Grill your own meat and eat it too

Head to this brand new eating out address on Church Street for some open air barbeques and grills

If you are pondering over having a barbeque party to welcome the New Year, then we suggest you head to Flame & Grill, a new restaurant on the block, to get a quick lesson in doing your barbeque right on your table before the big day. For Flame & Grill allows guests to grill marinated meat and veggies right on each individual table. It's not something that you've not tried before. Well, of course we have at a popular barbeque chain in town, but hey, we say, the more the merrier.

Flame & Grill
Food: good
Service: self
Ambience: casual


The evening we visited, had a slight nip in the air and as soon as we sat at our table, we felt a heady warmth envelope us. Every table had a little square pocket stuffed with glowing charcoals on which starters can be grilled. The terrace restaurant has a partial al fresco cozy wooden seating. Flame & Grill currently offers only dinner buffets.

We started off with a mix of chickpea salad, onion salad, sausage salad and some fresh lettuce with a choice of dressing like thyme in olive oil, mustard, garlic mayonnaise and basil pesto among others to spike up the bland salads. However, it was the tomato mozzarella salad that came out on tops . The mozzarella was fresh and spongy and paired well with the tomatoes and pesto dressing.

While we were tucking into salads, marinated pineapples, potatoes, mushrooms, chicken and prawns were brought along to our table threaded in rods. They were placed atop the hot charcoal and we could brush them with little oil on and off and grill them ourselves.u00a0

More than the chicken, we felt that the veggies tasted much better and so did the prawns. The mushrooms were juicy and came with a hint of pepper, the baby potatoes were crisp on the outside and soft within. The prawns were tender and charred at the edges and disappeared into our mouths within seconds. My colleague also remembered a most delicious grilled crab at the Kolkata branch, which was missing from this buffet.

More than the mains which comprise the usual fare, it's the grills that do the trick. The buffet spread has a Bhutta Rice, Lasooni Daal and Methi Paneer. The daal and rice complimented each other but the paneer laden with loads of cream is a bit heavy post the grilling session. We also tried a portion of Veg Hakkka Noodles with Fish in Yellow Bean Sauce. The noodles were dry, the fish had a strange aftertaste of green cardamom. The Murgir Jhol cooked Bengali style with a tomato base was a hit.

Dessert was a bite sized affair with small bowls of Fruit Custard, Gajar Ki Kheer, Orange and Strawberry Mousse. While the cakes were clearly dry, thanks to overmicrowaving perhaps, we found the Gajar Ki Kheer sublime in texture and high on taste.

More than the mains and the dessert here, you will find yourself reaching out for juicy chunks of chicken or charred potatoes roasting right in front of you. And your participation in choosing to grill your own meat and veggies only adds to the fun.
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At: Flame & Grill, 3rd floor, 14, Church Street
On: from 7.30 pm onwards for dinner
Meal for two: Rs 1,100u00a0

The buffet is priced at Rs 425 during weekdays and R475 during weekends.

Flame & Grill didn't know we were there. The Guide reviews anonymously and pays for meals.