The BBQ
Our usual pick at any BBQ spot is usually the Mixed Grill (if the place does one), as it exposes us to almost all the meats they grill. Philling Station's Mixed Grill is quite hefty, and made for four adults. Thankfully, we managed to bring in reinforcements – Kuganna and Dinesh.
At Rs. 3500, it's an assortment of six chicken sausages, five chicken wings, four chicken drumlets, two pork sausages, two pork chops, four pork skewers, a helping of garlic bread, and fried mushroom or French fries – we opted for the former. Now you know why we needed reinforcements.
This plate is comprised of the Chicken counterpart of the meal. Garlicky and peppery, yet with a sweet undertone, its seasoning was quite lovely. They seem to have been marinated for quite some time, that the flavour had pierced through all the layers of the meat. Succulent and fall-off-the-bone soft, the meat had a nice caramelised exterior to it, while the inside is wonderfully juicy. This is a plate of porkiness. The marination here is less sweet than chicken, but spicier with a high garlicky note. We absolutely enjoyed the pork chops. It's definitely one of the best takes on pork chops we've seen in the city. Incredibly soft, they weren't even slightly chewy, and broke off to pieces so easily.
There was a mix of fatty and meaty cuts of pork in the skewers, all marinated with the same set of spices and elements. A French Baguette cut into slices, slathered with butter and chopped up garlic, then grilled to perfection, their garlic bread was well done too.
While there was a lot of meat, this Batter-fried Mushroom won the spotlight for being extra crispy, aromatic and delicious. The seasoning of the batter was on point and featured a good dose of spices, and karapincha (curry leaves).
Ambience & Service
It's an outdoor space with a bunch of wooden tables and chairs. Nothing fancy, but gets the job done so well. The atmosphere is quite chilled out, with good music playing in the background, while the staff treats you well.
It seems to be managed by a family. According to the owner – a friendly half-Filipino half-Sri Lankan lady, the pork chops are made while ensuring the authenticity of the original recipe, while the rest has a Sri Lankan twist.
Conclusion
With well-executed BBQ, super chilled out vibe, happy staff and BYOB, our experience at the Philling Station was dope! We're already making plans for the second round, and highly suggest that you try them out.