Punjab Grill

2030 hours, Aug 16, 2017, Wednesday, Kurla

The Prelude:

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Punjab Grill – Gourmet Fine Dining is owned by Gurgaon based Lite Bite Foods, which owns a host of other brands, including Savour, Baker Street, The Artful Baker, Pino’s, Bottoms Up, Asia Seven, Punjab Grill Tappa, Street Foods by Punjab Grill, Fresc CoZambar and Hahn’s Kitchen. The company was founded in the year 2001 by Mr Amit Burman and Mr Rohit Aggarwal. With over 50 locations currently operating under the Group, LBF is a Rs. 5 Billion organization, with over 300 operational locations under its existing three verticals – Quick Service, Casual Dining and Fine Dining restaurant concepts, both within India as well as overseas. Punjab Grill has over twelve outlets in India, with four of them in Mumbai itself.

The Persona:

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We were hosted by Irfan Khan – the F and B Executive for the location, a soft spoken and smiling gentleman who was kind enough to accord utmost courtesy to us. Given the way we were fussed over, it was safe to conclude that we were considered no less than royalty personified. Equally charming was the sous chef of the place, Mr Paresh Biswas – who managed to churn out some awesome delicacies for us.

The Process:

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The place seemed managed like a tight ship. I was informed that hygiene is the watchword in the kitchen, the processes there could put a five starrer to shame. Sunflower is the cooking oil used, and all the supplies – veggies, dairy products, meat and sea food - sourced fresh each day. The best part is that bucking the trend, the ubiquitous Basa is shown the door, and Salmon is the star instead. Yay!!!

The Platter:

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PANEER TIKKA MULTANI (3.5 / 5): 

Soft Paneer chunks infused with herbs, and char grilled. The paneer was soft and fresh, it's the preparation which left us wanting. The chunks were way too large, and the herbs way too little. It seemed as if beyond the top layer of coating, there was no personality left to paneer. Thankfully, the grilling was done perfect and overall salvaged the dish.

DAHI KE KABAB (3.5 / 5): 

Hung curd crafted into kebabs, and shallow fried. A hint of cardamom, and an almond crown. Good as it goes, smooth, and catering well to those whose tastes run to this kind of food.

VEG KURKURI (4 / 5): 

Now, this was a multi-dimensional dish which seemed to have been laboured upon. So these were wanton skins stuffed with goodies like a minced mushroom, celery, olives, pine nuts, olives and tomatoes. Deep fried and with a coating of bits of vermicelli. Served in a small glass, dipped in sweet chilli sauce. Loved the presentation, loved the burst of flavours, loved everything about it.

BHATTI DA MURGH (4 / 5): 

I am usually wary of Tandoor items, I fear that in most cases either the flavour is missing or they have not been tandoored properly. Not here, we found ourselves grooving to the dish. Juicy chicken legs, treated with exotically spiced yoghurt and other proprietary marinades and grilled to hilt. Well done.

MURGH MALAI TIKKA (4.5 / 5): 

Likewise for this, soft cubes of chicken treated with cream, cheddar cheese and garlic, and then grilled. Chicken, cream and garlic are three magic words that warmed the cockles of my heart.

KHAAM KHATAI (5 / 5): 

The meat version of Nan Khatai. Mutton Galouti tikkis served on a bed of warqi parathas. Lamb mince, shallow fried, made extremely soft, almost gooey. Doing apt justice to the name – a must-have item over here. Give me mutton mince anytime.

The Pitcher:

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MEETHA PATTA (3.5 / 5): 

Paan Patta, Gulkand, Mint, Sweet Sour and Fizz. To be honest, this could have turned out to be a rocker of a drink, save for the mint leaves. Too much noise of mint, too little presence of the gulkand and the Paan patta. For whatever it's worth, I would opine that the gulkand should be thoroughly distilled in the drink rather than just dumping a lump of it which settles down at the bottom and serves little value. Likewise for the Paan patta leaves, maybe tiny bits of it would do a world of good. And the mint leaves should be totally cast away, they only hinder the experience. Please think about it.

KESAR PISTEYWALLI LASSI (4.5 / 5): 

Thick Lassi, adequately sweet and generously loaded with kesar badam and pista. One more signature items here which should be necessarily not given a miss. Topped with a khoya pedha which easily amalgamated with the milky delight, and the duo together tangoed so well that a visit to this place could be justified for this experience alone.

The Pleasure:

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LITCHI KI TEHRI (5 / 5)

This was a Milk Rabdi – thickened milk – with Shahi litchis and sultanas (white grapes). Kudos as much for its uniqueness as for its preparation. The Rabdi was a delight to have as it is – rightly thickened and appropriately sweet. The Litchis and Sultanas gave it another welcome element and actually elevated the affair a notch further. And, the sprinkled pistachio shavings added oomph. Full marks.

GULAB JAMUNS (4.5 / 5):

If everything else boasts of a twist here, can the GJs be left behind? So these were THREE varieties of Gulab Jamuns, each standing out on its own. A Dark Chocolate Gulab Jamun (nicely darkened – something like a Kala Jamun – it doesn’t have actual dark chocolate within, just a hint of Nutella, mind you), a white chocolate Gulab Jamun, and the regular Elaichi Gulab Jamun. Garnished with a shower of almond and pistachio shavings. A wonderful and memorable closure.

The Postlude:

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A single visit does poor justice to this brand, the food here needs to be savoured and relished in entirety to appropriately applause for the brand. The promoters seem to have done a remarkable job of building the goodwill around the brand – taking meticulous care of what goes behind the curtains – the service, the ambience, the premium-ness, the quality. It was a wonderful experience which commands an encore, and beyond that, it would be a pleasure to meet the principals some day.

The Parameters:

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The Food Quotient : Food Quality 4.5 / 5, Food Choices 4.5 / 5, Food Portion 4.5 / 5, Food Presentation 4.5 / 5

The Other Determinants: Location 4 / 5, Cleanliness 4.5 / 5, Warmth 5 / 5

The Hygiene Factors: Ambience 3.5 / 5, Space quotient 3.5 / 5, Delivery time 3.5 / 5

The Conclusives : Food Price 4 / 5, Overall Experience 4.5 / 5, Will I Visit again 5 / 5

The Ps:

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