Jan 18, 2016 08:21 PM
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ABS - Absolute Barbecues is the latest addition to the emerging trend of live-grill restaurants - a trend that was once spearheaded by Barbeque Nation. Located at BTM Layout, close to Jayadeva flyover, the place is as close a competition as BBQN can possibly get. It is inevitable that comparisons with BBQN will be aplenty. I happened to visit this joint yesterday, and I had visited BBQN last month. Here are the comparisons, and my impressions.
Location, Ambience: Prime as prime gets. Located on the Outer Ring Road near BTM Water Tank, you wouldn't miss this place. ABS have adopted a theme slightly differentt from Barbeque Nation. So, instead of the slightly dark theme, ABS sets warm, brightly-lit interiors. There is no option for an open-air or terrace seating though. The ambience is good, but when the description on Google says "bustling" you should get the drift! The seating is a bit crowded, walking around does get difficult on overcrowded weekends. The layout of the spreads also adds to the confusion. So when you have the "Wish Grill" on one end of the hall, main course on another side, while desserts are on the other end of the hall, you would have people jostling around while trying to get to their favorite dishes.
Concept, Menu: While the concept of a live grill is not new in itself, an innovative addition is the "Wish Grill" - more on that later. Other than the wish-grill concept, the entire menu - including starters, main course and dessert - is heavily inspired from it's arch-rivals, BBQN. Infact, the list of starters and main course dishes are exactly the same - you would be forgiven for mistaking ABS for BBQN(or vice versa). The wish-grill concept brings some exotic items to your table like Rabbits, Quail, Duck, Octopus, Shark, Zuccini, and some others. There is a separate counter for these exotic items where you get to choose what items should be included in your wish-dish. You also get to choose the sauces, spices and seasoning thatgo into your personalized dish. The best part - this innovative concept is very much a part of the standard buffet package and you won't be burning a hole in your wallet while trying out the exotic dishes.
Preparations: If you are new to the entire live-grill thing, be ready to have your all your senses overloaded beyond their limits. You would have a charcoal grate on your rable where skewers after skewers of tasty stuff would be lined up for you to grill and relish. The standard line up for veg includes Paneer, Mushrooms, Pineapples, Potatoes, Corn cobs on the grill, and you also get signature dishes like veg kababs, gobi manchurian, crispy corn nuggets and so on. You'd blindly love the crispy corn and crispy potatoes. The platter for nonveg includes the standard fare - chicken, prawns and fish on the grill. Signature dishes include motton seekh, tangdi chicken. And you have the exotic wish-grill at your disposal. Move over to the main course, and you have the standard fare - Rice, Naan, Biryani, Dal, Paneer Gravy, Thai stew, Chicken gravy, Mutton Gravy, Fish curry and so on. Desserts are an equally estensive spread. Don't miss the wish-dish icecream counter where you can custom-order an ice cream with ingredients of your choice.
Taste: When it comes to taste, everything is excellent. If I were to compare it with Barbeque Nation, which has become a benchmark for live-grill restaurants, I'd say both are on the same level. It's an equal fight here. There are some differences in the tastes and the garnish though. ABs tries to innovate here by adding a tangy twist to it's dishes. I personally found the Main Course and Desserts to be slightly tastier at ABs while the BBSs were slightly tastier at BBQN - However, it would be completely unfair to judge whose dishes are actually better, it's a very, very close call. It will depend on what your taste buds prefer.
Service: Service is yet another field where ABS is neck-to-neck with it's arch rivals - that said, it is among the very best. You would be hard pressed to find a reason to complain. The servers come up to your desk asking for anything you need changed. Need some more spice on your signature dishes? Need your water a bit more chilled? You name it, they will do it. Got a special occasion? Birthday? Anniversary? The staff would gather around your table, play a suitable music and would greet you and make you feel special. The staff is very warm in this regard. But what if you ask me to compare? I'd rate ABS as 9 out of 10, whereas BBQN would probably get a 10 on 10 and that's because of two key factors. First - privacy. The staff tends to intrude a bit too much. Some people may like the attention they get, but I'd prefer not to be disturbed that often. Second - the servings for starters are not as frequent. In contrast, the people at BBQN won't let your grill be empty. Here, you have to ask them to get fresh skewers on your grill.
Conclusion: A service and spread which is at par with the very best, a service which is a class apart - and a price point which makes it slightly easier on the wallet. A non-veg buffet lunch, which covers everything described above is priced at=Rs.688(including all taxes)= - and the best part is that the pricing for lunch buffets is the same throughout the week - no premium pricing for weekends. All this make AB's a very attractive proposition. Casual group dine-outs or a day to celebrate, AB's will make your day.
