Patakha - Legit Indian Food
Patakha manages to be that rare experience— an Indian restaurant that serves Indian food which actually tastes like Indian food! How beautiful, how magical!
I don’t mean to insult nearly every Indian food chef in Berlin, but there’s something that seems to happen to Indian food in Berlin, and most likely Germany, and most likely Europe, where they stifle the beauty, the variety, the SPICE, that I’d like to think we’re all coming for, and serve some creamy, bland, bull shit to service the European palate. And people keep coming back for the bad stuff, and raving about it online, such that it starts to become so difficult to figure out what’s good.
Now, back to Patakha — I loved it! Everything was wonderful. The two servers I interacted with were so patient, so kind, excited to help me out in figuring out what I wanted to order, and happy to tell me about the origins of the food (It’s a bit of a pan-Indian restaurant, with some focus on Punjabi food). Their offerings will satisfy cravings from many regions of the India subcontinent. Hiding in plain sight on a broad street in Graefekiez, Patakha is unexpectedly lovely on the inside. Kitschy vintage Indian prints in bold colors, tables with a black and white pinwheel pattern, dark green Zellige tiles all contribute to a stylish, retro-modern decor you rarely find in your run of the mill Indian restaurant. But don’t let that scare you, I know sometimes when the style of a restaurant is too trendy, I get nervous that this actually means the food is gonna be bullshit. Not the case here.
I had: Naidu’s Fried Chicken, the Chicken Chettinad, and a Dal Fry Thali. The fried chicken was crisp and had a wonderful spice combination on the outside, and the chicken was moist on the inside. The chicken chettinad was my favorite, I will return for it. The chicken was tender and richly coated in a blend of spices, balanced by the warmth of a tomato-onion base (black pepper, Gundu chili, ginger, and curry leaves) and toasted coconut to top it off. It delivers a satisfying kick without overwhelming the palate, offering a dimensional, comforting experience.
The Dal Fry thali came with the aforementioned Dal Fry, sambar dal, coconut sambol, onion and coconut chutneys, rice, and a choice of plain hopper, dosa, or malabar parotta. I went with the plain hopper and found it simple and satisfying. The Dal was probably the weakest link for me, as I prefer a more buttery, indulgent dal, and this one leaned rustic-earthier and textured, the flavors less deep than I would have hoped. The sambar was simple and lovely, the coconut sambol was bright and punchy, bringing in a fun contrast to the soupier dals.
Do recommend. Added it to the list of No Bullshit Restaurants.
