‘Barbeque Nation’ gets a new address – an ode to the iconic buffet joint!

There have been occasions when I have tried to refrain from buffet meals, simply because the quality of food often takes a beating in the buffet spread when compared to the A la Carte menu at the same place. In fact, this is true for many fine-dine restaurants in the city, though it’s better not to name them. But there has been one exception and that’s one constant factor in Kolkata’s culinary scenario for past so many years now. When it comes to a buffet meal, we trust only one brand and that’s ‘Barbeque Nation’.

And that’s simply because of their quality of food and nothing else. Buffet everywhere essentially indicates ‘unlimited meal’ and it’s no exception here but food quality is not guaranteed anywhere, except at Barbeque Nation. I have seriously lost count how many times I have dined at Barbeque Nation (at Saltlake) since that’s very close to my office, but I have never frowned when it came to yet another office lunch at this place.

Recently I was pleasantly surprised when I found Barbeque Nation has opened up an outlet in one of the favorite malls in my vicinity – the Diamond Plaza mall. This Nagerbazar area (and the adjacent areas) genuinely lacked a good buffet joint and now they got the best buffet brand. And this outlet is quite spacious and as usual, loaded with scrumptious food and refreshing beverages,  you’ll surely love this place and these signature Barbeque Nation culinary creations!! A few days ago I was at this newly opened outlet for a buffet lunch with my friends and I was, as expected, mighty impressed with the place and the spread!

So, let’s get straight to the buffet spread and the items I liked most, or rather the items I have every single time I visit Barbeque Nation. To start with, let me tell you, writing about this brand after so many years is pretty pointless, especially for foodies this piece won’t be very attractive, but then why did I decide to write a blog post on this brand? Is it just because they have again opened up a new outlet in the Kolkata? Not really. This is my ode to this gastronomical heaven that made many ‘non-food enthusiasts’ fall in love with food, try and appreciate the subtle aroma, the presentation, to cherish that lingering aftertaste of the kulfis, that unbelievably lip-smacking never-ending food,  and much more! Let me tell you, Barbeque Nation is the place where I go every time when it comes to a buffet meal, yes I don’t experiment with that! But surprisingly, I have never written anything substantial about this place ever before!

So, let’s get straight to the food now. This time, as usual, I tried a plethora of items and of course I loved the starters most. In the starters, I tried the burnt garlic fish, tandoor prawns, mutton mughlai seekh, Singaporean chicken satay, lasooni wings, Cajun spiced potato, BBQ pineapple, paneer hariyali tikka and achari mushroom.

Out of these I absolutely loved the spiced potato, BBQ pineapple, burnt garlic fish, Tandoor prawns and Lasooni wings. The Cajun spiced potatoes are a must try dish when it comes to the veg starters, the potatoes still have their jackets on but are well spiced up and topped with a mayo based flavorful sauce and chopped onions.

And yes, in the non-veg starters I absolutely love the tandoori prawns for the subtle flavors of prawns which is kept intact and not marred by any strong spice. The chicken wings are pretty juicy, meaty with a hint of garlic. Like every time, I kept on gorging the starters off the grill and forgot to bring my flag down that indicates that I’ve had my fill and now you can cease to serve the starters to my table!

Anyway, as a result, I could try very little from the main course for which you need to go to the buffet counter and help yourself out. Again in the main course, you will have numerous items – both veg and non-veg. The lemon coriander chicken soup was strictly okayish, so I moved on to the other food items from the non-veg counter.

I really liked the Lahori Mutton Curry with Chicken Dum Biryani. The Kadai Chicken was also nice. I went to try the Chinese dishes next and quite liked the Egg Fried Rice and Chilli Chicken, though the Chilli Garlic Noodles (from the veg counter) could have been a bit better.

All these were washed down by the refreshing Mango Panna which came with this buffet meal, in fact, you can go for other drinks as well which are there in the menu like Fresh Lime Soda or Lemon Iced Tea, etc. Now the final nail in the coffin comes in the form of dessert, which is again fantastic, to say the least. So, you can’t really afford to skip them. And after having all these desserts, most people lose their ability to even move 🙂

In the desserts, I tried Angoori Gulab Jamun, Walnut Brownie, Blueberry Cheese Cake, Coffee Pastry, Sheer Korma, Freshly cut fruits, Phirnee, Ice Cream, Chocolate Kulfi and Paan (betel leaf) Kulfi. Yes, I tried them all 🙂

By the way, the Kulfi counter is separate and it’s a kind of DIY counter where you can build your Kulfi and add all the condiments as per your preference. The Paan Kulfi is a must-try here and every time I definitely have it. This time, I really liked the Coffee Pastry, Blueberry Cheese Cake, and Walnut Brownie. The mini Gulab Jamuns are like always, very soft and cute, but a tad too sweet for my taste buds.

So, that wraps up the meal and yes, I was almost too full to even move! My friends helped me reach the parking area and get into my car 🙂 Jokes apart, this place is a heaven for big eaters and all foodies in general.

None of the dishes are pathetic in terms of quality and these high standards are being maintained for so many years now! It’s really hard to maintain this standard in a buffet joint where people comes primarily for the quantity, but they get both quality as well as quantity in return. And that’s what makes Barbeque Nation a favorite destination for all buffet lovers, food enthusiasts and foodies in town.

Monday to Saturday, their Non-Veg Lunch costs INR 830 plus tax. And for kids (above 5 years), the buffet charges are almost half. Their dinner buffet has various rates based on day of the week but it’s again below INR 1000 for dinners as well. So, if you haven’t tried out this new outlet of Barbeque Nation then surely do try it out, the mall is really nice with ample parking. And if you haven’t ever tried Barbeque Nation, then I must say you are missing out something in life! Don’t wait too long, remember life is short! 🙂

Cheers!

 

P.S. Foodiedada was at this place on management/PR invitation for review purpose