New Punjab Club

I remember when New Punjab Club opened a few years ago and got a lot of buzz. I was interested to try it, but also very happy to stick with our regular (cheaper) Indian options. We finally went earlier this year with a few friends for a fancy dinner.

The most interesting thing we ordered was tandoori anda. From the very brief menu description, I was expecting crab meat and eggs in a curry sauce. However, it turned out to be Japanese-style soft-boiled egg halves topped with crab meat, smoky corn and truffles. Not exactly standard Indian fare, but pretty yummy.

My favorite dish was probably the paneer tikka, huge chunks of cheese grilled with tomato and onion slices. It was served with two sauces, including a very tasty corn and pomegranate yogurt. We ordered two portions for 5 people, not knowing the size of each cheese cube, but can you ever really have enough cheese?

We also got palak masala (spinach), mughal room makhani (chicken tikka), bade ka gosht (oxtail), tandoori quail, a selection of chutneys and two types of naan bread: butter and saffron (pictured above). There was no rice on the menu, but we certainly didn't go hungry.

Another highlight of the restaurant was the drinks and their presentation. My gin and tonic came with grapefruit and kaffir lime leaves, which the server toasted with a mini blowtorch at the table. (Same goes for the caramelized ginger G&T). Next time, I think I'd go back just for cocktails, snacks and the great oldies playlist.