The Ancient Bar-Be-Que - TAB
2nd Floor, Good Earth City Center, Sec-47-50, Opp. Park Hospital, Sohna Road, Gurgaon.
Tel - (0124)-4690667-8
The city of Gurgaon boasts itself to be the melting pot of
Cultures.
The truly cosmopolitan small town of yesteryear's has
transformed into a truly happening city.
People from all over the world and all walks of life have
made Gurgaon their dwelling pad.
This equation has resulted in advent of hundreds of food
joints from High end fine dining to food trucks and Classic street foods to
many outlets serving region specific foods.
In continuation to this growing trend alongside the vertical
and sideways development of Gurgaon we have witnessed a new baby on the
circuit.
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| Entry |
We had a chance to visit “The Ancient Barbeque” TAB in short
for that matter of sorts.
TAB is located strategically at a place which can easily
cater to the clientele from all directions.
TAB is located at Good Earth City Centre, Opp. Park Hospital
next to Formulae 1 Hotel, Sec-48, Sohna Road, Gurgaon……...
It’s on the second floor of the complex and has around 120
pax seating plus it also boasts of open terrace ideal to host around 70 people…this
terrace will be a highlight in the coming winter months….
The Décor is very subtle and will call it a decent one…NOT
too overboard. The feel was both warm due to the use of dark colored woods and
teak finish combination and on the other
hand side walls with a waterfall were soothing too…As you enter the place it
gives feeling of a large and well
designed place......The open kitchen , see thru glasses also creates a feeling of expansiveness......
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This heady mix actually helps in relaxing and bonding with
your food. The place was bustling with activity when we entered, with
young and not so young alike thronging the place.
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| Interiors |
We were immediately ushered in at the table of our choice
and had attentive servers
for us. One thing which was very obvious was the enthusiasm with
which we could see the staff taking care of the activities.
Only Customer care and Customer care with a smile and
enthusiasm are two different worlds altogether.
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| Lovely interiors and Charming Staff |
Now the food which we were there for:
We were slowly and gently served with starters which were
served on the table top grill and the way they were served oozed with passion……
We had Paneer tikka to start off with, mildly flavored but
not too creamy but very soft.
The chicken tikka were very soft and subtly spiced and then
getting them very hot from the skewers itself enhances the taste!!! The very
sight changes the way to feel the food. It is in itself a soulful feeling…….
Though the star of this starters show was the Rasi misi
mutton chaap, now rasi misi means the grilled chaap with a coating of masala,
The meat was coming off the bone easily and were marinated as they should have
been retaining the original mutton juice……
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| Starters |
Yes to add was grilled pineapple which helped us as taste
breakers between the two different snacks…..like a palette cleanser to be
precise…Now when we are on a tasting
spree we surely need to have a taste breaker otherwise we cannot get the feel
of different tastes one after the other. A plain Roti otherwise serves as a
good taste breaker…..works for me …..
The fish tasted fresh, I think the Fish used was Baasa……but
of real good quality and bite…their were prawns too.....
The greed was overpowering, the more starters poured in the greedier
we grew. This is the power of live grills…..BBQ smoke makes you drool…..
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| Live Grills on table |
One Soft Drink / Mocktail is served complimentary with each meal, so it means
that for a family of four you end up saving more than 600-700 bucks in your
bill....
How long will they continue with this freebie has to be seen…..they say
they will……It’s good…. And I must admit, the quality of the cocktails is superb……they
are complementary doesn’t mean they are just run of the mill stuff……not at
all…They are very well mixed and presented to you…. The mixologist at the Bar
has magical hands ….
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| Awesome Mocktails |
We tasted almost all the Mocktails like BBQ’d Projkas,
Virgin colada, Rapchik Mango, Cranberry Blossom and one or two more…..all of
them tasted very different and very good…..You can order a different flavor for
each member of your family and taste all of them ……Just a suggestion BTW…...
Very soon we can savour the cocktails and other hard liquor too as they informed us about their liquor license which is expected soon........
Salad spread is laudable.…vast spread with both options veg
as well as non veg at least 12-14….I tried the Mexican fish salad and the tomato
and cottage cheese salad…both were awesome…..could not savour more of them as
there were many….and we had to have other things too……..
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| Salad and other spread |
We could have gone on and on but then what about the main
course. We had to then reluctantly go in for main course which was extensive in
both Non veg and Veg formats.
The menu changes frequently. They have Indian, Chinese as
well as Continental dishes on their menu…which is a USP, i must say ……
On offer that day was Mutton Rogan Josh which was and cannot
be coined Rogan Josh by any standards…..I would say it was a Punjabi cousin of
Rogan Josh….
The Rice to accompany were Biryani (chicken) and steamed
which were nicely done up.
The Biryani was flavorful but not the one cooked in Yakhni ……..The
texture of Biryani was a dry one which some who shun oil may prefer but for me
the one with a moist texture does the trick….it was good though…
The chicken curry was of my liking, tickling my taste buds with
that burst of right mix of masalas….
The Fish in black pepper sauce and Roast chicken in mushroom
sauce were awesome….very nice flavors and well made…..I loved it really……
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| Few dishes from the buffet spread |
The Veg. menu was extremely beautifully done… Dal Makhni very creamy in texture and with right
kind of spices and not made rich with use of excess creams and butter as we
normally encounter at many places……can be had twice , thrice as was not too
heavy….
The Bhindi Masala (do pyaaza) was Okras in a decent coarse
masala dry gravy kind with small shallots in it…lovely I must say….the paneer
lababdaar (lahori) was luscious and yummy…very nicely made…..
And yes the spread had some continental as well as chinese preparations
in veg. too…..like Mix Veg in Chilli Oyster Sauce , Veg Hakka Noodles, Veg Au
Gratin (well made) and oven roasted potato….and much more….
Main course had many other tempting dishes but could not or
rather say was not inclined in checking them all out because the sweet tooth of
ours was asking for and looking at the spread in the neighborhood……lolzz….
The desserts were luscious looking and were calling us out
loudly…..The desserts were both desi and continental plus the fruits….
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| Dessert Spread |
I tried Gulabi Kheer which was almost like a Phirni, loved
every spoonful of it with closed eyes Oh heavenly delight…….the moong dal halwa
and gulab jamuns were authentically made and tasted real good .The continental
desserts like cakes, custard shots, brownie were good too but I like the
coconut fudge most…moist pieces of heaven…..loved it thoroughly…..The Death by
chocolate (brownie and ice cream with choco sauce) was worth a try…….
Now what about the service:
As I mentioned earlier Customer service and customer service
with enthusiasm have two different meanings altogether. Here we could visibly see and feel the enthusiasm which I think
is a rare virtue now days…….
A small negative about food is easily scored upon by a
beautiful and passionate service…..Yes it is true…..
Chef Nikhil the Mastermind of the show was all attentive and
a good listener, would say did not give a lame reply for the quality of Rogan
josh, but yes asked us to come over again and taste the change……..
The feedback should be absorbed all positively which he did
and it showed in his gestures and words……Keep it up !!!
The staff were too hospitable and friendly with customers , for
which we should appreciate the Manager in charge Mr. Vineet Arora , who is a
charming fellow. … and an experienced gentleman….
We spoke to the young owner (partner) Mr.Rahul Yadav too. He
said he is learning a lot new things, which is a very good answer as the
learning process should always go on …..whether one’s age is 25 or 50 ……. I found
him to be an intelligent and grounded person……who is taking good care of his
baby (TAB)…....
They have also introduced live singers at dinner time everyday..... Wow i have to visit at dinner again to experience the lovely musical ambiance soon.......
I would as of now easily say that TAB- The Ancient Bar-Be-Que……….is
an old wine in a new bottle…..which has been very well planned and executed……
We wish them all the best for the future….. Maintain quality and deliver
consistently……
Ratings***** are out of 5 (1 being the lowest and 5 the highest)
Price – 4.5
Taste – 4.0
Ambience – 4.0
Service – 4.5
V.F.M. – 4.5 (value for money)
Meal for Two – 1000-1200 as per package……..
Written By: Vickrham Vicky Inputs from : Dipesh Sharma