I normally wouldn't take the time to write such a review but it was quite the letdown for my first time at New Punjab Club celebrating a birthday.
Let me start though by saying that the signature dishes were overall quite excellent - the MASALEWALI CHANP and KEEMA PAU are absolutely must orders. The Butter Naan we ordered was quite crispy and not as chewy as other places I have tried, but I tend to like naan on the more well done side - Girlfriend was not a fan though. The Saag Paneer was also very acceptable. The weakest link we had was the MURGH METHI TIKKA - it was OK, but the chicken was excessively salty to a point of overwhelming the other subtle flavours of the dish.
However, despite the fantastic dishes, the mood was quite soured by the attitude of the staff taking our orders. Upon hearing that we wouldn't be ordering any alcoholic drinks (next day is a work-day) and just requesting tap water to start, she responded with a stand-offish "OH". We had barely just sat down, and didn't even see what was on the menu yet so we hadn't decided what drinks to pair with what we ordered.
Later on in the evening, we received another cold response upon saying that we were too full for dessert and I found it quite funny that it ended just the way it started - being snubbed for not ordering something the server suggested. It was just ... a very strange and uncomfortable interaction with the staff.
The next is the worst part - I will start by explaining the context :
The restaurant was quite nice in offering us some complimentary tea for our birthday dessert as we were quite full, and they gave us a quaint little "birthday cake" (a tiny pot of rice with a candle on top). However, you can probably guess where this is going... My girlfriend and I were just having an intimate conversation over the tea and candlelight and just starting to have some enjoyment at this establishment until one staff very rudely interrupted us and very sternly asked for me to blow out the candle before it "ruined the rice".
At that point I was just astonished...
I'm not sure if the restaurant intended to re-use the rice, or if it was blessed by ancient Mesapotamian priests and handpicked by royalty of an extinct dynasty, but there's no need for this tone. Even if it was the caviar of an nearly extinct fish, you could have asked with more tact and certainly not in such an interrupting and crass way. I can literally think of 3 ways right now this instant and I have as much EQ points as the HKSAR demands you have hotel quarantine days.
1) "Sorry for interrupting but don't forget to blow out your candle so you can get your wish!"
2) "Could we help you take a picture of you blowing out the candle?"
3) "I am so very sorry sir, but the candle is a bit of a fire hazard, so we ask that you blow it out before it reaches the rice - So sorry for interrupting"
I mean I understand sometimes staff can be fussy if you are overstaying your welcome. I get it, I've been there before - I've lined up outside restaurants and angrily glanced at the slave photographer and KOL taking hundreds of pictures of their food served 30 minutes ago -- but goddamn we live in a society and mama ain't raise no cro-magnon troglodyte, so you just stand there extremely hangry, but not being able to do anything, and as they finally leave you want to shout to them that their followers are mostly paid bots, but you don't, because unlike that rude staff, you have an intact pre-frontal cortex and sufficient executive functions despite your perilously low blood glucose levels.
Anyways, in our case by then it was nearly 10 P.M., and the restaurant had a few empty tables and nobody waiting outside.
To summarize - the food was good and the service was extremely unwelcoming. If I wanted to be served good food along with a side of snubbery I'd go to a famous cha chaan teng - I certainly did not expect this from a black sheep / michelin starred restaurant.
Thanks for reading.
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