By Siva Kiran
The sizzling aloo and gobi ka paratha, the distinctive subzis, the mouth-watering sev tomato, and of course, the undisputed champion of them all: the sweet, divine lassi; for a taste all these goodies, the first name that comes to mind for any Kochiite is none other than Broadway’s own Punjab House. One need only ask, or even mention the name, and enthusiastic hands point out the direction in an all-familiar sense of belongingness. For that is indeed the feeling that Punjab House and its wonderfully amicable owner, Brahamdev K Dhupar evoke in the people of Kochi. Now 64, Brahmadev, who used to work as an engineer for Sony, took over the running of the hotel 16 years ago.
The restaurant was started by his mother, Pushpa Krishnalal, in 1969, once they had settled in Kochi after his father’s retirement from the Armed Forces. Back in the day, there was just one north Indian restaurant in the whole city. Now, even though there are so many north Indian restaurants all across Kochi, what sets Punjab House apart is that it is a ‘humble’ place with reasonable rates, in Brahmadev’s words. Unlike traditional Punjabi hotels, however, tandoori and other non-vegetarian dishes are not what you’ll find here. Instead, you’ll be overwhelmed by the variety of simple yet stunning vegetarian dishes. For this decades-old restaurant, there is no apparent rush hour as the crowd seems to keep pouring in, with no visible signs of ebbing. Repeat customers dine here twice a day, some on a regular basis.
A curious sight you’ll see here is the unique billing system using slate, chalk and inexplicable codes. Brahmadev explains that this is the continuation of the system introduced by his father, who mimicked the system used by the canteen at the air base he was stationed in before the Partition. Each item in the restaurant’s diverse menu has its own code, which each member of the enterprise knows by heart. As the customer orders, the code for each individual item is added onto the allotted slate space, and finally all the codes are translated and added together to make the bill.
Brahmadev feels nothing much has changed with the advent of online food delivery apps as his daily customers rarely break their routines. When asked what advice he would give someone who wishes to start a hotel in Kochi, he has a realistic answer: “In this time, with so many hotels in Kochi,” he says, “it is not that easy to run the show without a solid, established name in the business.” Brand name, it would seem, plays a very large role in determining success in the restaurant business. And who wouldn’t know about it more than Brahmadev himself, whose hard work and dedication earned Punjab House a very special place in our hearts?
