Where: Punjabi by Nature, Oud Metha, Dubai

How much: AED 250 for two people (approx.)

Cuisine: North Indian

Recommended:  Ras Malai, Angrezi Chicken Tikka Masala, Dal Makhani

Tongue-in-cheek phrases and bold slogans are sprawled across this quirky themed restaurant. After all, Punjabis aren’t known for their subtlety.

Located in Oud Metha, Punjabi by Nature promises authentic Punjabi cuisine that will make you yearn for India’s roadside dhabas.

Here’s the complete Punjabi by Nature review:

Be sure to prepare yourself (physically and mentally) for a hearty meal – Punjabi food is rich and butter-laden. This was proved correct when we were given the chatti wali lassi pede de naal (sweet buttermilk) to start our meal with; it was thick and velvety, but not overly sweet, with just a touch of saffron.

Appetizers

An array of appetizers made their way to our table – the aloo tikki di chaat (fried potato dumplings with yogurt and chutney) was a pleasant start with its combination of hot and cold, along with the zesty and spicy chutneywale macchi de tikke (marinated fish tikkas).

The murg malai tikka (chicken marinated in yogurt), while tender and succulent, lacked flavor and was nothing to write home about.

Mains

Punjabi by Nature has an extensive menu, but our server was courteous enough to offer his recommendations. At this point, we were already a tad bit full but couldn’t wait to dive into mains.

The angrezi chicken tikka masala stood out with its spicy and flavor-packed tomato and onion gravy. Bhuna ghosht (pulled lamb) is an apparent bestseller, but I felt the tender pulled meat was shadowed by its overpowering peppery masala.

On the other hand, the dal makhani was the real crowd pleaser. Cooked entirely in butter, this dal is not for the faint hearted. It is rich, buttery and absolutely delicious, so don’t be afraid to mop it all up with some warm naan or laccha paratha.

Dessert

Do not expect to leave without sampling their rasmalai. This is my favorite Indian dessert so my opinion is anything but biased.

Dainty and fluffy dumplings soaked in saffron flavored milk which wasn’t sickeningly sweet; unlike a lot of Indian restaurants, Punjabi by Nature executed this dessert impeccably and I have been craving it since.

Visit Punjabi by Nature if you’re looking for some real authentic desi food. The portions are quite large*, and given the rich creamy recipes, you may want to go in with an empty stomach.

Service  & Ambience

Servers are warm and welcoming, and are always happy to recommend the bestsellers. And of course, the colorful catchphrases on walls, placemats and even napkins are part of the experience and will not fail to amuse you.

*we were served smaller portions (seen in the pictures) as part of a sampling menu

If you’re interested, take note:

• Punjabi by Nature has an Iftar buffet throughout Ramadan: AED 68, Saturday to Thursday, AED 73 on Fridays
• Parking is easy to find with a large parking lot for Lamcy.
• The above review is of a sampling of their new menu launched in April.

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