lark dhaba

there was moti mahal of daryaganj and then there was and still islarkdhaba of ludhiana junction. one invented 'butter chicken' and the other re-invented the same dish. if ever you are in that region and even if you need to take a slight detour to go through ludhiana, you must do it for the sake of tasting one of the best butter chickens available in this part of the country, delhi included.
we reachedlarkat around 10 pm and the area was alive, located close to the famed clock tower this area is full of life. once known by a movie theatre that ran matinees and colorful night shows, this area served the after drinkers and while drinkers for you can still order addhas an pauvas thru their waiting staff boys if you are not sitting in their "family room". 
intrigued by their loud posters on must try dahi bhallas, at 10 in the night we decided to give it a start. no surprise, the chaat was excellent, dahi had a thick yogurt consistency and perfect sweet- tang ratio but, this is not what we came for. 
ordered their reshmi chicken tikka, tawa meat, keema kulchas with gravy and their famous butter chicken. the wait of 10 min seemed absolutely torturous. 
the arrived in all its color. reshmi  chicken tikkas came individually wrapped in these little foil parcels, open each one and voila! the tikkas just disappear in your mouth. the softest and the juiciest chicken cooked. tawa meat and the keema kulchas were great although i felt the gravy with the keema filling made it double spicy and maybe that's why its an absolute favorite of the local drinking clientele. 
the star of the evening for sure was their delectable butter chicken, one bite and i was lost. you get the complexities of spices played subtly over your palate and with every bite i felt that the after taste was of dal makhani. i dont know how they do this melange of flavors but its an absolutely smashing dish, that i dream about so many times and have almost taken my car out to drive all the way from delhi to ludhiana just to get a bite of it with crispy tandoori naans. 
lark is undoubtedly a legend that every foodie must visit atleast once in their lifetime. once you've been, you will be hooked for life on their honest flavors

i m big fan oflarkbut this time my order was quite of low quality as chicken pieces are just ashes of chicken, would expect chicken used should be good quality as always but today i felt really upsets with quality...

this was my second visit to thislarkdhaba...i wasn't satisfied with the ambience during my first visit...this time i ordered in car...chicken tandoori and mali fish fry...and i must say this was awesome...very yum... crispy..service was good.

ratings
food 4.5/5
service 4/5
ambience 3/5

4 year back this place is one of my best place..
love to spending time there and they provide best service and food.
and now 2days back i visitlarkdhaba they provide cheap quality food. dirty washroom 1.0service hate it.. chicken is bad

a place we often go when in search of good food islark. situated in old town in night you can get parking but in day it is next to impossible to go in the car. they have revamped the place a bit but still desi toh desi hi rahega na. purana furniture hai abhi bhi . they have separate halls now for family and drunkards. raita and peanut is good . the gravy of chicken is nice and full of flavours. fish and sauce are also good in taste. thei karahi paneer is full of spices , dhuaan nikaal de and chilly paneer is ok ok.
you can go there to have some great food.

is it possible to walk into a nondescript eating joint located in the crowded city quarter and discover gastronomic excellence?yes,if the city is ludhiana and you've been dragged by your husband to a place calledlarkthat he fondly remembers.family outings in his childhood meant a movie followed by keema naans for dinner.

my daughter and i reluctantly accompanied him on a nostalgia trip with zero expectation.a pleasant surprise awaited us.we made it to the place without facing any traffic snarls and got a good parking space as well.there are a number of dhabas that line the road which housed rekhi cinema opposite the railway station and each one is superlative i am told.

we walked intolarkdhaba and were very courteously greeted and welcomed.though a no frills place,the service would put any so called fine dining establishment to shame.we ordered keema naan and reshmi chicken to start with.the keema naans were the best i've had so far.crisp yet flaky with a tender lightly spiced filling(we were asked if we wanted the food spicy or lightly spiced and we opted for the latter).the accompanying gravy was delightful as were the crunchy onion rings,pleasantly green with copious amount of fresh,green coriander,zesty with lime juice.the reshmi chicken kebabs,bite sized pieces,were individually wrapped in foil and lived upto their name.they were silken and melt in the mouth,liberally laced with green cardamom.the green chutney they came with had a fiery kick to it,a perfect partner!the main course of butter chicken,tandoori roti and butter naan too was par excellence.each time i think i've had the best possible butter chicken,i discover a hidden gem that offers one even better.it can happen only in ludhiana!

though the location might not attract people,for those familiar with the city it should not prove a deterrent.the street could easily be converted into a food street on the lines of lahore if the city and it's denizens took some pride in its strengths and traditions instead of flocking to food courts of malls with their indifferent cuisine and lacklustre service.