Lahore claims to be home to the best desi food there is in the entire region, if not the country. Does Chili Chutney live up to this? I recently had the opportunity to test it for myself.

It was Sunday. We were four people who embarked on the eating-out excursion. It required us to drive down to Johar Town, taking us a good thirty minutes from DHA. Being hopeless foodies, we didn’t mind travelling the distance.

Once there, we were spoilt for the seating options: the outside patio, under the umbrellas, which we rejected as being too close to the road; hence little privacy. The rooftop looked great but we opted against it too as it was windy that day, which left us with the only option of sitting in the main dining hall.

At first glance, you feel the owner has done a masterful job in creating an ambience that is comforting without being overbearing or too decorative for my personal liking. The strategically tacked wall paintings added character to the surroundings.

Chili Chutney’s downstairs is a more formal area where one can make reservations. Though, it was odd not to find many people during late lunch hours, we assumed that it would be a busy place around dinner time and breakfast.

The server came up to us to give his recommendations which we took with a serious note and without wasting much time placed the order. The menu was a variety comprising starters, main dishes and desserts to suit all taste palettes -- from paratha rolls to lipsmacking dahi barras and gol gappas, and so on. Burgers and sandwiches were also featured on the menu but we wanted to try the barbecue items and the restaurant’s favourite handis.

After patiently waiting for almost half an hour came our prized dish of gola kebab which was a concoction of marinated minced meat. The barbecued chicken wings were basted with honey and then grilled. I found the gola kebab to be the best of the two as the latter had a rather pungent flavour of garlic marinade.

We had ordered a platter consisting of mixed portions and were blown away by the fresh taste of the food. The portions were hearty and, much more importantly, very delicious.

The worries of having a typical BBQ cuisine found everywhere quickly melted away when the first batch of food came. The moderately spicy Chicken Haryali Boti and Chicken Cheese Boti carried a waft of aroma that was hard to ignore. The Gurda Chop and Qeema Masala had an infusion of spices and the flavour was just spot-on.

My favourite has to be the Mutton Makhani Boneless Handi which had all the elements and precision that gave it a smooth succulent texture. Lamb Seekh Kebabs were the next to follow. Seasoned well, these melted right into the mouth which proved that the quality of meat is top-notch. Added with some fresh raita and the very irresistible, crispy kachumar salad, Garlic & Kalaonji Naan was a delight.

As for the staff, we found them all extremely polite and ready to help. They were alert and ensured that the food gets out on the tables sizzling off the grill so that it’s eaten piping hot.

In the end, we gulped down Sweet Lassi. We skipped the dessert options of Gulab Jaman, Rus Malai and Zafarani Firni, in the hope that we’d come back to the place for these, if for nothing else.