“Ancient barbeque” reminds one of the early Stone Age when man started to use controlled fire for cooking. And I wondered what kind of food shall actually be served by the restaurant with this name that has opened only couple of weeks ago.
We received a heartfelt welcome and were lead to a table. The interiors, despite having somewhat castle like looks, had a sense of openness and warmth. I was inquisitive to put the preparations to test on two fronts, first being dishes to meet my expectation on taste and second if there would be something more to the regular barbeque being served at various eateries that could live up to the name TAB.
There is a live charcoal BBQ on the table where almost done meats, vegetables and fruits are served on skewers along with six marinates for final braising. There were five non-vegetarian and seven vegetarian snacks on menu to be served either on the BBQ or on the plate. We were served with Lemon Garlic Prawns, Peshawari Maccchi, Awadhi Mutton Seekh on skewers and Mutton Burrah, & Kalmi Tangri on the plate. For my vegetarian friend, it was Mexican Pineapple, Stuffed Mushroom, Dakshini Paneer Tikka, Salsa Potatoes, Lotus Root in Chilly Plum Sauce, Kaju Matar Ki Shami and Kesari Soya Shashlik. The Mutton Burrah stole the show and I would definitely like to recommend it to all mutton lovers. I have had such good Mutton Burrah after a very long time. The Mutton Seekh and Peshawari Macchi were good, however the Kalmi Tangri was over spicy that took away the joy of perfectly grilled piece. While the prawns tasted very well, they lost their succulence for getting placed right in the middle of BBQ that disseminates high heat. Placing it in the corner where heat is mild would have helped retaining the juices. In vegetarian I enjoyed Stuffed Mushrooms and Dakshini Paneer Tikka. Would like to make special mention of Kaju Matar Ki Shami that unlike its contemporaries had lovely flavours of spices (khada masala).
The main course buffet offers a salad bar along with ten vegetarian and five non vegetarian dishes. It becomes difficult to enjoy the main course post such lavish starters and soup. However, I could not resist trying the Martawan Ka Meat and Sarson Ka Saag. The meat I was told that has been named so for its taste should resemble with the taste of pickles that were stored in a martawan (a pot) in earlier days. I was assuming it to have an achaari taste but it was nowhere close to my expectation. Still, giving the credit to Chef, the mutton was cooked to perfection and had all the aromas of spices used to prepare it. Sarson Ka Saag was average and I have had better preparations.
Breads form a very important part of the main course. However, a lot of eateries fall short on serving perfectly baked Rotis. We requested for Tandoori, Missi and Makki ki Roti. While the tandoori roti was as I had wanted it to be. Crisp and yet not thin. But the both Missi and Makki ki rotis fell short of expectations. The Makki roti was too crisp and the Missi ki roti was loaded with Ajwain (carom seeds ) that made it bitter.
The desert counter had a choice of nine varieties. Ranging from fresh cut fruit to Gulabjamun and Dal Ka Halwa alongside Chocolate Pastry, Nut Brownie and Pista Seviyan and ice-creams. The deserts I must say were the highlight and all of them were exceptional. I adored the Pista Seviyan.
Tab also has live music to offer. The volume of live music was just appropriate for the people to appreciate the music and also be able to enjoy discussion over the table. Would recommend the place for a an overall experience including food, better ambience and even better service.
Rating (out of 5)
Food : 3.5, Mocktails : 3.5 Ambience : 4, Service : 4.5 | Overall : 3.5
Meal Cost (Inclusive of Taxes): Rs 614 for Veg Adult; Rs 713 for Non Veg Adult and Rs 308 for kits upto 9 yrs
Alcohol: No | Credit Card: Yes
Address : Tab, H 27/1A, Sector 63, Noida | Contact No: +91 120 4112273
– Aman Kapoor
Your pictures are making me drool!