Punjabi by Nature

Punjabi seems to be no more, replaced by ‘Curry House’. I only discovered that by bringing Indian customers from London there, I have not seen them since to get their opinion. I will report when I get it.

I just can’t understand the good reviews unless we were both very unlucky. We got takeaway and ordered Lamb Korma which was ridiculously sweet and Lamb Tikka Massala which tasted as if made with a Knorr instant tomato soup. Awful.

J and I have been going a little overboard with the dining out during the week so I made a point to stop by the grocery store yesterday morning and plan out food for our breakfasts/​dinners. However, after running errands, lounging and then meeting friends for coffee it was quickly 5 o’clock. I had planned to start cooking but the sun was actually SHINING so hopping on our bikes sounded like a much more enjoyable activity. Our impromptu bike ride turned into a 2 hour tour de Dublin and we arrived home exhausted and starving. Not wanting to back out of my agreement to cook for the week I started heading to the kitchen but made sure J know it would be more than an hour before food was ready. My trick worked because before I knew it we were racing to get ready so we could be into town before the half 7 early bird menu at Punjabi expired.
We rolled in at 7:28 so quickly looked through the menu and placed our orders. For € 18 each you get a starter, a main, rice or naan and a dessert. I went with the Bhatti Murgh to start, the Paneer Makhani for my main, Naan and the assortment of ice creams. J ordered the Beef Chili Stir Fry, Rajasthani Lalmaas, Rice and the Gulaab Jaamun for dessert.
The starters came out pretty quickly and after one bite, I couldn’t seem to devour mine fast enough. The chicken was so tender and had the best marinade. J seemed to like his beef but I doubt I would order it again. After a bit of a wait the main dishes arrived. We split the naan and pilau rice so there was just enough for the two of us. My paneer dish was nice and light and came in a masala type sauce. J’s dish was Wicklow lamb served boneless and in a fragrant red sauce. I preferred my masala sauce but his lamb was so tender that I almost had second thoughts. Too soon our plates were empty and it was time for the desserts. I couldn’t put my finger on what the Indian dessert was (pastry type balls that were cut in half and soaked in some kind of sauce) but they were interesting and paired well with the ice cream. Even with a beer and large sparkling water we were out of there for € 50 including tip so this is a great spot if you can make it there in time for the early bird special.

Wow. Very pretty inside. Truly excellent food. Attention to detail. I would NOT recommend it after a night out getting lashed. A lot of people are going to expect a normal curry restaurant. While the menu items have the same names as a standard Indian, the dishes are prepared carefully. No greasy poppadoms. No over salted bhaji. Expect Indian food treated as fine cuisine.

I’ve been buying curry here since the 90’s and very seldom have I been disappointed. The take-​away service and food is ok but does not compare to a proper sit-​down meal in Ranelagh.
Good service, fast delivery, excellent curry and amazing naan bread. Cold kingfishers work a treat or why not bring your own bottle of plonk and pay the small corkage fee.
I have tried many a curry house in my time and I always find myself coming back to Ranelagh. The restaurant is decent but by no means mindblowing, nice menu selection and a beef vindaloo that will literally have you twitching in your seat. in a good way that is.

Serious gear in this place. Nothing better to have with a few cans than an Indian. Was sweating like a pregnant nun. Not on the price, or delivery, just whilst eating the vindaloo which was the desired effect. Peshwari naan was delish too. Thank you, I will come again.

Decided to get this because of a ‘Rate My Area’ deal for takeaway.
Got veggie and chicken Pakora which could have been fried longer – I always get these at Indian restaurants and theirs were kind of soft when I expect crunchy.
I got the Saag Punjab/​Paneer which was delicious and enough to feed me for 3 meals. My flatmate got the Jalfrezi Steak which must have been good because it was gone. We also got the Pilau Rice and Egg Fried Rice… In the future I won’t get egg fried rice to eat with Indian food because it was just weird to have egg in my curry.
We also got the Naan Basket which was also delicious. All three were great and not burnt (as I have gotten at many Indian places).
On time delivery too!

On a recent trip to India, I was very excited to try out the Chicken Tikka Masala, little did I know that no one really knows the origins of this dish and it was perhaps created to make Indian food more palatable to the British taste bud. That’s said however I was greatly upset that the Tikka Masala I had in India in no way compared to that of Punjab Balti’s, which was a million times better than the one I had. I’ve tried a variety of dishes in the restaurant and as take away and I’ve always left overstuffed as I shoved every last morsel into my mouth before realising how much food I’d really consumed! I have been with some friends who have complained of the inconsistency of some of the dishes, but really is the tikka masala always supposed to be a certain bright orangey-​red colour? The helpings of naan bread are humongous and they don’t disappoint. Not being a vegetarian myself, I’ve fallen in love with aloo saag, a spicy potato and spinach combination that is complimented perfectly by the naan bread. They’ve also recently added small and large portions of dishes, which I find great b/​c if I’m craving more than one dish I can mix and match to my hearts content without totally pigging out. In my personal opinion Punjab Balti must really survive on its take-​away orders alone, as the restaurant is usually quite quiet, a little hot, and the service a bit slow. However, if you’re looking for something a bit classier than a takeaway it’s definitely worth the visit. I however am always a fan of ordering take-​away, it’s a bit easier to stuff your face and you can wear your pajama bottoms which always seem to have a bit more elastic than the clothes you’d wear to a restaurant! All kidding aside though, it’s definitely cheaper to order the takeway, as the extra service charges that are applied for in house service, aren’t really worth the service you get.

Punjab Balti towers triumphantly above any other Asian food eatery in Dublin. Located opposite Superquinns in Ranelagh village, this really is a shining light on the Dublin scene. Walking in and being faced by the Bridgestones affixed to the wall beside the main door you have an idea that you’re in for a treat. No sooner were we seated than treated to a sizable basket of poppadoms whilst we mulled over the extensive menu. If anything, there is almost too much to choose from here. The table service within the restaurant is excellent, a thorough and assiduous service whilst never feeling like they are attentive-​on-​the-​brink-​of-​harassment as can sometimes be the case in places. For a starter I enjoyed an ‘Onion Bhaji’, which translated on the plate as deep fried fritters of onions in mild spiced batter priced at € 5.70, whilst my friend chose ‘Seafood taka tak’, which, interestingly was a freshly grilled tomato stuffed with spiced minced seafood and king prawns for € 7.90. The seafood was particularly tasty, the spiced minced seafood boasting an exceptionally stimulating zing. Every course is prepared individually as it is ordered and it really shows. The main course was a tenderly cooked tandoori charcoal fillet of smoked salmon, marinated in mustard, velvety honey and ill sauce served on a bountiful bed of sauté mix peppers and onions. At € 17.90 this course more than satisfied my taste buds and with a chukander salad to share on the side (€ 5.70) we were full to the brim by the time we had polished our plates. A scrumptious meal that was very simply the best Indian I have ever tasted in Ireland.

Let’s clear a couple of things up first:
1) I have never had a sit down meal at Punjab Balti — I’ve only had takeaway (4 or 5 times) so the sit down service may be different to what I’ve experienced.
2) The food is wonderful — I would give it 5 stars for food alone, but unfortunately a couple of bad experiences drags it down to 3.
The curries here are magnificent. They use actual fresh spices which give truly amazing flavours. This is a restaurant where the (numerous) awards for food quality are well deserved. I have not been to India but I imagine that this is how ‘proper’ curry is.
BUT, every time I order takeaway the service gets worse! It started with a burnt keema naan. Then, on my next order, a small forgivable error (got the wrong meat in the wrong curry — still delicious). Last time though, the delivery charge had gone up, I waited over 90 minutes for the food (despite being told it would be 45 minutes), and was given the brush off when I called chasing my dinner. No apology when the driver arrived with my cold curries. Not good enough from an award winning restaurant on a € 60 spend. Haven’t been back since, but I probably will because the curry is so nice!