Men with chef hats and samurai-like knives work a large, round griddle. There’s a lot of clinging and clanging going on, with the smoke from the barbecue providing accompanying visual effects. There’s cultured shark meat, roasted quail, a seafood melody with octopus, squid and prawn, bamboo shoots, zucchini and vegetarian dumplings to choose from. The choice offered by the wish grill is overwhelming, but thankfully there’s someone to recommend the right sauces and spices to go with it. It’s all happening right in the centre of the restaurant, which spreads across the whole floor, and is a flurry of activity by itself.
My colleague and I arrive at Absolute Barbecue at 1 p.m. and are immediately surprised by the crowd the place seems to draw on a typical weekday afternoon. We are given a table at one end of the floor and as soon as we take our seats, the unlimited barbecues arrive to grace the open grill at the centre of our table. There’s coastal fish, cheesy potatoes, paneer tikka, parsley prawns, Napoleon mushrooms and so much more. The grilled fish is my favourite — it’s soft and juicy — while my colleague favours the prawns, which she orders more than once. The mushroom is a disappointment, since the tomato and spices it is marinated with doesn’t combine well. The appetisers are smoky as we take them off the grill, but disappointingly, the insides aren’t hot enough.
Even as we clear some of the food on our plate, more arrives and we are ultimately forced to put our foot down and refuse the repeated attempts by the enthusiastic waiters to offer us more appetisers. We order drinks instead, which is the only part of the meal where we feel our options are limited, as we aren’t particularly thrilled by the soda-infused concoctions on offer.
We finally try a bit of everything from the wish grill, and we aren’t quite sure what is what and neither are the waiters who bring it to us. Surprisingly, nothing stands out and disappointingly, none of the barbecues are hot. By the time we move to main course buffet, we realise we have overindulged.
The dessert spread looks exciting; there’s even a man making cold stone ice creams and another preparing hot jalebis, making us forget how stuffed we are. My colleague is particularly taken in by the paan shoot ice-cream, which is made to order.
As we call for the bill, we realise that there are very few items that stand out in terms of flavour, but the experience of dining at Absolute Barbecue is exciting thanks to the unique concept and lively vibe. It's also great value for money.
Absolute Barbecue is located at 45, GN Chetty Road, T. Nagar.
A meal for two is priced at approximately Rs.1300. Details: 30853848
