Punjab Grill - Phoneix Market City Chennai

  PUNJAB GRILL

Opp. Pinkberry/Hard Rock Cafe merchandise store, Ist floor Phoenix Mall, Velacherry

My last review of 2015

We were invited for a blogger's meet as a part of the PMCC promotion of the various restaurants in the mall. Having heard some good reviews about this resto, wanted to try it out (yes, I can hear your mind voices: free food? how come I don't hear about these?, why am I not invited? well, if you are passionate about food, start blogging and watch out FB food group pages more often esp. CFG)

Opened in late November in Chennai but already set foot in all major metros and internationally. There are currently 10 outlets and the one at Abu Dhabi being the latest.The journey to success unraveled in front of us with their 4-course dinner

Ambiance: Brightly lit, spacious seating arrangements and neatly decorated kitchen gave a good first impression. 

The place started bustling in no time and all the tables were full and people started waiting outside. Such a scene on a weekday means either its new and people are curious to try it out or the food is really good. Lets find out!

They serve Himalayan water in big goblets (a risky proposition with kids)

Aliji of CFG with his Iphone gizmo to capture live audio and video with different lenses mounted.

We were served some traditional drinks and not the mocktails: From top to bottom

Kesar pisteywali lassi 225/- : Lassi was tad bit sour to start with but the peda at the bottom of the shot glass made up for the sweetness

Mattha 225/-: Buttermilk blended with ginger, coriander and green chilies and with roasted cumin seeds was normal

Shikanjvi 225/-: Lemonade with jaljeera is a new twist to the ubiquitous jaljeera n mint cooler

PS: These are served in much bigger glasses for the price

 

Subz shahi shorba 175/-: Spinach puree cooked in vegetable broth with diced veggies and infused with garlic flavor and streaked with some fresh cream opened up the real Punjabi experience to follow

Food: They make all their dishes at normal spice levels, so if you are someone who eats a lot of spice like me, make sure you mention it while ordering. Also claim that the all dishes taste the same in all their outlets (something to check)

CLICK ON PIC TO SEE IT BIG. From top to bottom Lto R: (Salmon tikka, chicken kurkuri, bhatti da murg, chaamp taajdar, paneer tikka multani, dum ki biryani chicken)

Salmon tikka 895/-: The best dish of the night. Norwegian salmon is imported specially for this and is slow cooked in tandoor with a marinade of dill, honey, fennel and ginger and mustard oil. The Salmon tasted fab and was so soft shredding down like sonpapdi and melting in your mouth

Chicken kurkuri 475/-: Wrapped chicken wantons filled with cheese, mushroom, celery, tomato etc dabbed with vermicelli and deep fried. served with sweet/hot garlic sauce. A new dish that i tried but the cheese was overpowering everything inside

Paneer tikka multani 395/- Paneer infused with herbs and spices cooked in tandoor won't disappoint the veg lovers

Bhatti da murgh 475/-: Chicken legs marinated in curd and pomegranate powder, onion powder and other spices. It was the only dish that hit the spice quotient for me

Chaamp taajdar 675/- Lamb ribs when juxtaposed resemble the taj mahal (you need a bit of creativity to think it through) and therefore the name. Whatte a dish! the meat just disintegrated and fell of the bones and all you had to do was a gentle suck into your mouth and it just melts away. 

Dum ki biryani chicken 525/-: If you have had a Pakistani biryani or a Bengali biryani, this would taste close to that. The saffron flavor is strong and lasts a while. If you like it mild, this one is for U

Dahi ke kebab 345/-: Didn't realize that a curd based dish could be so delicious. Hung curd is mixed with chopped coriander stem, green chilies, cardamom, crushed pepper and milk powder. Patted down into discs and cooked on a hot plate to perfection. This is very different from the ones I have had before this

 

Paneer lababdar 395/-: Must try veg dish of the day in veg. It was a thick paste of cashew, onions tomato and flavor infused with roasted garlic was clearly a winner

Dal punjab grill 395/-: A dal makhani felt to be missing some salt and a tad less spice IMHO

Meat punjab grill 475/-: Was reminiscent of our mutton rogan josh was not very impressive

Dhaniya mirchi da kukkad 445/-: Chicken dish wasn't too impressive though it was cooked in cinnamon, coriander seed, mace and chilly concoction

Breads

Lehsuni naan 99/- was very soft and garlicy,  Khasta roti 99/- made with semolina flour, wheat flour was a bit thick and crispy and tasted like more like a savory than a roti.

Bloggers spending time with their fancy phone and camera trying different lights and angles to get the best pics to showcase it on their blogs

Desserts: They deserve a special mention as the chef has played around with some interesting ingredients to bring out some unique flavors. All the desserts had the right amount of sweetness

Litchi ki tehri175/-: Milk reduced in a wok topped with litchi slices,almonds and pistachios was a very interesting twist. Couldn't get enough of it and made me dig in again and again

Gulab jamun175/-: Filled with nutella, white chocolate, almond slivers and pistachios and perfumed with rose water is again a winner

Phirni--175/-: Phirni was just the usual and nothing out of the ordinary

Pan mojito--225/-: You are already tired of pan ice cream all over Chennai and this is the liquid version of the same. Didn't impress me much!

Please "pause" PASS PASS or try at your own risk. It might spoil the whole experience

Price: Is on the higher side and a meal for two would easily cost 2K but it is justified for the good quality food

Verdict: If the lion is the king of all animals, I rate Punjab grill as the lion among all punjabi restos in Chennai - not exaggerating. The starters are a killer, choose your main course carefully, for desserts try the litchi and gulab jamun and you wont complain

Wishing you all a very happy new year 2016 and expect more food treat-meants from this food doctor.