5
Riana L. 16 months ago
My review of Punjab Grill is going to be nothing short of an essay - not because i want to write one, it's cause i have so much to say about the staff, especially Mellissa (yes with a double L so please dont get her name wrong!) A lot of people visit a fine dining restaurant for the food, and the burst of flavors in every bite, but for ME, its different - any restaurant, big or small isnt defined by its food, but its service and the ambiance that the staff creates for you. If the food is the best tasting in the world, but the service and staff turn out horrible, that is what you will retain in your memory for decades to come.
This isnt the case when you enter Punjab Grill - Mellissa is literally the MOST heart warming, mood boosting, positive vibe inducing persona i have met in the longest time! She is the epitome of a gracious hostess, who quite literally goes above and beyond her role at the restaurant, and i really hope the founders are reading this review as i truly hope they know what a GEM they have sitting right under their wing! What started as a request to enter the restaurant for photos with my childhood buddy, which again Mellissa so kindly agreed to do (she took some amazing pics of us!) ended up with an encounter of a lifetime! We showed up 2 days later for their corporate lunch, which was beyond fabulous! The biryanis were served in really cute stand bowls which looked like large egg holders, with their lion head logo embossed on it. As we had reached on the cusp of Eid, we were served haleem which was gastronomically fabulous, which i assume isnt an usual entry in their CL menu. The butter chicken was sweet for my liking, but that's not on them - my darling half has told me that generally butter chicken in restaurants is prepared on the sweeter side, but i am sure if you like it more on the fiery side they would surely oblige! (they serve food with a spice intensity on a scale of 1 to 5, which they inform you about prior to dining to choose as per your palate). The rest of the items were absolutely brain swirling yummy, and dont miss the soya chaap tikka masala! (part of the veg CL menu and NO it doesnt taste like meat, which sadly soya is famously known for but doesnt even come close to - soya has its own persona!)
Our server Dharam was super sweet, and very attentive to our needs and requests. Truly a pleasure to speak with, and took us down memory lane with chats of Thane and Bombay. Jatinder, Satinder and the rest of the staff we interacted with were also soft spoken and courteous. Currently since Anantara Downtown is undergoing renovations, PG ends up getting hidden due to it, but i assure you once you climb up the flight of stairs, you wont regret it!! The interiors are well done; opulent and rich, just like the food they serve :D On a closing note (yes this review is coming to an end haha, & i appreciate you for sparing time to read it!) DO NOT miss their paan rasmalai, and Mellissa's charismatic personality just makes it all worth coming back to over and over again!!