Restaurant review: Savor the flavors of India at Taste of Punjab in Moorpark
Stepping into Taste of Punjab from a busy shopping center in Moorpark is like walking into a new world.
No more bustling traffic, crowded streets or endless shops. The restaurant is the soul of serenity, with tall patterned panels shielding views of outside foot traffic and soothing high walls with striking displays offering Indian beauty and calm.
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Best of all, the year-old restaurant serves up good ethnic food, some intriguing because it’s not always found at American spots presenting Indian specialties. There is a lunchtime buffet, but we opted for choices from the very long list, including some we’d never tried before.
Papri chaat ($4.99), described on the menu as the “most popular vegetarian snack throughout India” and something we’d never tried before, was a surprising appetizer with its slightly thick crusty rounds stirred into a flavorful vegetarian stew. It wasn’t hard to imagine its native popularity. Punjab’s version was a bowlful large enough to share with friends. A bit more familiar was the onion bhaji ($4.99) that featured onion fritters with ginger and other spices offering a flavor boost. Spice intensity for many dishes is adjustable during the ordering process.
Our main dishes were tandoori shrimp ($15.99) and lamb do pyaza ($14.99), the latter with onions added twice during the cooking process, accounting for the do pyaza description. Served on a sizzling base, the shrimp’s bright red color is developed in the marinating process, with garlic, cilantro and black pepper among the ingredients. Ours seemed a bit on the crisp side, but the flavor was fine.
We totally fell in love with the lamb do pyaza, with large, tender and very flavorful chunks of the meat better than most we’ve had in any type of cuisine, bolstered by onions and tomatoes in Punjab’s special gravy.
As side dishes we added rice pulao ($6.99), a hearty bowl of basmati rice with a mixture of vegetables, and, of course, paneer naan, circles of flatbread with our option of a filling of spices.
A dessert that I tasted for the first time, gajjar halwa (grated carrots cooked with milk and nuts, $4.99) was sweet and very flavorful. The more familiar kheer ($3.99) was a very satisfying rice pudding.
We found Taste of Punjab’s food interesting and flavorful, the service prompt and helpful.
Options that we’d like to try sometime include appetizers of Gobi Manchurian, featuring cauliflower and chili sauce; mango chicken; fish curry; dal makhani or “buttery lentils”; mushroom mutter, with a creamy sauce and green peas; and peshawary naan, stuffed with paneer, raisins and nuts.
Rita Moran visits restaurants unannounced and pays for her food. If you know of a new, unusual or just plain good restaurant, please contact her at rita.j.moran@gmail.com.
If you go
What: Taste of Punjab
Where: 252 W. Los Angeles Ave., Unit J, Moorpark.
Information: 805-875-0262; topmoorpark@gmail.com
Hours: Lunch buffet or order from menu, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily; dinner 3 to 9 p.m.
Impressions: Serene and attractive setting, with striking wall displays. Menu is very extensive, covering all aspects of Indian food items. One of the best dishes is lamb do pyaza, a bowl of fine lamb chunks cooked with chopped onions and tomatoes in a special gravy. Onion bhaji (fritters) is a pleasant appetizer and papri chaat, a popular vegetarian snack featuring circular flat “crackers” in a zesty sauce, is a very unusual one. Desserts of gajjar halwa, grated carrots cooked with milk and nuts, and the more familiar kheer, flavored Indian rice pudding, are tasty ways to end a meal.
What’s hot: Onion bhaji, lamb dopyaza, paneer naan with spices layered between the circular layers, and gajjar halwa.
Two for lunch or dinner
Starters: Onion bhaji ($4.99) + papri chaat ($4.99)
Main courses: Tandoori shrimp ($15.99) + lamb dopyaza ($14.99)
Sides: Paneer naan ($4.99) + rice pulao ($6.99)
Desserts: Gajar halwa ($4.99) + kheer ($3.99)
Tab for two: $20-$34