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Taste of Punjab serves Indian food in Pinellas Park
PINELLAS PARK — It's the coolest food I've eaten in a while: oniony, cucumbery yogurt raita dotted with tiny, tapioca-sized chickpea flour dumplings. The little fried beads, called "boondi," lend not just texture (spongy, like a Cocoa Puff at the bottom of the bowl) but also a nutty, rich flavor to soften the sharp yogurt tang. At Taste of Punjab's Indian buffet lunch, I found myself swooping back around to scoop up just one more spoonful, spreading it generously over buttery basmati studded with fragrant toasted cumin seed. Opened at the site of Dragon Express in January, Taste of Punjab is a lovely addition. Chef/owner Rajinder Singh's palate is spicy and flavorful but balanced, with a good eye to contrasting colors and textures. We've had a recent influx of Indian restaurants in the area, but certainly there's room for this newcomer, with its mostly familiar northern Indian dishes, offered in generous quantities at a fair price.