- Attentive staff.
- Elegantly decorated.
- Located in an upmarket shopping center.
- Servings are generous.
- Located away from the city center, in south New Delhi.
- Drinks are expensive.
- The music doesn't fit with the theme.
- 11 PVR Priya Cinema Complex, Basant Lok, Vasant Vihar, New Delhi. Ph: 4151-6666.
- Also at DFL Infinity Towers, Gurgaon. P 19, Sector 18, Noida. 06 Third Floor, City Square Mall, Raja Garden, New Delhi.
- Open daily from 12.30 p.m. to 11 p.m
- Traditional Punjabi cuisine.
- Has a display kitchen and bar on the upper levels.
- A meal for two, including drinks, will cost around 2,000 rupees ($50).
- Vodka gol gappas cost 375 rupees ($9) for two and a glass of beer, or 895 rupees ($20) for a tray of 5 and a pitcher of beer.
- Vegetarian main courses cost around 375 rupees ($9). Non-vegetarian cost from 425-725 rupees ($10-17).
- Credit cards accepted.
- Happy hours from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Punjabi By Nature brings traditional Punjabi food into the modern world in a contemporary and elegant setting. The restaurant in south Delhi's Vasant Vihar is decorated in warm tones with wooden ceilings, stained glass, a full length water feature, floating candles on each table, and interesting works of art covering the walls.
The restaurant is a little inconveniently located, around 20 minutes drive from the center of Delhi, but it's in an attractive outdoor shopping and cinema complex which makes the journey worthwhile.
The food is tasty, hearty, and heavy. One main course can easily be shared amongst two people. The menu has both vegetarian and non-vegetarian sections, and comes complete with suggested wines for each offering. The wine isn't cheap though, at around $10 per glass.
The thing that sets Punjabi By Nature apart from other Indian restaurants is its unique trademark creation of alcoholic gol gappas. These gol gappas (or pani puri, as they're known as in Mumbai) are fried crispy shells, filled with spices and flavored vodka or tequila. Be warned, they're lethal! Eaten whole, they take quite a bit of chewing before swallowing, meanwhile the vodka or tequila remains savagely stuck in your mouth. However, you can't come to Punjabi By Nature and not try them!
For a restaurant that calls itself Punjabi By Nature, the background music wasn't quite what I was expecting though. I happen to be shamelessly fond of traditional Punjabi music, known as bhangra, and was hoping to hear some. However, the music selection for the evening was none other than electro house and European trance! Not giving up that easily, I asked one waiter about it but much to my dismay was told, "No Punjabi, no bhangra, and no Indian!" Not even in the bar/pub upstairs? "No madam." Hmmm. Maybe not so Punjabi by nature after all!
