I know this isn’t a book review, but I had to have a place to fully express my love of this restaurant and so I’ve turned to my own website so that I can give it the praise it deserves.
I’ve been a food-lover all of my life. My earliest memories include food: gathering with my family around the dinner table, and helping my father cook when I was too young to even be of any real help. That love of food has stayed with me through the years, and most of my fondest memories involve gathering with loved ones around a table laden with delicious delicacies. Cooking for others is my happiest place, but when I can’t cook for them, going out to a wonderful restaurant is the next best thing. I say this to convey that I have always known that the true power of great food lies in its ability to bring people together. There is nothing quite like sharing a meal, passing plates around, tasting a little of this and a lot of that, laughing and talking and reminiscing as the courses go by in a whirl of colorful and tantalizing dishes.
And that power has rarely ever been utilized better than it is at Punjab Grill, a new Punjabi-Indian restaurant in DC, that is sure to be the next big thing in the world of DC fine dining. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Before diving in, I want to address some of the negative reviews I’ve read here, so that we’re all on the same page. First of all, those who complain that the portions are small here have a) clearly never eaten at a true “fine dining” establishment where bite-sized $30 plates are the norm, and b) would be far happier at all-you-can-eat buffet than enjoying a several course experience at a more upscale restaurant. I, speaking only for myself, would much rather have an experience than merely have a lot of food on my place, but I didn’t even have to choose because Punjab Grill delivers on both fronts. My companions and I left stuffed to the gills and we had an experience we are sure to never forget.
Where can I begin in describing Punjab Grill to you? Should I start with the décor, which is top to bottom handcrafted in India – including the mother-of-pearl table inlays, the jaw-dropping 7 TON sandstone wall that lines one entire side of the restaurant, the gorgeous mango-wood trellises, and even the stunning white whorled ceiling panels. There is an attention to detail here that I have rarely seen in a restaurant. It’s clear from the second you step in that this isn’t just a “theme” dining experience, it’s a veritable ode to Punjab culture.
We were seated in the railroad-esque dining car, off of the main room. Our waiter eagerly showed us all of the tiny details that went into creating an authentic railway atmosphere while still managing to blend elegance and charm to create a very pleasant room to share a meal in. I was particularly impressed with the mirrored columns, the marble table legs, and the intimate brass lighting fixtures hanging above each individual booth. The room felt cozy, intimate, and exuded sophistication. The flatware was laid out perfectly. I was in love before I took my seat.
But of course, atmosphere isn’t the only thing that makes a meal. Service is a major tenant as well. Let me just tell you that rarely have I ever formed as close a bond to a waiter during a meal as our table quickly formed with our waiter, Taz, during our dinner. Taz was charismatic, attentive, and left us alone just the right amount. He checked on us without ever making us feel intruded upon, answered our questions honestly and with a superb knowledge of the menu, and gave recommendations that were perfect for each of us when asked to. At one point a table near ours was speaking so loudly that it was becoming difficult to hear one another, and before we could say anything, Taz came over to inform us that they had just turned down the music in the restaurant so that hopefully the table near us wouldn’t have to speak over the music and could quiet down. He promised that if they didn’t quiet down they would be politely asked to do so in a couple of minutes. We didn’t hear them again the rest of the evening. I would call that superior customer service. A waiter that makes you feel special is hard to come by these days, and it only added to the experience.
Whenever you’re ordering a lot of food quickly, there is always a possibility something might be mixed up, and we did have one dish arrive at our table that wasn’t something we ordered. But Taz swiftly apologized, took full responsibility, got the correct dish sent out, and gave us the incorrect dish as a comp so that we could try it and enjoy it in addition to our other entrees. So it’s pretty hard for me to believe that others experienced poor service here, when ours was so stellar in every single way. We weren’t special, we were just a group of friends there to enjoy dinner together. They didn’t have to give us exemplary service, but they did, unquestionably.
Now, onto the main event. The food.
The ever-loving food.
How do I even begin to describe the veritable feast we enjoyed?
We started with drinks, a perfect summery mango lassi served filled to the brim is a tall glass and two “Masala” chai mocktails which proved that chai tea elevates anything to the next level (even ginger ale). Then we moved onto appetizers and naans. We were a party of six, so we split two small plates and four breads… The burrata badal jaam and the chutney flight, as well as the lemon and whiskey smoked sugar naans and the butter chicken and spinach and goat cheese kulchas.
I’ll start with the naan. The whiskey smoked sugar naan was sweet with an infused aftertaste that was sharp against the burnt sugar and provided a nice compliment to the sweetness. It was unlike any naan I’ve ever had. But the lemon is the naan that, in my opinion, really shines. The tart lemon had just the slightest sweetness, and I found myself reaching for another bite of it almost unconsciously. It is definitely going to be a naan that I dream about.
The kulchas are next. These “quesadilla” like delicacies are basically flatbreads stuffed with savory or sweet fillings. The butter chicken was hearty with a perfect tomato based and chicken minced so fine that every bite was the perfect consistency. And the spinach and goat cheese kulcha was several people in our party’s favorite bread of the night. It’s a perfect flavor pairing for a kulcha, and the execution is flawless.
The chutney flight was an incredibly fun way to join together as a table, and we had a blast breaking each poppadum up into pieces and trying each chutney once, then twice, and then a third time before splitting the remaining chutneys up so that we could each polish off our favorite one. They actually serve the chutneys with dosa crisps and naan crisps as well as the traditional poppadum, so every taste had a variable texture and flavor that created nearly endless “bites” to try. It’s hard to pick a favorite chutney, but the mint yogurt, the raita, and the pineapple were all up there for me. Honestly, I’d probably just order the flight every time because it’s such a hard choice.
The burrata badaal jaam is UNBELIEVABLE. You might think burrata is already as good as it gets, but you would be wrong because this burrata is on a whole other level from regular burratas. Regular burrata wishes it could be paired with tender eggplant and bursting heirloom tomatoes. Regular burrata wishes that it could be infused with a blend of spices that I would kill to be privy to because I want to smother every single thing I ever cook in those spices. Regular burrata will, for the rest of my life, only be the second best burrata I’ve ever had. That’s how much I love this burrata badal jaam. It’s an intense love.
All I can say is I’m already counting down the days until I can try the gol gappa and aloo tikki chaat to see what incredible twists the chef puts on those iconic dishes.
Between the six of us we ended up with two orders of chicken makhni, one rarha lamb, one venison “Haleem”, a kathal kofta, and an order of tawa scallops. Because of a mix-up with the scallops, we also ended up with an order of Malabar machhi as well. And thank God we did because that Chilean sea bass, served in a coconut sauce I wanted to swim in, was actually possibly the best thing I have ever eaten in my life. It was unanimously everyone’s favorite dish of the evening, and that’s saying a lot because we didn’t try one single thing that wasn’t incredible in every way. But that sea bass was on a level that cannot compare to anything else. Let me put it this way: I never, ever order fish because I’m super picky about my fish and hate anything with too “fishy” of an aftertaste, and I would order that bass every single day for the rest of my life if I could. It was sumptuous and decadent; the kind of dish that makes you close your eyes for a moment while you savor each bite.
The lamb was mouth-wateringly succulent, and by the way it was HUGE. My friend who ordered it couldn’t finish it even with all of us chipping in to help him. The jackfruit dumplings in the kathal kofta converted me to jackfruit, which before this moment I always thought were a very sorry excuse for a meat substitution but in the kofta were savory with a perfect hint of sweetness. That was probably the smallest dish that we were served, but it was still plenty of food and a full plate. The chicken makhni was described as being the best “tikka masala-esque” dish anyone in our party had ever had (and the portion on the chicken makhni was so large that the two people who ordered it took home leftovers). The venison “Haleem” was a glory to behold. It was served in a gorgeous dish, with the traditional accompaniments all around it, so that each bite was a sort of “make your own” type situation. That venison melted the second it hit your tongue, and I’m pretty sure it could convert any non-game-meat-eater immediately. And then there were my scallops, some of the biggest, juiciest scallops I’ve ever eaten, definitely more than enough for one person. They were cooked perfectly, and served on top of a cauliflower puree that I wanted to never stop eating. Did I lick my plate clean? Pretty much. I didn’t want a single drop of that golden cauliflower to go to waste.
The dark chocolate pistachio gianduja was so rich that one bite was enough to satisfy my sweet tooth (not that that stopped me from having more than one). The bottom layer had a cookie-esque texture that provided perfect contrast to the smoothness of the chocolate. The cardamom ganache is very subtle, but it lends just the right hint of something more to the dish, to deepen the flavor profile of the dark chocolate. The zafrani thandi kheer was a classic rice pudding with hints of saffron and a fennel cookie that gave it the perfect crunch (we loved dipping it in the pudding). The salted caramel paneer cheesecake had this perfect honey cashew crust that lent a salty, crumbly, slightly sweet, totally addicting taste to the creamy cheesecake. Oh, and the chocolate twirls on top of the cheesecake were good enough to eat on their own, they had this brittleness at first but then melted in your mouth, almost like a toffee chocolate. I would buy those chocolate twirls at a candy store and just eat them by the pound. But the shahi tukra and the jaggery coconut kulcha were my personal favorites. They both just blew me away. The shahi tukra because it had such a great texture going on – that mango mousse is divine and then you get this triple threat with the mousse and the soft pillowyness of the kulfi and then the saffron bubble glass provides a tiny bit of crunch, and the flavors all go together and create this triumvirate of flavors. Wow. Just wow. And the kulcha… Man, we were so stupid not ordering it at first because it stole the show. It’s got crunch, an unbelievable cherry filling that puts the best cherry pie you’ve ever had to shame, and it’s served in a warm and sweet kulcha. Add to that the fact that it’s served next to an airy, cherry, foam and a homemade coconut ice cream, and every single bite feels like a party in your mouth. My mouth is watering just remembering it.
Honestly, by this point we were stuffed, but the dessert menu just looked too good to resist. We ordered four of the five desserts, and then they brought out the fifth one for us because “we might as well try them all” and because they knew we were celebrating. So we got to try all of the desserts, and let me tell you, being full did not stop us for polishing off all five of their decadent dessert options. They really have something for everyone, because each of us had our own personal favorites, and between all six of us, every single dessert was someone’s favorite.
At the end of the evening, we walked away absolutely satisfied. We were even given a tour of the restaurant from our waiter, Taz, who showed us all of the gorgeous hand-crafted details that went into bringing an authentic Indian atmosphere to Punjab Grill. And I have to say, I am completely amazed and impressed that this is a restaurant that truly wanted to not only showcase Indian culture and cuisine, but also give back to the Indian community, by commissioning work in India and then bringing the many pieces of the restaurant to the US to be reassembled here.
Which is why I believe you should run, not walk, to Punjab Grill and get yourself and your loved ones a table before it becomes impossible to get one. Because one day, it will be impossible. Cheers to the best new fine dining restaurant in DC.
We had the pleasure of meeting the owner, and getting a tour of the private dining room, a room where the walls are lined with 250,000 tiny intricate mirrors that reflect the candlelight from the breathtaking table in the center. It’s a room for small, intimate parties, salons, and celebrations. A place where people can come together and enjoy a private dining experience, complete with a unique, one-of-a-kind, menu crafted specially for each individual party who dines there. It’s a place that does what Punjab Grill was obviously built to do… Bring people together through great food. And that’s really what fine dining is all about.