Restaurant Sardaarji - 4x Michelin Bib Gourmand — Restaurant in George Town

I wasn’t planning to write a review about this restaurant, but Google has been reminding me, so here we go.

We visited this restaurant for one reason: its Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition. That badge is supposed to represent good quality food at a good value. A rare and prestigious honor, especially for Punjabi cuisine. With a Michelin title comes serious weight; expectations of culinary finesse, professional service, spotless hygiene, and overall excellence. What we experienced was the complete opposite.

Let’s start with the ambience: uninspired and careless. We had a direct view into what looked like a disorganized storage room, cluttered with boxes, fully visible from our table. It immediately killed any sense of dining sophistication. For a restaurant flying the Michelin flag, this was bafflingly amateur.

Service was reasonably prompt, but what came next was astonishing. A staff member gargled at the same sink used for washing dishes and preparing drinks. Right there in full view. In a restaurant with Michelin endorsement. If that doesn’t raise serious hygiene concerns, I don’t know what does. To add insult to injury, the water glass I was handed was dirty. Not smudged, dirty. Unacceptable anywhere. Unforgivable here.

Now, the food, the one thing that should’ve salvaged it all, was just as underwhelming. The chapatti was served in stained basket and aloo paratha were limp and forgettable. The butter chicken was so salty it felt like punishment, with none of the complexity or richness you would expect from a Punjabi kitchen aiming for excellence. The mango lassi? A watery mess, visibly separating in the glass. Not only was the quality poor, the pricing was outrageous. The aloo paratha cost nearly twice as much as those served at several restaurants in KL where the food is ten times better. So much for "value for money," Michelin.

And then there’s the owner proud, loud, and constantly promoting the Michelin accolade. Not during our visit, but in nearly every other review we read. The irony is painful; a restaurant clinging to its Michelin mention while delivering an experience that wouldn’t pass at a mid-tier street stall.

We walked in expecting a rare gem of Punjabi cuisine, backed by one of the most respected names in dining. We walked out questioning the credibility of the Michelin guide altogether. If this is what Bib Gourmand stands for, something has clearly gone off the rails.

The Michelin badge may have drawn us in but it’s the disappointment we’ll remember. For anyone looking for truly exceptional, fairly priced Punjabi food, look elsewhere. This was hype over substance, pride over quality, and proof that a Michelin mention isn’t always...

We decided to visit this restaurant because it holds a Michelin endorsement something extremely rare for a Punjabi restaurant, and perhaps even unique. Naturally, with Michelin recognition comes the expectation of high standards across the board from food and hygiene to service and ambience.

Unfortunately, the experience did not align with what one might associate with a Michelin-recognized establishment. The ambience was basic, and the view into the storage area cluttered with boxes diminished the overall dining atmosphere. For a Michelin-endorsed venue, such oversights are disappointing.

While the staff were attentive and quick, we were taken aback when one staff member gargled at the sink located in the same area where plates, glassware, silverware were being washed and where food and drinks were being prepared. This was not only unprofessional but also raised serious concerns about hygiene. To make matters worse, the glass I was given for plain water was not clean. For any restaurant, this would be unacceptable. For one with Michelin recognition, it’s simply baffling.

As for the food, it was underwhelming. The chapatti and aloo paratha were average, nothing memorable. The butter chicken was overly salty and lacked the depth of flavor one might expect from a Michelin-recognized Punjabi kitchen. The mango lassi was diluted, with water visibly separated in the glass. We've had better quality and more authentic Punjabi food at much lower prices in Kuala Lumpur.

This visit left us genuinely questioning what the Michelin endorsement stands for in this context. Either the standards have shifted, or perhaps this restaurant is more aligned with non-Punjabi or non-Indian taste preferences. We’re left wondering if we simply misunderstood what “Michelin quality” means or if this is an exception to what should otherwise be a high benchmark.

Overall, while the Michelin label initially attracted us, the actual experience did not reflect what that name typically promises. For those expecting a premium Punjabi dining experience based on Michelin recognition, this may fall short of...

Went with high expectations as this is supposedly the only authentic Punjabi food joint in Little India Area of Penang. First things first: The ambience and decor is pleasantly done and reminds one of a typical roadside Punjabi 'dhaba' (A highway eatery in Northern India). The old 1960's Rafi Kishore bollywood film songs added that extra charm to the whole thing. It sounded genuinely Dhaba'esque! ** Stars for the place and decor. Coming to food: We ordered a plate of onion pakoda (fritters) and some masala chai for starters, as it was a rainy weather outside. The pakoda disappointed us. One big piece of onion cut into flats and plain dipped in batter, fried and served! Well that's not how you make onion pakoda! It was soggy inside and not crispy at all. Felt like we were biting into raw onion coated with spicy flour batter. The chai was ok. Adding ginger instead of masala powder would have done wonders. For main course we had Ghee Chapati, Ajwain Paratha, Daal tadka, Palak paneer and Chicken Rahra. -Paratha and Chapati were good. -The tadka in Daal tadka was mild and good. A spoonful of ghee would have done wonders for aroma. Palak Paneer was okayish. We ordered big portion but surprisingly there were only 7 or 8 small chunks of paneer cubes. Chicken Rahra was also mildly spicy and felt homely. But they added eggs, which did not add anything extra to the taste. Also topping it with some desi ghee would have added a punch to it.

• Stars for taste of food and authenticity. There is a lot of room for improvement.

Average rating: * Stars. *The price is still low, as it is a new eatery. They only accepted cash at the time of this review. *Would like to visit again for an improved taste in dishes and then I may re-rate this place. *Surprisingly, the menu missed out on a very famous Punjabi dish- Butter chicken! Hope the management...