Classic Comfort
Despite its lofty perch above the royal forest tents, the food served at Kaanan at The Oberoi Sukhvilas Chandigarh champions the underdog—deserving, marginalised culinary gems from popular, hole-in-the-wall eateries across Punjab's smaller outposts such as Moga and Kupwara. "There is a reason we don't serve butter chicken at the restaurant," says Executive Chef, Simran Singh Thapar. "The idea was to popularise that which has been overlooked or at least not shone through the mainstream," he adds. What you can expect is a surprising menu, glorious streetfood, authentic and robust local flavours, organic, farm-fresh vegetables and herbs from the resort's own garden. "Even the jaggery that we source is organic and from a local vendor," the chef promises. The result, as you can imagine, is sheer indulgence served up kingsize as one can only expect in Punjab.
Surrounded by 8,000 acres of natural forest, “Kaanan”, literally meaning ‘forest’ in Sanskrit, is beautifully located and offers great views of the Siswan forest as well as the tented lodging option offered by the resort. A woman sits hunched up over a traditional charcoal-fired clay 'choolha' to make fresh makke ki rotis and other speciality breads served with house-churned ‘country buffalo milk white butter’ and buttermilk. What we recommend are the melt-in-your-mouth dahi kebabs, Amritsari wadi ke kebab, tawa macchhi cooked street style with masala riding the skin, topped with onions and tomatoes and smacked by a hint of chilli. For vegetarians, the bhune baigan ka raita is a delicious churn of sour curd with charcoal burnt aubergine, balanced perfectly with the warm nuttiness of cumin or the rich, two-textured Ranjitshahi paneer (apparently inspired by the kitchens of Maharaj Ranjit Singh) that serves crumbled paneer as the base with cubed paneer in a rich gravy. Another must try is the atta chicken, where half a chicken, stuffed with chicken mince, is cooked inside a whole flour salted cage in a tandoor, so that when you carve to reveal the bird, the meat literally comes off the bones. Succulent meats that are not dunked in heavy spices or laden with cream and delicate flavours, are a Kaanan imprimatur.
Subtlety and surprise are the twin goals on the dessert menu too with the Two gur ice cream leading the pack. It plays on dual textures of jaggery and is served with a gajak brittle. Round off perfection with gur and fennel and ginger and peanuts—traditional yet timeless—a lot like the restaurant and the food it serves.