Barbeque Nation, Andheri West
Ground Floor, Dreams Square, Daliya Estate, Off Link Road, Near Fun Republic Mall, Andheri Lokhandwala, Andheri West, Mumbai.
Phone No 022 6002 1001, 093200 05614
Phone No 022 6002 1001, 093200 05614
1930, 8th October 2014, Wednesday:
This is my second review of the location - I was a special invited guest for their ongoing festival of "Grills the world".
When we entered the restaurant at 1930 hours, we discovered a completely unique ambiance, true to the name of the festival. Radiant, vibrant colors all around. Flags of various nations displayed everywhere. Stripes and stars. I got a heady feeling that I was bopping around the globe.
And in the center was laid down a table with exotic vegetables and various condiments, ready for a grand show.
This is my second review of the location - I was a special invited guest for their ongoing festival of "Grills the world".
When we entered the restaurant at 1930 hours, we discovered a completely unique ambiance, true to the name of the festival. Radiant, vibrant colors all around. Flags of various nations displayed everywhere. Stripes and stars. I got a heady feeling that I was bopping around the globe.
And in the center was laid down a table with exotic vegetables and various condiments, ready for a grand show.
Our host and dost, Sandeep Goel - the Cluster Manager, came over to greet us. He then introduced me to the celebrity chef Pat Chapman. Chef Pat Chapman, I was to learn later, has earned many accolades in his life. Over the last 30 years, he has become the leading European authority on Indian cuisine and restaurants - through a series of books, articles, TV shows, radio appearances... and now he has also become an expert on barbeques. He has travelled around the world locating the best Barbeque cultures. Inspired by these he has created 14 marinades ranging from the American Southwest to the Australian outback, from the fiery Carribean to the heart of China, taking in Europe and Arabia on the way.
The proof of the pudding lies in eating.
We got up for the soup first. The soups were a choice of two : Green Velvet for the vegetarian and Lemon Coriander chicken for the non vegetarians. We picked up the Non Veg one and discovered that it was actually premium. Well made - dunking thin slivers of boiled chicken in a pot of boiling broth.
Soon the grills were laid on the table. It was then that I got enlightened that there is more to barbeques than what I have known so far. These marinades seemed as if genuine innovation and research has gone into them. The line of order was as follows:
Veg :
Poblano Mexican Mix Shashlik (Grilled vegetables), Worcestershire Mushrooms, Chinese Sichuan Paneer, American Texican Baby Potato, Persian Veg Patties, Orleans Incendiary corn (Maize corn) , Indonesian Bumbu Kacang (Grilled pineaplle) , Arabian Lenbanese Florets (Cauliflower, Broccoli).
Non Veg:
Jamaican Jerk Chicken Drumstick (Chicken drumsticks marinated in a concoction of vegetable oil, brown sugar, cider vinegar, rum, nutmeg powder and cinnamon powder for half an hour, then grilled over medium charcoal fire - The making of it was actually demonstrated live to us by Pat Chapman).
Albuquerque Atomic Chicken: (Chicken cubes marinated in a mixture of vegetable oil, tomato paste, paprika powder, red chilly powder, and red fresh jalapenos for thirty minutes, then served grilled).
Yorkshire Lamb patties (Lamb mince marinated in a combination of veg oil, horseradish sauce, chopped fried oonions and coarsely chopped parseley for thirty minutes, then served grilled with cool mayonnaise dip).
Hot Mai Thai Fish - (Basa fish boneless marinated in lemongrass paste, basil leaves, green chilli paste, fish sauce and refined sunflower oil for thirty minutes, then served grill).
Spanish Valencia Prawns : (Paprika powder, red wine, shrimp powder, saffron, salt and vegetable oil whisked well, then fried onions and fried garlic added to it, then peeled and de-veined prawns marinated in this for twenty minutes - served grilled).
Every single item on the grill was so delicious that we stopped caring beyond a point to leave room inside the stomach for anything else. Even if we had wanted otherwise, it was a task made uphill for us by the able servers who were pushing the fare insistently on our plates and wouldn't settle for anything less than our savoring of every item on the grill.
The Main course consisted of an equally eclectic fare - Paneer Rogini, Jamaican Jerk veggies, Nilgiri Kofta Curry, Outback Babycorn Mushroom, Dum Aloo Banarasi, Dal Palak Tadka, Dal Bukhara, Plain Rice, Lemongrass Rice and Singapore Noodles for the vegetarians and Chicken Dum Biryani, Gosht Dalcha, American Chicken drumstick, Fish in Mexican style and Bumbu Kacang Crab. A murder no less!
Oh I forgot to mention, there was pasta as well. Made to order.
No matter how much we were full the experience would've been incomplete without desserts. And what did we have on the table today? Chocolate Tulip Cake, White Chocolate Angel mousse, Mango cheese Cake, Almond Flakes pastry, Black Currant Gateau, Fresh cut fruits, Angoori Gulab Jamun, Kesar Phirnee and Vanilla and Strawberry ice cream.
I got to meet Ms Sushmita Das - the Marketing personnel during the session. She informed me that BBQ is quickly expanding its footprints within the country, three more restaurants are being opened up by November within the city itself. I got to meet Mr Vijay Anand Bakshi - the Culinary Operations Head who runs the entire show as far as the culinary side is concerned. I got to meet Mr Zabir Munawar - the Regional Manager , Western Region. He informed me that BBQN, earlier a part of the Sayaji Group of Indore, is now a separate entity in itself and is headquartered in Bangalore. Miele Guide - the Bible for restaurants in Asia - has listed Barbeque Nation as one among the top 100 restaurants in Asia and among the top 20 restaurants in India - Mr Munawar informed.
Finally I settled down for a Q and A session with Sandeep. He acknowledged that there are a couple of me too restaurants who have brazenly copied their format, but informed that he was not overtly worried. Their food, their innovation and their service is something that he was proud of, and maintained that so long these basic ingredients are there, their final recipe would always remain premium.
He was concerned about my overall experience and took pains to inquire about each and every aspect. He didn't flinch when I complained about the non premiumness of desserts, and assured me that very shortly that aspect would be taken care of.
I wish I could've said Hello to the live singer Mr Pratap - his "Teri Galliyan..." is still resonating in my ears.
Finally I settled down for a Q and A session with Sandeep. He acknowledged that there are a couple of me too restaurants who have brazenly copied their format, but informed that he was not overtly worried. Their food, their innovation and their service is something that he was proud of, and maintained that so long these basic ingredients are there, their final recipe would always remain premium.
He was concerned about my overall experience and took pains to inquire about each and every aspect. He didn't flinch when I complained about the non premiumness of desserts, and assured me that very shortly that aspect would be taken care of.
I wish I could've said Hello to the live singer Mr Pratap - his "Teri Galliyan..." is still resonating in my ears.
The verdict: BBQN has it deeply ingrained within its philosophy that entertaining involves an element of surprise, a blue rabbit needs to be pulled out of hat every once in a while. It has managed to resist being booby trapped in its comfort zone and attempts something different with regular frequency. Kudos to them for this.
The ratings, they go like this:
The Food Quotient : Food Quality 4.5 / 5, Food Choices 4.5 / 5, Food Portion ---, Food Presentation 5 / 5
The Other Determinants : Location 4 / 5, Cleanliness 4.5 / 5, Warmth 5 / 5
The Hygiene Factors : Ambiance 3.5 / 5, Space quotient 3.5 / 5, Delivery time ---
The Conclusives : Food Price 3.5 / 5, Honesty 5 / 5, Overall Experience 4.5 / 5, Will I Visit again 4.5 / 5
PS: Bouquets / brickbats on the review can be addressed to [email protected] or submitted below.
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