Chandigarh, Aug 8 : Having a taste of the Punjab with no border barriers, ''Dera'', a newly opened restaurant is an eclectic mix of robust and delicately flavoured cuisine.

The antiques, the decor and everything else at this restaurant inside the Taj Hotel in Chandigarh, takes one on a nostalgic trip.

Inaugurated recently what is unique about ''Dera'' are the special ''phulka'' and ''Tadka'' trolleys used for serving guests fresh and warm food.

The food served here is primarily of the Northern Frontier region, Amritsar, Lahore and Peshawar.

The unique selling point of this restaurant is the variety of vegetarian dishes and the interactive kitchen, which customises cuisine for food lovers. 

"Its a food which is low on the Indian palate as well because of use of olive oil the chefs take precaution of customer''s health. Lot of organic food is used here. So, its a more of Indian food made in contemporary style," said Abhinav McArthur, Assistant Food and Beverages Manager, Taj.

Not only is the accent on Punjabi food, even the staff don Punjabi dresses and speak in the Punjabi dialect.

After a thorough examination of the street food of Amritsar and Lahore, the ''Dera'' chefs have been successful in preserving the authentic taste in their kitchen.

With all the varieties of Amritsar''s tandoori ''rotis'' and Lahore''s stuffed and baked ''naan'' and ''rumeni roti'', it offers a wide variety of vegetarian and non-vegetarian snacks and dishes.

"It''s a new experiment that if something is being cooked in your presence you feel double welcome. The snacks served are excellent. We usually eat Amritsari fish, but here both the Lahori fish and the meat have unique taste," said Amrit, one of the customers. (ANI)