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The Great Kabab Factory (TGKF) located nearby Jawad Dome in Budaiya serves up mouth-watering meat platters, veggie delights and service with a smile.
My fiancŽ, Sam Camille and I dined at the restaurant after hearing mixed reviews from our friends. Our evening, however, proved to be a unique dining experience which confirmed, in my opinion, why the Kabab Factory has been labelled 'Great'.
An Indian theme is clear throughout the contemporary-styled venue, from the copper pots and pans on the walls to vibrant textiles and tapestries.
The lay-out and design was both inviting and comfortable. An aroma of mixed spices wafted from the kitchen as we took our seats, preparing us for the delicacies to come.
Our waiter, Vipan Sharma, walked us through the menu step-by-step.
Guests can either choose a non-vegetarian or a vegetarian meal. Each meal consists of a variety of five kababs along with an array of Indian breads. This is followed by the TGKF's proprietary dals (lentils), biryani (flavoured rice), seasonal vegetables and raita (spiced yogurt). To conclude the filling feast, two desserts will be placed before you.
All items on the menu are served with an unlimited promise, which means you can do an Oliver Twist and ask for 'more' as many times as you wish.
The beauty of the concept also lies in the fact that the menu is changed on a daily basis to ensure that regular customers can experience the range of 450 recipes of different-flavoured kababs at their leisure.
Once we agreed on a non-veggie meal, Vipan went off to prepare our impressive parade of meat. Meanwhile, his colleague approached us to take our drink orders.
The juices we chose were extremely refreshing and made from a variety of fruits such as a strawberry banana mix or an explosive mango and passion fruit cocktail.
What took me by complete surprise was that there appeared to be a designated server for every task. For example, one server was assigned to the vegetarian kababs, another for the meat, a waiter responsible for breads and another for drinks. Sam and I felt completely pampered and well taken care of.
The first set of appetizers arrived. A selection of sauces were placed in front of us for the kababs and chicken. There was mint chutney, tomato chutney, tamarind chutney and yogurt chutney.
Vipan explained what the best sauce for each dish was and even where each recipe originated from. He first served us Galouti Kabab (minced lamb) and Ulte tewe ka parantha (bread served with this dish).
Since I cannot have 'hot' food but Sam loves it, Auribindo made sure to serve me the mild meal while loading up the spices for Sam. He was very considerate and informative through and through, making sure that we enjoyed every aspect of our dining experience.
After we had tried everything once, Vipan asked if we wanted some more appetizers or we would like to go onto the main course. After devouring a second round of delicious appetizers we were ready for the rest.
A digestion-enhancing drink followed - a mixture of buttermilk, yogurt and spices. Auribindo then asked what type of breads we wanted with our chicken or mutton biryani and dals main courses.
The desert portion consisted of hot and cold choices. The gaajar ka halwa was hot and includes grated carrots, sugar and milk.
The cold dish was 'joke' shahi' which is no laughing matter and consists of deep fried dumplings of condensed milk served in sweetened and flavoured milk.
Overall it was a phenomenal experience taking me back to my Goa vacation last year. Sam said: 'The chicken was fantastic, the service was top notch and Auribindo was extremely informative. I give it a thumb's up!'
Both meal packages were priced at BD4.900, exclusive of 12 per cent service charges. On weekdays, the restaurant is open from noon until 3pm for lunch and 6:30pm to midnight for dinner. Over the weekend it is open from noon until midnight.
