Bang for your bucks
Bangle Publika is where you go for snazzy Indian food – and drinks – at friendly prices.
IF it takes a village to raise a child, sometimes it takes a family – by blood,and by choice – to shape a restaurant.
At the new Bangle Publika,which opened in October,you’ll find that the menu of northern Indian fare is very much informed by the tastes of the owners’ family.
“It’s not so much the family recipes that we serve,but the family taste buds thatsteer us!” said Jaskirat Kaur,who co-owns the restaurant with her husband Jagdees Singh.
“Like the mutton,for instance – there are a lot of mutton-lovers in our family,so it’s our mutton dishes that get the first critiques!”
This family stewardship of tastes means that while the Bangle Publika may serve popular,triedand-true northern Indian food for the most part – from butter chicken to briyani – the execution of the dishes gives them a distinctive identity,especially when it comes to the use of spices.
They’re present in each mouthful, simultaneously robust and balanced – but post-meal,there seems to be no lingering presence on the palate, making the meal seem lighter.
Dishes in general seem more delicate and subtle – with a lot less oil than usual,too – although they’re as flavourful as you could wish for.
“I find that you can’t cook the same way here as you would in India,because it tends to be too overwhelming for the palate,” said Jaskirat.
“That’s why we’ve done so much R&D to come up with our own spice blends,adjusting the ratio of the spices when necessary.”
Jaskirat and Jagdees started up the Tasty Chapathi restaurant in their home ground of Sentul,before an impressed customer persuaded them to cross borders and open The Bangle in Bali. While a central kitchen – presided over by Jaskirat – churns out the spice pastes and mixes to ensure consistency,the cooking is all done on-site at the restaurants.
Keeping it in the family,brothers Kiranjit and Arvinjit Singh – cousins of Jagdees – are also co-owners and operational managers for The Bangle Publika,and it’s their friendly faces that you’ll see here every day.
“We named the restaurant as such because bangles themselves are vibrant things,reflecting the lively experience here,” said Kiranjit.
The chill,modern feel of the restaurant is compounded by a list of wines and cocktails,presided over by sommelier Senthil Nathan.
“I picked a list of wines that go well with Indian food,and we have a list of sparkling wine cocktails made with Brown Brothers prosecco – it’s a slightly off-dry wine,so it matches well with the food,” he said. “We also have a list of wines available in taster portions of 90ml, so that you can try more wines rather than ordering a full glass.”
Senthil recommends that dishes with lots of gravy are paired with white spirits,while dark spirits go better with the tandoor-roasted items.
Three thali sets are available 12pm to 3pm on weekdays,with palak paneer (RM 14.90),butter chicken (RM 14.90) or mutton curry (RM 18.90),served with naan or rice, chana masala and papadam. Upgrade your thali with aloo gobi and dhal for a few extra ringgit.
Start your meal here with the increasingly modish – and definitely moreish – pani puri (RM 7.90), which has crispy,puffed dough balls with their hollow insides filled with a spiced potato and chickpea mixture and crisp chaat masala.
A little spiced sweet-sour tama-