get our attention, but still clearly focused on flavor over heat.

Several Biryani are featured on the menu so we chose the shrimp version ($20) in order to round out our protein choices. True biryani is a special occasion dish that is made by layering spiced rice with a number of proteins, covering with a sauce, securing it with dough and cooking over a low flame for several hours. Biryani in Indian American restaurant parlance is more of a basmati rice pilaf, or an Indian version of fried rice if you will. Ours was a tasty version of the latter and featured four large shrimp in flavorful rice studded with soft, sweet sliced onions and raisins and served alongside a ramekin of cool cucumber raita.

A quartet of desserts grace the menu at Panjabi Tadka and include the usual trio of Gulab Jamun ($4), Ras Malai ($4.50), and Kheer ($4) as well as house-made Mango Ice Cream. Our portion of Gulab Jamun consisted of two piping hot fritters soaked in a neutral honey syrup, but the restaurant’s Kheer (rice pudding) surely stole the show with its rich custard, plump raisins and perfectly subtle backdrop of rosewater.

We enjoyed a not-too sweet mango lassi as well as a spicy Iced Masala Tea on the night we dined. Soft drinks, hot coffee and tea, wines by the glass ($6-$7) and bottled beer ($4-$8) round out the beverage selections.

Takeout is available throughout the day, and a menu of a dozen lunch specials is available Monday through Friday 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

We had last visited Panjabi Tadka five years ago, soon after they had taken over the site where the popular Sitar had operated for 20 years. With this week’s visit we were left feeling quite pleased to find the replacement eatery still offering high quality Indian food and attentive service. We hope that diners will brave the imminent construction zone in order to continue to dine at the Indian restaurant - we expect it will be well worth it.

Dining out

Name: Panjabi Tadka

Address: 1688 Main St, Springfield, MA 01103

Telephone: (413) 732-1453

Website: panjabitadka.com/

Hours: Lunch Hours Monday through Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Dinner Hours

Monday through Sunday 5 to 10 p.m.

Entree prices: $7.50 - $23.00

Credit cards: American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Visa

Handicapped access: Accessible; rest room equipped for wheelchair use

Reservations: Accepted

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