Back for More: Punjabi Indian Restaurant

Robynne Tindall, Contributing Editor | Jul 2, 2017 1:00 pm | Add a comment | 1298 reads

It takes something special to stay afloat for one year in the choppy waters of Beijing’s restaurant scene, let alone 10, but that is just what veteran Indian restaurant Punjabi has done, celebrating a decade in business this year.

After such a long stint, no-one would blame Punjabi for simply sitting back and serving up the same dishes they have always been known for. Instead owner Gireesh S. Chaudhury has made the brave decision to revamp the entire menu, hoping to differentiate Punjabi from other mediocre Indian restaurants in the Beijing market.

Forget any preconceived notions of dull, cut-and-paste Indian dishes like chicken tikka masala – this is light, modern Indian cuisine. Take the barbecue king prawns, for example. The prawns are marinated in a lightly spiced cream and cheese mixture, allowing their natural flavor to shine through. A freshly made mint chutney adds freshness and spice. Elsewhere, a stickily sweet dish of tamarind-glazed okra (watch out – there’s a kick behind that initial sweetness) demonstrates Punjabi’s new, modern approach to presentation, which has been realized with the help of Lido-based French restaurant Jomi’s Antoine Bunel and Jamie Penaloza, a Beijing-based food creative and vlogger.

The new menu was still being finalized at the time of writing, but is likely to revolve around set menus with four-, six-, and eight-dish options priced from around RMB 128-288. The dishes will change frequently and include options for vegetarians, vegans, and other special diets.

Fans of Punjabi’s older fare needn’t worry; they will be keeping a short menu of old favorites, although even these have had an update to both taste and presentation. Punjabi’s take on the classic vegetarian dish palak paneer (paneer cheese with spinach) is perhaps the best we have tried in Beijing, the sauce rich with the flavor of fenugreek and made with chopped spinach rather than the lurid green purée many restaurants fall back on. So whether you’re hoping for a traditional Indian restaurant experience or craving something new, Punjabi is certainly worth a revisit.

Punjabi Indian Restaurant
Daily 11.30am-10.30pm. 2/F, C-8, Lucky Street, 1 Chaoyang Gongyuan Xilu, Chaoyang District (5867 0221)
本杰比印度餐厅：朝阳区朝阳公园西路1号好运街C-82层

This article first appeared in the May/June issue of the Beijinger.