The Pándzsáb Tandori is great. I knew it was great before I went to India, since you don’t need to leave Újlipótváros to know that. Lajos Takács, one of the best chefs in Hungary earlier said that he loves Asian cuisine although he has never been to the Far East. There is no connection between the two. The key thing is harmony, which has always been present in Tandori in its doubly hot, nasty way.
This summer I tested the best restaurants in Mumbai, all of the ones that are recommended in European tourist guides as well as those proposed by the locals, and I was infinitely happy when I realized that Pándzsáb Tandori holds its own with them. Let me go even further: the tikka masala served in Pannónia Street could easily have come from Mahatma Gandhi Road, in Kala Ghoda or in Khyber, a restaurant in Mumbai that both foreigners and locals appreciate (the pictures were taken in Khyber).
But sitting down at a table in Pándzsáb is really depressing, even if you have been to all the Indian restaurants in town, which are equally depressing. Even if here at home you don’t have language problems, nor do you need to worry about the other guests giving you poisonous stares when you raise your left hand above the table, because you have not followed the etiquette based on local hygiene habits. An oily odor permeates the air, the neighborhood is run down and the service is all but enthusiastic. Therefore, it’s great news that you don’t even have to set foot in Pándzsáb Tandori; you can order food for delivery, which doesn’t harm the spicy Indian meals, the majority of which are served with a sauce. Most of them are the same as when they were freshly packed.
And the prices are really good. Last time we ordered chicken tikka masala, Madras chicken, several varieties of lentils with two pieces of buttered naan and rice, and paid only HUF 6640 for the entire thing.
It’s good to know that it would take at least two Bud Spencers to finish what is equivalent to three great portions in one, so that we are still below HUF 2500 per head including the tip. This is a great price even though most of the dishes are dominated by the sauce and the meat is often just there for display purposes (the served dish is about one-sixth of what we ordered).
And what you get is perfect. It’s undeniably Indian, dominated by the spices that are much easier to obtain, ship and store than the fresh basic ingredients that are so crucial, for example, for Thai food. That’s why it’s easier to make a decent Indian dish on the other side of the world, and it’s all the more unfortunate that it rarely happens. These guys made it: they are making original, great dishes that are different from those so common in East Central Europe. You’ll like them if you enjoy experimenting with the different cuisines of the world.
By the way, you can order it plain, medium hot or very hot. The very hot is just barely less hot than the real Indian version, so you should be careful, but it’s still a category you can cope with, so if you’re not afraid, I highly recommend it.
Pándzsáb Tandori
Unimportant info: 1133 Budapest Pannónia utca 3.
Important info: 06 1 270 2974
Opening hours: Mon – Sat: 12:00–23:00
Sun: 12:00–22:00
Translation provided by Helpers Business and Immigration Services. Find us at www.helpers.hu
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