Gas is easier. It lights instantly, holds a steady temperature, and never runs out at the wrong moment during a Saturday rush. Every single one of those advantages is real, and we still don't use it on our grill. Here's why.
What wood actually adds
Cooking over seasoned hardwood — we use a mix of mango and babool, depending on what our supplier has that month — introduces variables that gas simply can't replicate: genuine smoke, uneven heat pockets that let a cook build real char in one spot while keeping another gentler, and a flavour compound profile that comes from actual combustion rather than a clean blue flame.
None of that is subtle. You can taste the difference between a steak finished over wood and one finished over gas in the first bite, particularly at the edges where the char sits.
The cost of that decision
It's slower to light — our grill cook starts the fire nearly ninety minutes before service. It's harder to control, since the fire needs to be actively managed, raked, and fed throughout service rather than just dialled up or down. And it took the better part of a year for our grill team to develop the instinct for reading heat by eye and hand instead of a dial.
We accept all of that because the alternative — a grill that's easier to run but tastes like every other grill in the city — was never really on the table for us.
"A gas flame is honest but flat. Wood argues with you a little, and the food is better for it."
What to order if you want to taste it clearly
The sirloin is the clearest example — dry-aged, then finished hard over embers so the crust does most of the talking. The charcoal half chicken is a close second, and arguably the better everyday order: buttermilk-brined first, so the smoke has something to hold onto.