Below is the old review written by me. Just thought of updating it a bit after my recent visit :
I went to check out the Spectacular Lunch buffet at Punjab Grill after seeing their advertisement in the newspaper and was really impressed by it. I had an excellent rather super amazing lunch buffet on the week end priced at Rs 525 plus tax.
The dishes in the starters included Paneer Tikka, Bhutteyan de kebab , Anari aloo, Murg Malai tikka, Seekh Kebab and Tandoori Murg.
Then we tried out their Chicken salad in curd dressing , Tangy and chunky cucumber salad , dahi bhalla and green salad.
Coming on to main course .. I cant just stop praising. Most restaurant do so much of cost cutting in the buffet and the quality of buffet served by other restaurants is usually not the same as a-la-carte, it is usually inferior but @ PUNJAB GRILL the quality standards are maintained beyond expectation Rajeev_Vermacially where it comes to the taste of the food. I just loved the Butter chicken, Mutton Rogan Josh, Paneer Lababdar, Mixed vegetable in green gravy, dal makhni etc etc.
And the dessert .... I am speechless. I have never had such amazing Bhugga , Dry Seviyan and Chocolate Gulab Jamun.
If you are busy over the weekend you can even try out Punjab Grill’s Lunch Buffet on the Weekday’s priced at Rs 395 plus tax.
M lovin it !! Now it’s ur turn to say that .....
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I had heard so much about Punjab Grill by Jiggs Kalra, Chandigarh and may you too would have since it has it’s wings spread across Delhi, Gurgaon and Mumbai. It’s been couple of visits now from the first time that I visited .
My first visit to Punjab Grill was in Ambiance Mall , Gurgaon , the second visit was at Punjab Grill Select City Walk , Delhi , the Third one at Punjab Grill , Sector 17 , Chandigarh and then many more at the one in Chandigarh.
On my first visit , we were two people wherein I tried the lunch buffet and found it quiet good since there was ample variety and food was yummy . It was value for money.
On my second visit , we were three people and we ordered a few dishes from the a-la-carte menu i.e Non - Veg Kebab Platter , Dal Punjab Grill, Lachha Parantha and Gulab Jamun. The entire meal was fabulous, specially the chaamp Taajdar and Gulab jamun with a chocolate centre. What I didn’t like was that the dal was too creamy , I think it would have tasted even better minus the cream.
My third visit is what i’ll explain in detail since Chandigarh has very limited good restaurants and people think twice before stepping out ....
I’ll talk about each of the aspects one by one ...
Ambiance - Ground floor is So so . It could have been better. A few blinds can make a difference without having to invest much. The view is’nt that great from the window if you are sitting on the ground floor. You’ll just see the road and people walking by peeping into the restaurant. There is’nt much space between the tables to allow privacy of converstaion .The tables are pretty near to each other and there is hardly any space between the corner table and the side station. I think the chain has invested into a smaller place , they should have bought a bigger space. Otherwise the design aspect from the decoration point of view is not bad at all. That’s good.The lower level is hundred times better than the ground floor.
The Menu - For Non-Vegetarians there is still ample variety but for vegetarians not much.Since, it was shravan so for religious reasons we were vegetarians that day. The vegetarian section was full of paneer dishes , it had one potato dish called Lahori aloo , one mix veg , saag , Pindi channa , Dal Makhni and Dal Panjratni and may be a dish or two more . What was disappointing in the choice was that regular kadhai paneer , paneer lababdar , makhani paneer , kofta etc Nothing special at all. I understand to fail that why would somebody like to pay so much more for these dishes which you can get at other restaurants also . The taste is good , no doubt but nothing extra ordinary.So why that extra bit just because the staff is well dressed and english speaking , or because it’s a dynamic chain by a renowned food consultant / chef ??
Quantity - Portion size is appropriate but overpriced.One portion can serve two people.
Pricing - Ordinary Mattha / Lassi - Rs 125 , Shikanjvi is 95 , Fresh juice and kesar pedhe wali lassi is 150, Shorba’s are 125 and 150, Veg Starters are in the range of 300 to 450, Non - veg stsrters are in the range of 375 to 950 , Paneer dishes - Rs 320 , Vegetables 275, Tarkari Kesari Biryani - 300 , Tandoori roti - 45 , Other basic roti’s - 55 , Lahsuni Naan 75 , Kulcha’s - 95.So, according to chd standard it’s a bit high.
Quality - Quality of ingredients is excellent , Presentation is good , Taste is good but it’s just that , the dish is’nt unique so we cant call it fabulous , food is hygenic and rich . Loads of ghee , butter, cream and dry fruits but thank god it’s just the taste that tells. No floating oil, so that’s great.
Staff - Well groomed , well dressed , well spoken but lack presence of mind at times. Some more training will do good.
Billing - No issues. Quick and correct.
Our experience - At the first glimpse of the menu we found variety a problem and the price as well. The food was very overpriced. The food came on time but was’nt piping hot but it was warm enough so we did’nt really mind that much. We were’nt comfortable chatting because the tables were pretty near . After we were done with the food we asked for the cheque .We had eaten just a spoon of each of the dishes so there was a lot of left over . The wait staff cleared the table in the mean while and did’nt ask us whether the food is to be packed or not.So , we assumed that it would be packed. Unfortunately that was’nt the case. The waiter discarded the stuff.When, while leaving we asked the waiter to get us the packed food he just apologised for throwing it away but we told him that it was not right on his part and insisted to speak to the manager then he got the same amount of food that was left made and got it packed. So, they managed the complaint there but when we had packed food at home it tasted nothing like what it was in the restaurant. They had just prepared and packed food for the sake of managing the complaint. So , we were very disappointed.
Never the less , I went to the same place many times more and each experience was a unique one in itself. Somehow I like the place.
Some of the dishes that are my favourite there include -Shikanjvi, Chaamp tajdaar, Bhutteyan de kebab, Raan, Tandoori murg, Dal punjab grill minus cream and butter, Murg Makhni , Phirnee and Chocolate gulab Jamun.
Do chk out this place and share your experiences ....