PUNJAB

He says:
Uptown Girl can attest that whenever we try a new South Asian restaurant, whether we’re in Atlanta or Seattle or Washington D.C., at some point in the meal I will inevitably say, “It’s still not as good as Punjab!” I probably sound like a broken record, but you would too if you’ve ever eaten at this legendary hole-in-wall.

It is fairly well-known around Brooklyn that at lunchtime, 691 Coney Island Avenue is jam-packed with double-parked taxicabs, full of Pakistani drivers stopping for their lunch break. It certainly says something when cabbies, who can drive to eat wherever they want, will head deep into Flatbush for quality food. In fact, if I recall correctly, my father first heard about Punjab via a recommendation from a taxi driver.

Punjab is not much to look at, which isn’t surprising since Flatbush is the kind of neighborhood that has more collision shops than Starbucks. Back in the day the restaurant only had one Formica table (always greasy), and naan was cooked by throwing the dough against the walls of a brick oven coming out of the floor like a well. It would appear that Punjab is doing better these days because now they actually have multiple tables and chairs and tiles on the floor. It’s not much, but hey, you don’t go to Punjab for aesthetics.

She says:
I have to admit, I was a little doubtful about Punjab… and it wasn’t so much the spare setting, but the fact that we ordered our food at a counter by pointing at pots full of unidentifiable (and not completely appetizing) medleys of meat and sauce. But all doubts were laid to rest as soon as I took my first bite of vegetable samosa. The pastry shell that enveloped the spiced potatoes and veggies was substantial and crunchy, much like a very good pie crust. Delicious! They were easily the best samosas I have ever tasted. The one other vegetarian dish they had – a saucy chickpea dish – was also excellent.

The rest of the food followed suit. As expected from Pakastani food, all of the food was well-spiced, heavy on the meat, and rich (as well as cooked in an ungodly amount of oil, although it didn’t taste oily).

He says:
The lamb curry at Punjab is the standard by which all others are judged, and to this day I still have not found its equal. The thick curry swarms with oil, robust spices, and gigantic chunks of meat, which are still on the bone. Keeping the bones in the curry may very well be the secret to this dish because the resulting intensity and gaminess of the lamb is simply awesome.

Likewise the grilled chicken tikka and chicken kababs were spicy – hot, but not too hot – and surprisingly tender on the insides. We polished off the meal with Ras malai, which are balls of ricotta cheese soaked in sweet, thickened milk and cardamom. They were firm enough not to crumble in the bowl, yet retained their velvety mouth-feel. Even Punjab’s desserts can knock it out of the park!

She says:
In general, Pakistani food is too meat-heavy for my taste, but I’d say this is as good as it’s ever gonna get.



He says:
Can you tell that I love this place? For me, Punjab sets the standard for South Asian cuisine.



Punjab Restaurant
691 Coney Island Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11218
(718) 856-6207