Central Food

New Punjab Club: A post-colonial Pakistani and Indian experience in HK

January 14, 2018

There was a whole lot of hype surrounding the opening of Black Sheep Restaurant’s newest addition, New Punjab Club, and I was curious to see what all the fuss was about. As the name suggests, the restaurant serves a mix of Indian and Pakistani, and wanted to bring these authentic flavors to Hong Kong. The vibe is post-colonial with large pieces of interesting art plastered on the walls. If you’re looking for a fun, new place to delve into the world of Punjabi cuisine, New Punjab Club won’t disappoint.Vibe at New Punjab Club

Getting a weekend dinner reservation wasn’t particularly easy (without a month’s notice), but they managed to squeeze us in for the following Friday at 6:00 pm. Upon arriving, we were greeted at the main door by a large man looking sharp as ever in a fitted post-colonial suit. After we we were seated, our waiter (I forget his name now, but he had just moved to Hong Kong to work at New Punjab Club) brought over their gin cart for us to peruse. While we were waiting for our drinks, our waiter came by to explain the concept of the restaurant and the menu. He started by going over the different regions of cuisines offered at New Punjab Club and then went through the entire menu. It’s been awhile since I experienced this level of customer service in Hong Kong and it was incredibly refreshing and welcomed. Aside from the top-notch service, the decor is also very cool; a post-colonial vibe with large leather booths, dark wood tables, and large boisterous art throughout.

To Start

Keema Pau – spiced mutton, milk bun (HK$118)

We started with the Keema Pau (HK$118) – a spiced mutton curry that you’re meant to eat with a milk bun. The fragrant curry was delicious and the milk buns were so damn good that we actually ordered a second plate of them (to be fair, the ratio of curry to bun wasn’t exactly equal).

Mains

Roasted Sirloin Tandoori (HK$268)

Mughal Room Makhani – braised chicken tikka, spiced tomato & Butter Naan (HK$148 & HK$48)

Aloo gobhi – cauliflower, potatoes (HK$118)

We knew we wanted to try a dish from the tandoori section, as the tandoor ovens at New Punjab Club are the same ones co-founder Asim Hussain’s father used when he opened an Indian restaurant in the city many years ago. We opted for the Roasted Sirloin Tandoori (HK$268) with a burnt garlic chutney. Unfortunately, this wasn’t our favorite dish – the sirloin was very well done, making it a bit tough to chew. Thankfully, the Mughal Room Makhani (HK$148) made up for it. The large pieces of braised chicken tikka in a spiced tomato sauce were divine. After devouring the meat, we lapped up all the sauce with delicious pieces of Butter Naan (HK$48). We also ordered the Aloo Gobhi (HK$118) on the side, which was underwhelming considering the price tag.

Verdict

I had a really great time at New Punjab Club; partly because of the food and partly because of the service. Majority of the dishes were amazing (save for the sirloin tandoori and aloo gobhi), the presentation was great, and the service was bar none to anything I’ve seen in Hong Kong at a similar-priced restaurant. The atmosphere is fun, yet cool and classy. Overall, I would recommend checking out New Punjab Club if you’re looking for a fun date night or to catch up with a smaller group of friends.

New Punjab Club
34 Wyndham Street
Central
Hong Kong

Tel: 2368 1223

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