Punjab Grill Bhartiya Mall — Restaurant in Bengaluru

Extremely Disappointing Experience at Punjab Grill - Bhartiya City Branch. They shall really reconsider running. their business.

My wife and I had high expectations when we visited the Punjab Grill Bhartiya City Branch, having had a wonderful experience at their Orion Mall location. However, what we encountered was a series of disappointments that completely ruined our evening.

The first major letdown was when we ordered the Galouti Kebab, a signature dish we were eagerly looking forward to, only to be told by the server that it was not available. Trying to make the best of the situation, we compromised and ordered the Sheekh Kebab instead. Moving on to the main course, we requested Garlic Naan and Malai Chena Peda curry. Once again, we were told that Garlic Naan was not available. After expressing our disbelief and disappointment, the server checked with the chef and confirmed they could prepare it. However, the final blow came when we were informed that the Malai Chena Peda was also unavailable. This was the tipping point, and we decided to cancel our entire dinner order and requested the bill.

When the bill arrived, it added insult to injury. We had initially ordered a half Sheekh Kebab but later asked if it could be made a full order. The server agreed but conveniently failed to mention that we would be charged for two half orders, totaling Rs 1100, instead of the full order price of Rs 950. It wasn’t just about the Rs 150 difference; it was the feeling of being deceived. When we brought this issue to the manager's attention, he reluctantly agreed to adjust the bill but tried to make us feel guilty by pointing out that a full order comes with 5 pieces, while two half orders come with 6 pieces. This was not our fault, and we didn't even finish the full order. Shockingly, they took away the one remaining kebab and then charged us for the full order.

To top it all off, I had to insist on canceling the 10% service charge as I was not willing to pay for such abysmal service.

This experience was nothing short of a disaster. The unavailability of key menu items, the deceptive billing practices, and the poor service were completely unacceptable. Our mood was thoroughly spoiled, and our evening was ruined. We will certainly not be returning to this branch, and I strongly advise others to reconsider...

I've visited Punjab Grill three times now and here's my experience summarized by courses:

-- Starters:

Tamatar Shorba (Tangy tomato broth infused with local herbs): The broth was flavorful, but the croutons were too hard to chew, reminiscent of a hard biscuit with ajwain/carom seed.

Veg Kurkuri (Crisp deep-fried wanton rolls with cheese, peppers, nuts, and olives): Absolutely delicious & unique preparation, easily the highlight of my meal.

Hara Matar Di Tikki (Pan-seared green peas kebab with cream cheese stuffing): A unique dish, albeit a bit dry due to the peas. It pairs well with the pudhina chutney.

Dahi Ke Kebab (Deep-fried mildly flavored hung curd kebab): Just Good.

Murgh Malai Tikka (Boneless chicken tikka in cashew and cream marinade, cooked in tandoor): Unfortunately, mine was undercooked, which was disappointing. However, this hasn't deterred my overall impression of the restaurant.

-- Main Course:

Kadhai Paneer (Cottage cheese in spicy onion & capsicum gravy with coriander seeds): Tasty but nothing extraordinary.

Paneer Lababdar (Cottage cheese cooked in cheesy & creamy onion tomato gravy): It was good. Gravy is exact replica for Murg Lababdar as well.

Pindi Chana Masala (Chickpeas tossed in onions, tomato gravy along with carom seeds and in-house chana masala): Ordered twice, once fully cooked to my preference and once with a bit of rawness. I prefer the mashable consistency.

-- Breads:

Butter Tandoori Roti, Butter Naan, Garlic Naan, Chilli Parantha: Tasty, but I suggest avoiding the black burned look from the tandoor.

Service: The staff, particularly one individual who I believe is the manager, is exceptional and goes above and beyond to assist.

Ambience: I expected Punjabi music to be playing, adding to the authentic atmosphere. Some volume might enhance the experience.

Overall, despite some minor issues, Punjab Grill offers a satisfying dining experience with flavorful dishes and...

We ordered a takeaway order and ordered the spinach patta chat as well as broccoli Malai starter while waiting for the order. Let me take each problem one by one.

We were led to believe that the spinach order was available as a half portion, so when we received 8 florets, that felt about right and we expected a charge of ₹375. The shocker came when we saw a charge of ₹750 for those 8 pieces. The reason given was that they don't have a half portion available for the broccoli starter.

Next, the spinach chat starter was soggy when it reached us, causing a messy eating experience- no way to eat it without spillage. I swallowed a piece whole and choked on something, albeit briefly.

We raised the broccoli pricing issue with the staff and they adjusted the price, which I give them credit for.

However, upon reaching home we saw that one of the takeaway items was missing. Again, they did send it over which was kind of them.

Note that price is not ordinarily a constraint for me, and I don't ordinarily write such detailed food reviews. I make an exception for this branch of Punjab Grill though. The food quantity simply does not justify the price, and charging sky high prices does not, on its own, justify a fine-dine tag.

Lastly, the staff did compensate for the mistakes but the mistakes were made.

I have had better experiences at other Punjab Grills - I hope some of these are teething troubles, however the problem of quantity vs price is something the establishment needs to...