One inventive vegetarian order is a bowl of malai broccoli with amul cheese - a ubiquitous cheese in India (similar to Kraft) - that takes on a fondue form, topped with crunchy spiced churma. The middle “lion’s share” section ($12-$42) of the menu includes lots of dishes from grill or the tandoor. Chutney flight Jennifer Hughes/Punjab Grill That citrusy naan also pairs well with seafood dishes like a a Chilean sea bass ($38) with a jaggery cumin glaze, Brussels sprouts thoran, and tangy kokum coconut sauce poured around the fish in front of diners. The latter comes alongside the chicken “red curry” tulsi tikka, marinated in Thai makhni sauce. Jennifer Hughes/Punjab GrillĪnother highlight off the small plates section ($10-$16) is the chana masala, a popular Indian chickpea dish that’s transformed into a spreadable “hummus” alongside amritsari kulcha - a tandoori bread - and pickled radish achar.īindra is offering four types of naan (butter, garlic, sundried tomato, olive and basil, and lemon). Burrata badal jaam, with spiced eggplant, heirloom tomatoes ($12), can be topped with shaved truffles for an extra price. “This burrata was most likely made by Punjabi dairy farmer,” Singh says. While it’s not a traditional Indian dish, there is a Punjabi tie-in: Singh says Punjabis have a significant presence in Italy’s dairy industry. Take the burrata starter, served with spiced eggplant and tomato. Singh says he picked Bindra over a handful of Michelin-starred chefs in New York and London.īindra adds playful, global twists to Punjabi cuisine from North India. Chef Jaspratap “Jassi” Bindra grew up in Kanpur, India, and has helmed kitchens across some of the finest resorts and restaurants across his country.
There’s also plenty of thought behind the food. There’s a 40-foot slab of chiseled pink sandstone lining the bar and a private dining room covered floor to ceiling in 150,000 tiny mosaic mirrors (with Hermès plateware picked to match the pattern). “We made it sufficiently Indian without losing the integrity of caviar service,” Singh says.Įvery inch of his 4,700-square-foot restaurant is designed to look like the home of rich regional rulers in India known as maharajas.
Full caviar service, available at any seat, comes alongside circular discs of warm tandoori naan, sour cream, and white butter made on-site. Petrossian caviar appears on the menu as an optional garnish for adraki tuna tartare with sago crips or tawa-seared scallops served with saffron tandoori cauliflower puree, broccolini, and shikanji (salted limeade) foam. The inaugural stateside location of the luxury Indian brand is now serving lunch and dinner at 427 11th Street NW. “We aren’t trying to force you into dining like a king, but if you want to it’s readily available,” says Karan Singh, CEO of the Punjab Grill group that owns restaurants across India, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, and Thailand. Punjab Grill, D.C.’s new ultra-luxe Indian restaurant, opened in Penn Quarter on Monday with a menu boasting chutney flights, paneer cheesecake, and lamb garnished in real 24-carat gold leaf.