Punjab Grill is not a new name.
And it really gives out, what the food here is all about.
But what is new is their latest outlet in Andheri.
I was here to try out their Summer Special Menu for the Connoisseurs table.
The décor was perfect for a summer mood and the hostess had a jasmine ‘gajra’ for every lady’s wrist.
The dining area we were seated in was more of private dining / bar/ lounge set up and the main restaurant, which is much bigger was besides this.
Unrolling the menu, I knew this is what my evening would look like:
The tables were set. And the Jamun Iced tea was served.
Unlike the usual iced teas, this one was truly refreshing with that evident after taste of jamun.
What won hearts here is that it was only the puree of the fruit with no preservatives or any added sugar!
The courses to follow started with Pickled Olive Bhel ; the combination sounded good, but it was a bit too pickled for me.
Though the next dish took away all the anxiety the bhel created.
Tandoori Guchchi and Burani Raita Dressed Salad ; Guchchi are morel mushrooms.
These were so soft, creamy and absolutely a delight to have! And the burani dressed salad with the crunch from peanuts was completely in sync!
For those of you still wondering how morels are different from normal mushrooms, this is how they look:
The kebabs retained the look even after being tandoored and marianted once you cut into them.
Subsequently, the other appetizers were served.
The Norwegian Salmon Tikka was soft, succulent and pink in the center! It is quite rare for people to serve salmon in its authentic form in our country and even rare for people to enjoy it.
The saffron aioli had a slight taste of dill, but this did not over power the taste of the salmon. I could go for another round of it anytime soon!
The Tava Grilled Prawns were served flattened on the shell and the Achari Nimboo Marinade clearly stood out in flavour.
The winner of the evening for me, was this appetizer – Chaamp Taajdar!
Spicy. Huge. Tender(est) [if that can be counted as a word] and just finger licking good.
A chat with the chef, helped us discover that they acquire the tenderness of the meat by slow cooking in the tandoor for 24 hours and later finishing it before service.
I think, that is what makes the dish completely worthwhile.
We also got a share of Murgh Malai Tikka – which was pretty decent.
Our vegetarian friends on the table were not left behind.
They had Paneer Tikka, Tandoori Mushrooms and Dahi ke kebab to their rescue. The Dahi Kebab won over the other two dishes and had a sweet taste to it.
The appetizers may seem little to read, but they were too much for us all to digest before the next course set in.
And to our surprise, the team of Punjab Grill had a rest course planned for us.
Raw Mango sorbet with fresh pomello.
This one made us delighted and nostalgic for the raw mango and chilly powder days of life.
It was like a replica of the classic Aam Panna.
The fresh pomello broke through the sourness of the mango to add in some bitter flavour and paprika added some spice to the sorbet.
The time to dive into the maincourse was here.
Rarhya Meat ; Red. Rich. Balanced spices. Tender. Need I say more?
A meat lovers favourite, I could vouch for it!
Butter Chicken ; It was one of the dishes everyone was looking forward to. However, the pieces of chicken were too large, though they were soft to eat. And the gravy was creamy but the tomotoes over powered everything making it very tangy.
Palak Makhai ; Spinach and corn cooked and spiced up together. There was no wow factor in this one.
A vegetable as delicate as an asparagus cannot take on Indian spices too well. They do not mix in too well or absorbed by the aspargus the way it should be. Thus, the Tava Asparagus didn’t really work for me.
It was like eating two individual and opposite dishes.
Saving the best for the last here ; what really stole the show that evening, was the Paneer Malai Pede. Extre-eeeeeemly soft, melt in your mouth balls of paneer in a yellow sweet malai gravy. This one really hit the note right!
The inspiration for this dish was Rasgulla and experiments were made on the same lines to create the end product!
We also had some Panjratnani Dal which went well with the naan or rice that followed.
The Lachcha Parathas weren’t like the usual kind. These were crispy and the lachcha (layers) really separated and fell apart while you indulged in them. They were not rubbery or chewy but yummy even by themselves.
The Bahurangi Biryani was vegetarian, yet flavourful. It was a well balance of spices. And my favourite part about it was that the vegetables did not lose their crunch and still seemed so fresh!
The meal was now coming to an end, and though everyone was full to the brim, there is always place for desserts!
And clearly, for this kind of summer dessert platter – you needed a lot of space!
Inspired by summer, inspired by Punjab – this one had Rasmalai, Aam Ras, Mango Sorbet, Jamun Sorbet, Sugarcane sorbet, Caramalised Litchi, Fresh Alphanso Mango, Fresh Jamun, Watermelon, Muskmelon & Churros (minus the sugar coating) to be had with Rabdi – a Jalebi-Rabdi inspiration!
It lived up to its title and offered the right balance of desserts one would like after a delicious, heavy meal!
And like every Punjab Grill tradition, there were Paan Shots to end the meal!
The music was just right to set the mood of the evening and the service was courteous.
Go here to try a new place if you are looking for great Punjabi food. The place is easy to find.
The food is heavy and rich, but worth the indulgence.
Do not miss the Jamun Iced Tea,Tandoori Guchchi, The Chaamp Tazdaar, Paneer Malai Pede & Laccha Parathas – they are an absolute delight to have.
They also have other mocktails with interesting names like :
Bloody Chameli
Mauja hi Mauja
Home made Thandai
Litchi Sling
Did you know: They are also set to open up in Chennai, Singapore, Abu Dhabi and Jeddah among few other destinations on their radar.
Their parent company – Lite Bite was also the first to bring Subway to India.
And in 2008, they opened their first Punjab Grill outlet in Gurgaon.
Ever since, they’ve been growing and here’s wishing Team Punjab Grill lots of success for their new outlet!
Contact Information:
Adress : Ground Floor, Morya Landmark – II, Opposite Infinity Mall, Off Andheri New Link Road, Andheri West, Mumbai. Number: +91 9920302139
The Food Hatter 