Nipun S.
Yelp
Santa: I have tried to be good this year. Can I please have an Indian place as classy in its decor, as gracious and caring in its service, and serving as scrumptious and memorable food as this place... wherever I live in life.
I rarely give 5 stars anymore, but my experience here deserves it. Hopefully the review below will show you why.
Was in Hong Kong for a pit stop during an Asia work trip. My local friend suggested this place and said that given my love for food I should give it a try if I am up for it. Good food.. I am always up for it.
This place is at Lan Kwai Fung (LKF) and is really busy, so when we tried to get a reservation on the same day we got a reservation for an early dinner. So, make reservations for this place. Like most places in Hong Kong the place is small and it fills up fast.
Decor:
The place has a modern chic decor where they have merged the traditional and have incorporated some things very reminiscent of home. The Punjab they are referring to here is the pre-independence Unified Punjab, when Lahore and Amritsar were in the same country. I never saw that time, but I am sure the food was awesome. Loved the paintings, the plates, the silverware, traditional (British traditional) tea pots for tea. The music selection playing music from Sufi to the Beatles to some more newer English songs. Least to say, I liked it a lot. But, I should get to the food.
Food:
Starters: Samosa Chaat, Kemma Pau, and Mogewala Paneer. All three starters were amazing. The Chaat was right on with the perfect balance of tangy and sweet, with the samosa giving a little bit of crunchiness in there. The Keema Pau was good and comes with 2 paus (buns), order at least one more as you will need it. The Paneer was also amazing.
Mains: Masalewali Chanp: Indian flavored lamb chops. I need to talk about this before I get to the rest of the mains. This is a big part of my 5 stars. The lamb chops were wonderfully flavored and perfectly cooked. They were soft and flavorful, just the way you would want them to be, and the Indian flavors were unmistakable. I have not had such well made Indian flavored lamb chops before. The dish also had onions from India (Nasik) and Beetroot from Amsterdam, as I have been told. Talk about going to the ends of the earth for good ingredients. I guess they are using the geographical advantage that HK has of being one of the big transit hubs for the world.
We also had the Chana Masala, Maa ki Daal and Laccha Paratha. I would order the Chana Masala and Laccha Paratha combination in a heartbeat. The Laccha paratha has many layers, like it usually has, but they add a thin layer of sugar which gives it a very unique flavor. This along with the chana masala has a very nice taste and I enjoyed it alot. The Daal was also good, but I enjoyed the combination mentioned here more.
Drinks: In pure British style, this place serves a Gin and Tonic Menu to begin with. So, for all the G&T lovers, this might be a good place to stop by. We did not partake in that, rather chose to try some Indian favorites. We had a Nimbu Soda (Fresh Lime Soda with Chat Masala) and some Indian style Chai to end the meal. Both were perfect on taste.
This place has two Michelin star restaurant experience chefs behind it and it shows. It is a must have place for me and I look forward to my next stop in HK so that I can try this place again. I will reserve in advance...