Though situated in a four-star city hotel, the Great Kabab Factory (TGKF), this week's subject of review, should not be confused as a typical hotel dining outlet.
The dining room blends the exotic heritage of India with urban ease.
Established 16 years ago in Mahipalpur, India, the TGKF restaurant brand has since expanded its presence to 16 locations in India, Oman and Thailand, quickly become one of the largest Indian restaurant chains in the fine dining category.
As its name suggests, TGKF is, in fact, a non-traditional Indian restaurant. It combines the country's century-old culinary delights with the nonchalant pleasure of a modern-day buffet.
The Bangkok location, which opened in May, occupies a large rented ground-floor space decked out in Moorish-style vibrant colours and copper finish.
The glass-facade, high-ceiling restaurant is a place where a vast variety of Indian kebabs together with impressive selections of curries, rice, bread and desserts can be enjoyed at one fixed price. The word "kabab", or "kebab", refers to the Middle Eastern-style barbecued meat. The Indian version, however, boasts spicier characteristics thanks to its spice-intense marination and is typically cooked in a tandoor (traditional clay oven), when compared to the Arab counterparts.
At TGKF, there are 450 kebabs, including tandoor-roasted, open-fire charred, deep-fried and pan-seared variations. But only a dozen (half of which are vegetarian) are on offer daily.
The sit-in buffet feast of TGKF begins with six varieties of kebabs served one after the other. It's followed by a main course, which comprises of dal (lentils), biryani (spice-cooked rice cooked with meat) and a few curry dishes to be enjoyed with an assortment of rotis and naans. The meal is wrapped up with four choices of desserts.
Generally, a different line-up of menus is set for each day, with a couple of the restaurant's signature dishes as main staples. And, of course, all dishes are unlimited.
Upon arrival, diners get to choose whether they'd prefer vegetarian (1,000 baht) or non-vegetarian (1,100 baht) meal. Our party of three meat-addicts and a vegetarian was very pleased to find that this barbecue-centric joint even had an impressive selection of delicious meat-free victuals.
We were told that 90% of the cooking essentials, from ingredients and utensils to kitchen crew, are imported from India. There are separate stations for cooking vegetarian and non-vegetarian fare.
After a platter of assorted chutneys (mint, tamarind, yoghurt and tomato) and a variety of warm flat breads were presented on the table, our dinner enjoyed a hefty start with the restaurant's signature galouti kebab.
This spiced, minced lamb patty was said to have been invented for an ageing, toothless king. So the galouti, which means "melt in your mouth", lamb promises a super-soft pleasure. The mushy patty was enjoyed as a paste with accompanied saffron roti and mint chutney.
Following the galouti kebab was lehsooni murgh tikka, or garlic-flavoured boneless chicken, which was as tasty as the till ki talli macchi, or deep-fried, sesame-flavoured fish. The nicely crusted fish with a hint of cinnamon and nutmeg was deliciously complemented by the tomato chutney. The mild-tasting babri seekh, or rolls of minced lamb and boiled egg; the succulent bhatti da murgh, or red chilli-flavoured tandoori chicken; and the supple and flavoursome kandhari prawns finished off the almost-nonstop barbecue parade beautifully.
Choice of vegetarian kebabs that day included meat-free galouti patty, made with spiced yam and lentil; curry-leaf flavoured cottage cheese; and stuffed potatoes with cheese and nuts. All of them proved sumptuous.
We knew it was time for the main course when a variety of curry dishes started to arrive. That evening it featured the signature butter-cooked dal; dhingri murgh, or chicken and mushroom curry; paneer kofta, or cottage cheese dumplings in yellow gravy; and dal palak, or yellow lentil and spinach curry.
The curries were complemented by gosht biryani, featuring long-grain basmati rice cooked with lamb and Indian spices. The vegetarian rendition of biryani, with mixed vegetables, was also available.
The dessert selection that evening included gulab jamun, or syrupy dumplings made with reduced milk and sugar; beetroot halwa, which is a warm, milky dessert made with grated beetroot and pistachio; kesri kulfi, or homestyle saffron-flavoured ice-cream; and seviyan kheer, another chilled dessert featuring vermicelli cooked with milk and sugar. Beverages are not included in the buffet and the lassi (a yoghurt-based smoothie, 140 baht) was offered with only sweet and salty options — no mango or any fruity flavourings.
Service, during our weekday dinner visit, deserved high praise. The ever-smiling staff, front of house and in the kitchen, were very attentive, friendly and generous. They showed signs of delight when diners asked for refills and slight disappointment when we stopped at the first serving.
The spice-rubbed lamb racks.
Deep-fried sesame-flavoured fish.
