Anaarkali Butter Chicken
By Sid Khullar • Nov 17th, 2009 • Category: Reviews
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As I consumed the first mouthful, I waited for a burst of ecstasy and the inevitable moan a moment later. Nothing. Except for a faint buttery after-taste, there wasn’t anything I could remotely describe as classy, creamy, or didlyumptious. Thinking I must have been mistaken, I took a bite of the chicken this time. Plain vanilla, well cooked, boneless chicken without much flavor was all I could taste. There wasn’t a hint of Suman’s ecstatic merely enthusiastic description of ’succulent, delicious chicken’, though she had mentioned her husband thought it was average for Delhi. The feeling wasn’t unlike that felt by a little boy who’s been gifted a School Textbook instead of the remote controlled plane he was expecting. I recall sitting there, taking little bites and wondering where was the ambrosial taste as described by the Anaarkali Butter Chicken website, by testimonials on the site and most importantly, by Suman herself.
“I must have been mistaken”, I thought. “Better try it again”, I decided and proceeded to drink a glass a water before helping myself to another small serving of rice and Anaarkali Butter Chicken. Unfortunately, it was the same – unremarkable chicken in an unremarkable gravy with a faint buttery after-taste.
While I do appreciate the effort put in by the creators of Anaarkali Butter Chicken, and their passion for creating the ‘classiest butter chicken in the world’, IMO Anaarkali Butter Chicken doesn’t measure up and at best would be par for the course… a very expensive course.
- Sid
Chef at Large Reviews by Chef at Large is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License. Based on a work at www.chefatlarge.in. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at www.chefatlarge.in.
Sid Khullar is a self confessed food addict who likes cooking, writing and photography... and travel, if it gets him closer to a good book and interesting food.
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Hello Mr. Sid,
Thank you for your write-up about the Anaarkali Butter Chicken. Taste is a matter of personal opinion and we respect that. And I am really happy and thankful to God, that you appreciated our efforts.
Thank you so much !
Hi Sid
I was too surprised (and also got mentally blocked )to see the price tag of Rs 6.5k. Thank God , i m right.
The best butter chicken can be found anywhere in the sardar dhabas. Right ?
ZD
@IB: Thank you for being gracious about our review.
@ZD: Yes, it is expensive and no, we don’t agree with the price tag. Having said that, ABC is definitely better than most butter chickens available in the market. though I would reduce the pepper a bit.
O my God!Thanks a lot.I was so fascinated to try this expensive dish so far…
But u r right.The high flame of flavor shud be there in mouth after a first bite.. 
I like peprsonally Kareems at Sector 18 or The Kebab Factory.Both are best..If u r bit cost conscious than u shud try Rajinder ka dhaba for much better Butter Chicken 
Thanks Sid. Great article written in a very lucid and readable format. No mincing of words for not appreciating the recipe tested. The price is outrageous clearly putting it out of reach of most. Even if it is made for classes, the pricing can be still made more affordable or portion size be increased. Moti Mahal serves one of the better butter chicken without burning a hole in your wallet. Hope anarkali chicken does not spoil the name of indian signature dish in the mind of foreigners who do not know the real taste of BUTTER CHICKEN. One thing missing in the article was the way to order it… For those who would still like to try it.
Was looking forward to this review… Its so expensive that you cant stop thinking/talking about ‘whats so special about this’ educating others in the process… Virally markets itself!!!
Unfortunately priced a little too high for it to work, say if it was like 2000/- curiosity + placebo would probably make it a runaway hit, with that blurb on that website, specially for suckers like me.
6000/- bucks and heck, I was expecting to read poetry in your review, rhyming words, haiku, hyperbole…the works. Somehow a little disappointed that it isn’t soooo good.
spending so much money over a dish which can be obtained anywhere with a fraction of the price does not seem a good idea. even if all ingredients used r expensive, nothing can be worth this much. although a part of the money is being used positively, think how much more can be done with the rest!!
@Prachi agrawal: Hi Prachi, would you please tell me the location for this Rajender ka dhaba that you mentioned in your comment? would definitely like to write about it..
@Prachi – I am not sure if I am only one but I consider Sec. 18 Karim’s a big let down. I have had two meals there, and they were both pathetic (strong words, but for me Nizammuddin outlet of Karim’s is average, Jama Masjid one if good – v.good for two or three dishes, so on that scale this descrition fits Sec. 18 one).
I think it is Noida’s misfortune that some of the famous names of Delhi’s eating scene have expanded here – and sicne chefs dont multiply by mitosis, you can never get 5 outlets right just ‘coz you had one good – works for American fast food but for nothing else. So Deez, Kabab Factory (Kabab Factory expansion across India is now purely a franchisee model), Chor Bizzare (there were such poor reports that started getting some stuff delivered from the Dariyaganj original – well the the chef managing the chinese restuarant and this in Noida, so you couldnt expect better), Karim’s…..here’s wishing some competent chefs make Noida their first outlet!
@Siddhartha: Agree. The Great Kebab Factory in NOIDA is so poor in food and service, that I haven’t been there in a very long time. I do like the watered down flavors of the Chor Bizarre buffet though.
i think there is one rajender da dhaba in green park/SDA opposite what was kamal cinema some years back. i have heard abt the butter and tandoori chicken of RDD. absolutely out of the worldt!!
@rashmibh: Thanks, I’ll definitely dig out the place.
I read a review on Anarkali chicken in the Outlook a weeks ago (can’t remember the author’s name). That was negative too.
@ Amit: Rajinder da Dhaba used to be one of the best places to eat at. The standards have somewhat reduced over the years. They are still very good for the tandoori dishes but the gravy dishes are no longer as good.
I tried it. I like it. Was okay only. But I really hate the name! Not as appetizing. Sounds so stupid like ladies clothes! Hope u consider changing to a more nicer sounding name.
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