The windows are rolled up,the cabin members are so silent that it appears to be put on mute,and the highway markers speed past us.The only sound that you can hear is the humming of the engine as we gun down Durgapur Expressway by the mile.
The objective: Azad Hind Dhaba, NH2.
We had heard about it a lot, but over all these years never managed to visit the place.
When we left the city it was well past noon. The heavy traffic took its toll as we made slow progress while exiting the city. But once we were on Kona Expressway(NH 117) it was time to hit the throttle, albeit moderately.Traffic thinned down and passenger vehicles were replaced by truck traffic. From then on it was a steady drive to the Dhaba.
The dhaba was almost empty when we went there.The buzz which we usually find on Sher e Punjab,Kolaghat(when compared) is missing here.We ordered Chicken Bharta,Roti, Mixed Vegetable and a Coke. The food did not strike a chord nor did the service.Food was priced moderately.The dhaba has quite a few facilities for folks on long drives.
But for people like us, I will definitely not suggest to travel 70 kms for a lunch/dinner at this place.I have heard that they make great Aloo ke Paranthe but can’t really comment since we didn’t have it.
Personally I will always prefer Sher e Punjab at Jessore Road(Barasat) and the Sher e Punjab at Kolaghat for lunching out, dhaba style.
Directions:
For starters, head down Kona Expressway,cross the Satragachi bridge and keep moving straight. After moving for sometime, you will see one portion of the road branching towards the left and the other heading straight into a flyover. The left branch becomes the Bombay Road(NH6) and the straight road is the Delhi Road(NH2). Keep moving on NH2 until you find an Indian Oil COCO(Company Owned, Company Operated) Fuel station on the left side of the road.Another 11.5 kms from this station is a Bharat Petroleum COCO Fuel station – which houses Azad Hind Dhaba(AHD).
AHD, NH2 is around 70 +/-3 kms from Kolkata depending upon your place of exit.
