Review Punjabi Dhaba - Christchurch

Yummy

Worst experience we have ever uncounted at any restaurant.<br/>Ordered 3 $20 meals all butter chicken.<br/>Our children have grown up on butter chicken and they love it. Unfortunately there was no indication on their menu that their butter chicken base is made from cashew nuts which is the only severe allergy our eldest daughter has so she broke out in reaction so we then had to give her a dose of her meds and rush her to hospital.<br/>And all the guy could say was "I had a brother in-law die of a allergic reaction" like really that's not something you say to a mother and father as they are running frantic to help their child.....<br/>As a consumer I expect that kind of info be placed on your menu, they were very reluctant to refund us but I was not leaving until I got it.<br/>I will be contacting the health department about this issues with support from the hospital my daughter was rushed to.

This is an unexpected find. It is within the Blenheim Rd Motor Lodge complex on Blenheim Rd. The exterior is very plain (next to the bar and liquor store) and looks run-down.<br/><br/>However, the interior is very welcoming and the staff attentive. There is good car parking.<br/><br/>The food was reasonably priced, freshly cooked and very pleasant. The menu has the same range of options you expect in Indian restaurants.<br/><br/>We will definitely eat here again. It compares very well with its competitor on Ilam Road.

I've only ever had take-out here. Although my stays have been brief, the interior is pleasing and my experience with the staff pleasant. The location in the funky Blenheim Rd Motor Lodge is, well, funky, even as they make the very best of a bad situation.<br/><br/>As for the food, well, what to say? All opinions are relative to one's experience. I know I know Indian food better than most having cooked as well as eaten restaurant Indian food in many of its regional shades in a wide variety of settings and locations over many years. In so many ways I most enjoy the simple home cooked simple cooked lovingly by Amma in her own kitchen whether in one of the finer suburbs of Mumbai or the simplest of kitchens in a humble village. This is the Indian food most Indians eat most of the time but is almost impossible to find outside of an ethnic Indian's home kitchen. Add to this that most restaurant food is almost singularly Punjabi (perfectly fine tradition of cuisine)... I could go on. Suffice to say its a shame. <br/><br/>I wish I could give half stars, for although not blown away by this restaurant it is just a little better than stock standard average and deserves 3 and a half stars, just a little more precise and refined, but still obviously made from pre-made stock standard sauces tweaked as necessary to create the desired finished product. I understand expediency, but this is another reason so many Indian dishes taste more alike than different. 4 stars for this restaurant would just be too generous, especially considering the after 5-6pm happy hour takeaway as well as the eat-in prices. <br/><br/>Although I have not tried any of their Chinese dishes, I love that they are there and this touch of 'authenticity.' Its not unusual for Indian restaurants in India to have Chinese dishes on their menus.