Sep 26, 2014 12:31 PM
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Kathi Rolls. A great street snack which satisfies both veg and non-veg lovers, and is versatile enough to even be a quick lunch / dinner for those of us on the go. The best kathi rolls I have had toll date were in Kolkata, many years ago. Bangalore did have some good ones, namely Chakum Chukum in Indiranagar, Fanoos(not strictly Kathi Rolls) in Richmond Town, and fast food versions like Tibbs Frankie. While all are good in their own way, none of them came close to recreating the magic of those Kolkata rolls. So, can Khan Saheb do any better?
Khan Saheb has been around for a few years now and have four outlets in Bangalore, namely – Indiranagar, Brigade Road, Koramangala and Commercial Street. I frequent the Indiranagar outlet as it is close to my office.
Location and Ambiance
Located on the lane adjoining ESI hospital leading to Cambridge Layout / Ulsoor, Khan Saheb is at the junction of the main road and one of the inner lanes. It is basically a takeaway / delivery outlet, with a few random chairs laid out on the sidewalk for someone who wants to eat there. Else, you need to stand. What is popular though, are the number of cars who park in front of the shop and place orders from there. The ESI Hospital road is relatively wide at that point, so a few cars can park without much hassle.
The grill is laid out near the entrance and the aromas waft their way onto the pavement, swaying many to come and taste their delicious flavours. When it rains, the road tends to get flooded with standing water around that point so you need to be watchful for water splashes.
The Food
Khan Saheb is about the tandoor and the rolls. There are over 50 different variants, with a wide choice in both vegetarian and non-vegetarian categories.
Note: The Kathi Rolls here are traditionally served wrapped in a whole whet roti. Apparently this is for healthier. Personally, I find that rather dry and bland so I pay Rs. 5 more and go in for the nice flaky and traditional Kathi wrap, made from Maida.
1. Chicken Beda Roti(Rs. 120) – A Mumbai staple, Khan Saheb has recreated the Beda Roti quite well here. Basically a roomali roti coated and cooked with an egg, fried, and stuffed with chicken / mutton. The roti is then wrapped into sort of a puff shape and fried some more. This is one of my favourite items, as the fried egg-roti combination adds an oily and flavourful counterpoint to the spicy chicken filling. However, the combination may seem too oily and off-putting to some. Not me, I love it. It will definitely fill you up.
2. Chicken Reshmi Tikka Roll(Rs. 80/100 – Single/Double filling) – A good roll for those who do not want things too spicy. The reshmi tikka filling is mild yet flavourful with the hints of cream and garlic shining through the succulent chicken. The nice part is they do not overload these rolls with onions or other fillers. You get 5-6 nice juicy tikkas in your roll, which makes it quite delicious.
3. Chicken Kali Mirch Roll(Rs. 80/100 – Single / Double) – Spicy and tangy. These rolls are for those who love a good burn. They are as juicy as all the others, and go really well with a squeeze of lemon. One of my favourites.
4. Aloo Tikka Roll(Rs. 60/70 – Single / Double) – Now, a good aloo tikka roll should be full of soft mashed aloos and a spicy chutney / gravy to add the bite. It seems someone forgot to tell both. Twice I have tried this item, and both times it was bland and the aloos didn’t seem to have been cooked enough.
5. Aloo Mushroom Babycorn Tikka Roll(Rs. 85) – Another vegetarian option. Another disappointment. This combines the aforementioned three stuffings as listed, but they are all too dry have a strange almost processed food like taste which did not go down well with me at all.
6. Chicken Malai Tikka(Rs. 100) – You can also choose to order the tikkas which they use in the rolls by themselves. A plate of chicken malai tikkas gives you two skweres, or about 10 – 12 pieces, for Rs. 100. The tikkas themselves were nice and soft, with a good dollop of cream, but they seem to be lost without the Kathi Roll to back them up.
Things I don’t like
Apart from the above mentioned fact that the vegetarian items were disappointing, here are some of my other criticisms about Khan Saheb -
No Roll of the Day offer – Khan Saheb Brigade Road has an amazing offer of Roll of the Day, whereby for Rs. 70, you can eat whichever roll is decided as that days special item, be it veg or non-veg. This makes it a good budget option. However, such offers are not available at their Indiranagar outlet.
Same grill for veg and non-veg – I noticed that they use the same grills and skewers for both their veg and non-veg tikkas, though they do grill them on separate sides. This didn’t bother me, but was a concern raised by some of my vegetarian friends.
Verdict
Khan Saheb definitely provides some good value for money Kathi Rolls. While not as good as those I had in Kolkata, they are among the better ones in Bangalore. Just stay away from their vegetarian offerings.
