Padmanabham is a new, an all-day South Indian vegetarian restaurant that has recently opened up at Janpath and serves traditional, flavorful food with influences from Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The restaurant has an expansive space and the ambience is non-fussy, warm and welcoming, with Mandala and Kalamkari artwork on the walls and a majestic Balaji statue. They offer a rotating menu of vegetarian meals called ‘Bhojanam’ (unlimited thali) from the states of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerela and Karnataka, that come atop large, green banana leaves. Apart from that, they have a very interesting a la carte menu as well.
As soon as we placed our orders, we were served a glass each of tomato rasam along with papad. The rasam had a nice balance of sourness and spice, and also had chunky tomatoes in it, which was a nice touch.
We went with the a la carte menu and started with a couple of beverages. Panakkam was a jaggery and tamarind cooler, and was really refreshing with its minty taste. They also have a Filter Cold Coffee which we’d never tasted before. This consisted of filter coffee decoction blended with milk and ice cream, and tasted amazing.
Next, we ordered the Ghee Podi Idli which consisted of three fluffy pieces of idli smeared with a mixture of delicious podi and ghee. The idli were some of the softest we’ve had and the dish was served with sambar and three types of chutneys. All chutneys had great consistency and flavor to them.
The Keerai Vadai consisted of crispy fried masala vada with spinach, tomato and coriander chutney. The vada was made with soaked and roughly ground split chickpeas and mixed with fennel seeds, onion, ginger and curry leaves, and tasted great.
The Cheese Paniyaram was a fantastic dish made with a fermented batter of rice and lentils which was flavored with onion, green chili, ginger, curry leaves and coriander, stuffed with cheese and rolled into balls. The balls had a nice color on the outside, were really fluffy, light and airy on the inside with the gooey, melted cheese oozing out. The fermentation of the batter gives this dish a lovely subtle sour note.
Next, we went with a couple of dosas- Mysore Dosai and Onion Rava Dosai both of which were really well made.
We ended the meal with a nice selection of their desserts- Kesari Bhaat, Bandaru Halwa, Pineapple Halwa, Sweet Pongal and Payasam. All the desserts were really flavorsome and just adequately sweet. The payasam was light and the milk had been cooked well so it had released its natural sweetness. The bandaru halwa had a unique texture and flavor, and the pineapple halwa, with the sweet-sour note of pineapple and chunks of the fresh fruit was perhaps our favorite dessert of the lot.
Overall, the food was great, the service was fast, and the prices were very reasonable, making this a must-visit place!
Overall Rating: 4.25/5
Location: 52, Janpath, Delhi
Phone No.: 088823 00300
Coming to the food, the veg selection has some really cool options such as mushroom, corn and potato, chickpeas, spinach and oats, beetroot and cottage cheese. We went with the Moulin Rouge burger that had a beetroot patty with some crumbled feta cheese and arugula leaves. The classic combination of arugula, feta and beetroot which we often see in salads was nicely transformed into a burger. What we also really liked were the slices of green apple topping the beetroot patty, which provided a nice sharpness and crunch to the burger. However, we felt the apple should have been sliced a bit thinner.
The Peppa G was another favorite- it had slow roasted pulled pork, tossed in barbeque sauce, along with lettuce, jalapeno and smoked paprika mayo. The pork was so well cooked- it was simply melting in the mouth and the barbeque sauce had the right blend of spices and was balanced in its spicy, sour and slightly sweet notes.
Overall, Son of a Bun is definitely a place to order from if you’re in the mood for delicious, filling, gourmet burgers with some amazing sides. Our favorites definitely were the Mother Clucker and the Peppa G.
The Beet, Feta and Orange Salad had crispy lettuce leaves tossed with thin slices of fresh beets, fresh orange slices and Greek feta cheese, topped with walnuts for crunch and some halved cherry tomatoes. The balance of the earthiness from the beetroot, the sharp citrus hit of oranges and the creamy feta cheese worked really well together.
The Basil Pesto Pasta had penne tossed in a rich, creamy pesto sauce, garnished with basil and pine nuts, and topped with cheese. The pesto sauce was really zingy and flavorsome, but the penne was a tad overcooked.
The Herbed Chicken Breast dish consisted of two hearty slices of grilled chicken breast in a creamy mushroom sauce served with fluffy mashed potatoes and a medley of grilled vegetables.
Overall, our entire meal was wonderful, and all dishes impressed with their flavors and the quantity. The service was really courteous and swift, and this is a place we would love to go back to!
The Feast That's Life 