Food and Fun at Absolute Barbecues (AB's), Velachery

AB’s opens shop in Velachery

Absolute Barbecues, fondly known as AB’s opened at T – Nagar couple of years back with a big bang. 2 years on, they’re still consistent with their top notch service and the ratings in Zomato are proof to that. To make AB’s more accessible to the bustling IT crowd, AB’s recently opened an outlet in Velachery. It’s located quite close to OMR, the IT nerve center of the city, bang opposite Taramani TCS.

I was pleasantly surprised when I got an invite for a weekend dinner at AB’s and was happy to learn a bunch of my foodie buddies will be present as well. Naturally, I accepted it and started looking forward to the fun evening.

Starting off the grill

Their starters are the key to AB’s success and I was glad to see the same quality being offered here.

We started off with drinks, and I particularly liked Chennai Summers, a blend of Yogurt, Strawberry, and Coconut set a pleasant tone on the palate.

Starting off with succulent Paneer Tikkas, Grilled Mushrooms, Fruits, and Vegetables, the lineup of starters were quite impressive.

The real stars were American Cheesy Potato and Crispy Corn. No one could do with just a single serving of these (Or 2 servings for that matter, as most went for 3 or more servings).

Next came Churrasco, which is basically Honey glazed grilled Pineapple (No pen was offered sadly). A personal favorite of mine, I was happy to notice the taste has remained consistent through the years

The final item on the array was Beetroot Kebab, which was quite nice, though some found it a bit spicy.

Moving on to the Mains

I had eyed the Rabdi and Gulab Jamun on my way and thus ended up helping myself to smaller portions of the main course. A typical Indian buffet fare, it had a soup, rice, a Paneer based curry, a Bhindi curry, Papads, Curd Rice, Salads, Breads etc. They were quite nice taste wise. I particularly enjoyed the Kashmiri Pulao which wasn’t sweet like in most places and had an authentic feel. However, I don’t see too many people being concerned about the main course in a BBQ place, thanks to starters which fills you up almost all the time.

Dusting it off with the Desserts

Our group was still running high with energy and all it required to hike it up was a casual challenge to see who can eat more sweets. Vidhya and Jaya stepped up to the challenge, with the rest of us acting as cheerleaders. The challenge? Who eats the most Gulab Jamuns in the shortest time. Jaya and Vidhya stopped at 60 Jamuns (each), keeping the best interests of AB’s in mind. Jaya did finish first and consequently, the winner (Though it’s still being disputed, as Vidhya was stopped from eating more).

I helped myself to Butterscotch Icecream with Gulab Jamuns, Rabdi, Jelly, Choco Pops, and Carrot Halwa. I had to fight a battle inside myself to stop from going to 2nd helpings because they were so droolicious.

Service and Ambiance

For a newly opened outlet, the place was jam packed. I was glad for being invited, as there was no chance we would have got a seat otherwise.

The ambiance is what you would expect from any BBQ place; Loud music in the background, constant activity from the people moving around to fill their plates, and ceaseless chatter.

The only gripe here is the waiting area. The waiting area cannot handle more than 5 at a time even if it’s packed tight. It’ll be better if they look at making comfortable waiting arrangements outside the reception area.

AB’s staff were courteous to a fault and quite attentive to every guest’s needs, not just our group. It’s good to see AB’s maintaining their service standards through the years.

To wrap things up, I would rate AB’s a 4/5 for their starters, desserts, and service.

Most of all we had a fun-filled evening, and I would definitely hit AB’s again, and again, just for their starters and desserts.