Having a barbeque (or BBQ as it's popularly known) is not merely about chomping down huge chunks of hot eats, hot off the grill. Rather, it is an experience.
Now ‘Let's Barbeque,' a new eatery near the Police Training College at Thycaud, may not be your typical definition of an impromptu gathering over a charcoal grill. But dining here is indeed an experience. In a first-of-its-kind venture in the city, this joint is a restaurant, a curio shop, an art gallery and a boutique (called Pebbles) all rolled into one! All the ingredients for a rather interesting experience.
Great ambience
Hats off to the ambience. From the courtyard with its large tree festooned with charming glass lamps to the bright blue doors and windows to the funky decor inside to the quaint nadumuttam , it's obvious that a lot of thought has gone into the décor to make it seem trendy and comfy at the same time.
The menu is limited and not as innovative as you would expect it to be considering that we in the city were introduced to the sizzler decades ago. However there are a number of items in the menu to get excited about...the Beef Stroganoff (Rs. 230), for instance, which is a classic Russian dish of sautéed beef.
The Naadan barbeque platter is also the stuff of Malayali gastronomic dreams and is a platter of chutta (grilled) Kappa, Vazhakka, Chena, Chembu and Kachil (Rs.150). You also have the option of adding fish curry to the platter at an additional cost. The depiction of a sizzling pot next to an item in the menu signifies that the dish will be brought to you 95 per cent cooked and the rest of the cooking is done on the grill that's affixed to the middle of each table.
The appetiser section has a bit more variety. We decided not to sizzle up the room just yet and deliberated between grilled prawns cooked in citrus youghurt, Reshmi kebab and Barbeque Chicken Wings with mint chutney.
We settled for the latter. Good choice on our part as we got six pieces of perfectly cooked and succulent chicken marinated in spicy tandoori paste. We were literally chewing the bones by the end of it and licking our fingers in glee, and fighting for the last bits of the excellent mint chutney.
We had a 20-minute wait in store for our main course. So what do we do? Head to Pebbles and shop, of course! We did find a number of interesting stuff such as Ayur vastra, antique clocks, funky earrings, aromatic candles, dress material, saris and so on at the store.
Shopping done, our waiter, Zaheer (who looks more like a rocker), was ready with our individual orders. The ‘Sizzler God' (Rs.280) was a juicy beef pate smothered in BBQ sauce. It comes with a side order of mash potato, French fries or boiled vegetables (all common for most grilled dishes). The ‘BBQ in Pepper sauce' (Rs.260) – a rather large chicken thigh cooked to perfection with mildly spiced sauce, was particular scrumptious. The Beef steak (Rs. 230) was a tenderloin steak grilled with brown sauce and boiled vegetables. It must be pointed out that the dishes were not as sizzling hot as we expected them to be, but they were tasty nonetheless. And there is not much choice for dessert – just ice-cream. Well you can't have it all, can you? Contact: 3058888
