Outlet: Nungambakkam
Address: New No. 10/3, Old No. 28-B, Khader Nawaz Khan Road, Nungambakkam, Chennai
Cuisine: North Indian – Vegetarian Barbeque
Barbeques everywhere! When I take the oath that I am done with the barbeque places; a fellow foodie friend Muskaan Dutta (https://meethichhuri.wordpress.com/) invited me to try the new BBQ entry for 2016 at Nungambakkam, “Holy Grill”. As they all are the same when it comes to concept or food; I had the question, “What way is this BBQ place unique?” And they said it’s the first pure-veg BBQ restaurant at Chennai. Though I prefer veg food over non-veg, “BBQ = Non-vegetarian”, that’s how simple it is for me. In addition, vegetarians always have less options to eat. But Holy Grill is a definite savior for all those who couldn’t visit BBQ restaurants just because they are multi-cuisine or have less veg options.
| Holy Grill |
You would definitely need a map to find the place unless you know the nook-n-corner of Nungambakkam or reside there. Take the road just opposite ‘New Yorker’ and where the road ends there starts ‘Holy Grill’! Though a small space, they have made the ambience look vivacious with lovely wall-quotes. It’s food-time! Except for the salads and desserts they offer a sit-down buffet for starters and main-course. With a small space, I would prefer them to serve the desserts as well at the table to avoid the fuss at dessert corner.
Disclaimer: There food menu changes for every few days, so here’s my take on the food I happened to taste.
Drink & Soup: Lemon Mint Mocktail – The blend of lemon-mint was great; a good start to the meal. Sweet Corn Veg Soup - Tasted good.
| Mocktail |
| Soup |
Salads
They serve four cold salads and green salad (some fresh-cut vegetables).
Aloo Peanut Chat – The chat-pate chat; loved this spicy-tangy salad. My pick among the salads.
Pasta Salad – I don’t favor cold pasta; but the plain fusilli pasta with subtle cream wasn’t a disappointment.
Apple Broccoli Salad – To toss the apple and broccoli in the cream sauce did made them taste better.
Toss Salad – This salad just refreshes your palate with fresh vegetables tossed with spies.
| Salads |
| Sauces |
Starters on Grill
Moroccan BBQ Grill Veg & Lemonaise Chilli Garlic Mushroom – Didn’t try both these grilled ones as I am not a fan of plain grilled veges or mushroom. Those who tried didn't enjoy them much; and the mushroom being spiciest.
Hara Masala Ka Paneer Tikka – The killer on the grill. Soft paneer with hara masala was bang-on.
Chat Pati Gobi – The chilli were again over-powering and Gobi was dry so it was hard to chew. They could absolutely make a better one.
| On Grill |
| From Kitchen |
Starters from Kitchen
Cajun Spicey Potato – Being a die-hard fan of these potatoes has been my reason to visit BBQ places though I eat less. My craziness lead me to google the recipe and make them at home to cut-down the restaurant bill. Though they weren’t keen to add cheese like other restaurants do, the potato by itself was over-fried that didn’t taste good. Crispy outer crush with soft-juicy potato body with more sauce would have felt better. The second set of potatoes with these changes tasted much better; great to see them take our comments and make a new batch of potatoes for us.
Jaipuri Subji Sheek Kebab – Not sure what they have put into the kebab; but it was that one time I liked a veg kebab.
Crispy Chilli Babycorn Dry – It was best among the ‘starters from kitchen’.
Main Course
Paneer Makhanwala – Oh, I am drooling thinking about the gravy. A rich-creamy gravy with bang-on flavors and soft paneer. This gravy could even make a bland rice or dry roti taste better.
Bharwan Capsicum – Stuffed capsicum cooked in a gravy; I haven’t seen or heard about any such gravy. So just the thought amazed me and the taste was brilliant too.
Dal Fry – They couldn’t get wrong here. It tasted good.
| Paneer & Capsicum Sabji |
| Bread & Dal |
Vegetable Balls Manchurian – Not the best tasting Manchurian balls but I liked the gravy; it is a good compliment for the noodles.
Hakka Noodles – Though they got the flavor elements for a noodle right; the noodles seemed to have been cooked unevenly with stick-like noodle string hindering my teeth while eating.
Kaju Pulao – Take spoonful of Kaju Pulao with Paneer gravy; Oh, yeah! That’s comfort food for me. Loved it.
Assorted Indian Breads – I tried their Butter Naan, Garlic Naan and Roti. The roti’s were more like crispy pappad; making them thicker could be better. The naan’s were perfect.
| Pulao, Noodles & Manchurian |
Desserts
BBQ place are known for their ‘ON GRILL’ starters & desserts. Even with ample dessert choices I find only a very few taste good. But the Holy Grill team got everything right with their desserts.
Angoori Gulaab Jamun – Velvety and soft jamuns. Match them with ice-cream and enjoy the meal finale. Yummmm!!
Walnut Brownie – They looked dry but tasted just how brownies are meant to be; “soft and chocolatey”.
Shahi Tukda – Another favorite; I find very few places offer them and fewer make them good. This was one of those delicious ones.
Coconut Rice Pudding – The pudding bangs the first place for me. Perfect texture, subtle sweetness and the coconut shavings; yum-yum!
| Desserts |
They as well present us with Seasonal Fruit & Ice Cream (Vanilla & Mango) with extra toppings. And looking at the complimentary mini cupcakes (they provide) brought a lot of happiness but tasting them didn’t; the cakes were dense and lacked moistness.
| Ice Cream |
They price their buffet at Rs.575 INR per person (exclusive of taxes) for weekday dinner. Though I felt the pricing on the higher end; the unlimited portions, varieties and taste do justice for the price we pay. Serving a few more starters on the grill will do good for their name as well give a better barbeque experience. Hoping for new ones on the grill! One place I was quite impressed with the service in recent past.
Pricing Details (per person excluding tax): Lunch – Weekday: Rs. 500 INR, Weekend: Rs. 600 INR. Dinner – Weekday: Rs. 575 INR, Weekend: Rs. 675 INR.
| Cupcakes |
Breaking Down Points
Location & Parking: Positive. A spot at Chennai’s food destination with huge parking space and they score full-marks.
Ambience: Good. They have planned so well to make a small space look vibrant. Once there live mocktail counters are ON, the atmosphere would amp up.
Food Variety: Good. A well-thought buffet spread. I did needed more starters, atleast on grill. With four on-grill starter I tasted just two; so with more options I get the freedom to eat more food.
Taste: Good. I enjoyed quite a fair amount of dishes they served. Again, a few starters could have tasted better.
Quality: Good. No complaints. Every dish was presented with finesse and care.
Quantity: Positive. Unlimited BBQ buffet. Just dug in!
Service & Pricing: Positive. They pulled off the service brilliantly during a busy evening. Though they have priced at par with industry-standards, I still feel they fall under “Expensive” tag.
My Favorite Dishes: Aloo Peanut Chat, Hara Masala Ka Paneer Tikka, Crispy Chilli Babycorn Dry, Paneer Makhanwala, Bharwan Capsicum, Kaju Pulao and all the Desserts.
Holy Grill would be a holy place for the vegetarian BBQ lovers. It’s time everyone enjoy BBQ; an ideal place for those who couldn’t dine at other BBQ outlets (as they serve non-veg). Either by adding or by tinkering the taste and BBQ dishes they could definitely become a favorite and evoke threat among their food competitors. Service is brilliant. Pricing, a tad expensive considering the locality, variety and taste.
P.S. The write-up is based on my food palate & dining experience during my restaurant visit. On-the-house invite for Holy Grill for tasting session. Remember, no two person’s palate can be same.
