Barbecue Nation comes to KNK!

Barbeque Nation has been one of the shining stars of Chennai in the grilled sector over the past few years and it was only apt that they opened an outlet in the much cherished and posh Khadar Nawaz Khan road. It's located inside the opulent Bergamo Mall in the second floor.

The set up is very similar to every other Barbecue Nation outlet. Surrounded into multiple enclosures with brick walls all over and engulfed with a sea of brown it more or less typifies the barbecue culture. Brick, brown, barbecue and the buzz surely seems to be going hand in hand. The decor feels easy and comfortable. Normally you find barbecue outlets being crowded by big corporate crowds but somehow didn't witness that here as this one seemed relatively calmer and quieter.

And coming to the food it's the consistency which marvels. They seldom have an off day and just don't seem to miss the beat. The grills are tempered with the right texture and have the perfect amount of juiciness and punchiness in them. I have frequented barbecue restaurant's too often and hence already know pre empt what's in store. But having said that it's hard to pinpoint and lay out a criticism because they are so good at what they give you. The pannneer is most likely always top draw and the cajun sized potatoes makes me fall head over heels in love with it. This is the first place I got to taste that sinful delight and it has not lost it's charm one bit over the last so many years. It still retains the crunchy tangy linchpin taste. Most of the grills usually compete amongst themselves for top stakes. On this occsssion we also had a Live counter where we savoured Honey chilli pineapple and Gobi Manchurian. The former was a showstealer and was delightful. I expected the latter to be the usual suspect and run off the mill but it turned out being one of the best Manchurian's I have had a crack at.

After the overflow of starters, you hardly have the wherewithal to try anything on the main course side. These kind of restaurant's virtually make you follow the 80-20 rule when it comes to the ratio of starters:main course. From whatever little I had, the peppery lemon soup was passable and the garlic naan with Dal Bhukara for company was fairly good, however the lentils lacked a little on the creamy side. The skosh of desserts I had was fantastic and have to specifically single out the Kulfi which was masterclass. Made in the ad-libbing style, you get to choose your flavour from a sample of 6 and add the necessary toppings and voila you have a lipsmacking kulfi ready for you to drool into.

You need to skim through the gamut of options to find a negative nail and most likely you won't find it because the food is so good here. You just eat, eat and eat like an ogre until you're on the verge of detonating. The service is another high point in this restaurant. The waiters will make no stone unturned to ensure you have a fabulous experience. The rates are a little on the higher side and my only real complaint is that they could perhaps offer a complementary mocktail along with the meal.

Barbeque Nation scores big on most factors and with it's entry into the cornerstone of KNK road, it just got its level elevated a touch higher. It's almost like a confluence of brilliance seeing BBN and KNK coming together. In essence, a perfect place to hog as much as you can till the tummy blows the conch shells.

Barbequed at Barbeque Nation !!

This is a place where you can eat till you drop. Its their starters which pack a punch and you are served an overdose of them which keeps getting refilled like an avalanche as you keep polishing. The barbeque's taste awesome and seldom go wrong tempered with the right blend of juice , texture and tenderness. This is a place where you get the best of both worlds - veg and non veg. The veg afficianados are always guaranteed of a Paneer , Mushroom , Aloo , Corn etc and likewise the non veg lovers get their share of Chicken , Fish , Lamb and Prawn.

If you have to mention one signature starter which stands out - its the Cajun spiced Potato. Infact i like coming here just to gorge on this Caribean style melting potatoes floating over a simmering creamy gravy which just wallows in your mouth making your taste buds to crave for more and more. This item is unique and have never tasted something like this anywhere else. Interestingly , this is the only really liquidy thingy amongst all the starters.

In Barbeque nation , it is the starters which stake claim for being the main course and the real so called main course occupies a distant secondary position. To be frank , atleast 80% of your meal will be consumed on just relishing the barbeque's and the rest barring the starters just make up for the remaining numbers. That said they have quite an elaborate spread consisting of soup , roti , rice , salad and a plethora of curries and desserts. I usually find the curries having the same ingredients as those of the starters where you get your quintessential paneer/mushroom gravy , aloo curry etc. You never really get to do justice to this portion of the meal due to the over indulgence in consuming the Barbeque's. From what little I have tasted would say it just borders along the decent and nothing really great to write home about.

Coming to the ambience , you feel a lot of brownness all over perhaps adhering to the Barbeques which are also more or less Brown in colour. :) Lots of brown colored brick walls and brown seats converge the surroundings. The chairs are a little uncomfortable and it would be good if they raise the height a wee bit. This is a place where you cannot expect to have a quite meal and its more ideal to visit as a group. Its a bit noisy and added to that is the loud english music playing along.

The service is excellent and really quick and rest assured you will be taken care of all your needs. The barbeques were refreshed promptly and never felt the need to request for anything particular. Here their ideology is Customer is King. Found this really impressive as they are always overcrowded and yet they strive hard to serve each and every customer to the best of their ability. The prices are little on the higher side. I remember paying only half the rate when i used to frequent a couple of years ago.

Despite the minor shortcomings , they have managed to keep their fan base intact and only enlarge it over a period of time and the popularity they command stands a true testimony to the quality of food and service of this restaurant.