A meal that opened the door to a new world 😳🇮🇳

📍 Punjabi Palace This Indian restaurant was recommended to me several times by a friend, and every time I passed by, I couldn’t help but be curious because it was always packed with customers.🧀 🍇It was my first time trying Indian cuisine. Besides being nervous due to some stereotypes/prejudices, the English menu of Indian dishes was like to me. Luckily, we came with a friend who knows how to order, so we just followed their usual picks/recommendations.🍈 I was completely amazed and fell in love 😍! We ordered three side dishes, two naans, one grilled chicken leg, and two Mango Lassis (mango yogurt). I especially loved the restaurant’s signature Mango Chicken🐔 and the highly praised Tikka Masala. Mango Chicken has a sweet sauce, smooth in texture, with a subtle mango aroma. The chicken 🐔is tender but not very flavorful—only delicious when coated with the sauce. 💛 🍒Tikka Masala is made with fish. At first, since I don’t eat seafood, I thought this dish would be one I’d avoid. But after taking a tentative bite, I surprisingly loved it! The fish is extremely tender and refreshing, with no seafood 🦐 at all—you wouldn’t even know it’s fish if no one told you 🤣. Seafood avoiders can try it with confidence! The sauce is sweet and sour, richer than that of Mango Chicken. It’s my favorite among the three dishes! 🌟❤️ The third dish was beef, but I don’t know the name. The sauce was a bit heavy for me, not as smooth and light as the first two. 🍝 Both the beef and the sauce had a strong beefy flavor. The beef was well-stewed—friends who like beef flavor can give it a try. The Naan 🫓 we ordered was Punjabi Naan (107), a stuffed naan with cheese 🫕, spinach, and other herbs. It didn’t have a strong flavor, but the texture was great—soft yet with a nice chewiness. My friend said our naan wasn’t fresh, so there was no cheese pull. 🍞 Before leaving, we ordered a takeaway and realized that a hot, fresh naan really does have stretchy cheese when torn. 🍟 Freshly made and hot, it’s even more fragrant! Highly recommended 🌟 We dined there on a Friday night. Having seen the crowds before, we booked a table in advance through the restaurant’s website via Google Maps to avoid waiting. However, because it was full, the three of us only got a small round table, and the food took a while to arrive. It’s recommended to avoid peak hours on Fridays/weekends. This meal completely shattered my prejudices and opened up a new culinary world for me 🌍. While eating, I couldn’t help but amazing—don’t let stereotypes and long-held prejudices limit your steps and vision. You can only truly understand and judge things after trying them yourself. I’ve been craving it since Friday, all through Saturday and Sunday—I’m hooked 🥺❤️‍🔥 So glad I got to eat delicious Indian food before leaving, thanks to my neighbor friend 🫶🏻 #Brisbane #WhatToEatInBrisbane #IndianFood