——-04/11/2011——-
It was serendipitous that we went to Punjabi Hut as my friend and I were walking up and down the street trying to find another restaurant in Queanbeyan. I had heard great things about Punjabi Hut and the name always made me giggle.
Entree~
Mixed Platter for two or more– combination of samosa, veggie cutlet, chicken tikka and rum kababs ($18.50). I couldn’t fault it, everything was delicious and the platter allowed us to try a bit of everything.
Main~
Shahi Thali (non-vegetarian) – includes three chef’s selected curries, rice, naan and accompaniments (26.50). I asked the waitress if the chef was in a happy mood that evening and she said that the chef is always happy and smiling. “So the curries won’t be too hot?” I asked, she said that we could request mild. “Will butter chicken be one of the three curries?” I asked being one of those annoying customers with a thousand questions. “Yes, butter chicken will be one of the curries”. SOLD! That’s all I needed to know really.
Butter chicken- I’m going to put it out there and I know it’s a big call, but it was THE most delicious butter chicken I’ve ever eaten (and believe me I’ve eaten a lot of butter chicken). My boyfriend thought it was a big call to make until he tried some (on a different night) and with a shy look he agreed with me. Creamy and delicious!
Beef vindaloo (mild)- although we requested mild there was still some bite to it but I could still eat it. The meat was very tender and the sauce was delicious!
Lamb rojan josh (mild)- also spicy but not too hot. Although the vindaloo and rojan josh were very nice, they took a backseat to the butter chicken. Mmmmmmmmmmm…
Accompaniments~
mango chutney & rasgulla (2pcs) – white sponge cottage cheese dumplings. Very tasty and added a nice sweet touch to the meal.
Yes, we also had dessert. With everything being so good so far, I wanted to see if it was across the board.
Dessert~
Punjabi Malai Kulfi- Home made milk and nuts ice cream ($5.50). This was very delicious with all the spices and nuts. I don’t recommend sharing, it’s not big enough for two, maybe not even big enough for one.
Gulab Jamun (2pcs)– cottage cheese dumplings dipped in flavoured syrup ($5.50) I’ve eaten a lot of gulab jamun but I’ve never had one warmed to the perfect temperature and it wasn’t too sweet. This made me do my happy clap.
There are currently major road works on Crawford street right now which make the restaurant a little bit hard to get to than usual. The owner told me that Friday nights especially, the restaurant would be booked out solid but since the road works it has been less busy. ‘Lucky for us’ I thought, otherwise we wouldn’t have been able to stroll in as we did but sad for them because their food was really really good.
Everything we happened to order was a “Punjabi Hut recommendation” and choosing a platter for the main and entree meant that we got to try a full range of dishes even though there was only two of us.
I have to mention that the staff were exceptionally polite and attentive. My mouth was spoilt with delicious flavours and textures. I ate with a friend who didn’t mind letting me order whatever I wanted and was willing to try everything. All in all- a perfect dining experience! The only bad thing is that it has ruined all other butter chickens for me.
I’m heading to the Erindale location very soon with a lot more people, I’m hoping it will be just as wonderful!
Venue: Punjabi Hut
Address: 224 – 226 Crawford St, Queanbeyan, NSW 2620 (also @ Erindale)
Phone: (02) 6297 2717
Entertainment book: Yes it’s a paper voucher, remember to bring it with you.
You can’t argue with the numbers!
TALES OF A CONFECTIONIST 