Tabletop barbecue is best part

BBQ 52’s spread was built up over a few weeks based on feedback from customers

At first look, BBQ 52 can be defiantly unassuming: you’re not quite sure what to expect. The menu is primarily a buffet that Shekhar, cloth-merchant-turned-restaurateur tells me, as we are led into the dimly-lit interiors of the restaurant. They are not yet licensed to serve liquor, so we will have to make do with non-alcoholic beer, which turns out to be flavoured fizzy drinks. The buffet is being laid out as we take our seats, and the friendly waitress comes over to explain how the buffet experience will unfold.

Mutton Sheekh Kabab and Ajwain Fish
Tikka are among the starters.

Starters will be served to the table – they will, in fact, go through the grilling (pardon the pun) on the table. First comes the soup. Then the grill gets laid into the centre of the table, upon which skewers of marinated vegetables, paneer and meat are layered, suitably separated so my meat-eating friend can enjoy her starters without offending the vegetarian in me. Then comes the main course. We ask for a tasting menu instead of partaking of the whole meal buffet-style. Chaats, followed by more paneer and chicken, then pasta, and then side dishes from the Indian and Chinese buffet that is served with rice dishes and tandoor rotis. There is also rasam and rice for the South Indian gourmand. Then dessert is served, both continental and desi, followed by cold-stone ice cream.

The menu, the highlight of which happens to be the tabletop barbecue experience, is a muddle of multiple cuisines, leaving me and my friend in a state of confusion as to how to define it. There’s Asian, Indian (and we all know that ‘Indian’ is arguably a misnomer given how staggeringly different our cuisines are from state to state, city to city, street to street), Continental, what have you, with a variety of cooking styles. Nothing, in particular, stood out. This might be a good choice for an all-you-can-eat meal seeker.

BBQ 52 has now added A la carte and a set menu, in addition to the buffet. The eatery is located at No 52, 3rd floor, above pantaloons, M G Road. For details, call 8884854771.