Summary
Location 9
Ambiance 3
Taste 5
Value for money 2 (Would've been 1 if I had been mugged in the parking-lot)
Crowd 2
Service 5
Detailed report
5 star hotels create quite a hype for their restaurants over the years. It works both ways, positive as well as negative. Positive because when you feel like having a good dinner to celebrate a real occasion, you get tempted to give them a go. Negative because they don't live upto the hype they come with. Dum Pukht at ITC Maurya Shereton is a point in case.
Located in the NDMC area, the location is spot on. Wide roads, disciplined traffic lead you to the Hotel and thus by the time you arrive there, you are in the mood to order a beer the moment you settle down. Super. 9/10
The restaurant is all white for some incomprehensible reason. I admire the workmanship of the dhobi, but that is where the admiration stops. Those who have been to United Coffee House in CP would say that this is just a more spaced out version of the same, no differences otherwise. Also a very small bar counter. They use INDIAN bone china!!! I have nothing against the Indian bone china, but in a fine dining restaurant this is very local. Un fukkin believable. Oh yeah, the valet gave me a smart salute when he took the car. That's a bonus mark. 3/10
The food arrived in ages. Tasted NOT better than the food I've had in less "upmarket" places. There isn't much variety on the menu either. For the record we had giant prawn, kakori and chicken kebabs, the customary kaali (blank) dal, pomegranate chops, chicken bemisaal and a mixture of breads. And yes, we also had a biryani. No fault of mine here, it was forgettable indeed. What is impressive, is the wine book(yes its a catalogue, not a one page list). For the taste and variety, 5/10
I have had better tasting food in better ambiance at some of Delhi's other fine dining restaurants. No that's not a good enough comparison. Let me retry.
I have been mugged, but even that felt value for money. The abovementioned food, plus two medium grade Merlots cost 17k above. Add another appx 2k for the tips and the net results was 20k. I've eaten at Bukhara in the same hotel, and did not feel the pinch this bad when I had to dish out a similar amount. This is grand theft! Arson. 2/10 because 1/10 is reserved for a mugging + beating in the drive-way.
There were some people wearing Italian suits and diamond jewels, but they were foreigners being hosted by their respective Indian business partners. Then, there was a middle aged gent sitting next to our table and singing out loud whatever gazal was being played by the live two man band. No one pushed a sock down his throat. Neither did anyone ask him to shut up. I think I saw the king of an oil rich arab country dine at the table next to ours. Is that a plus? 2/10
Service. Leaving aside the non-restaurant staff of the Hotel, I would give the staff here 2 points below the invisible man in terms of visibility and accessibility. Also, despite reservations, we were put on a table for 8 (there were 5 of us), and had to ask them to move us to a more correct sized table. The staff didn't know a thing about the portions either. 5/10
We went in a very good mood with some very fine chaps. I do not want to forget the fine conversation we had there, else I would have slaughtered these guys in this review.
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Thursday, January 19, 2006
Salad Chef, Vasant Vihar, C block, New Delhi
Summary
Location 8
Ambiance 4
Taste 8
Value for money 8
Crowd 3
Service 7
Detailed report
People in diets tend to prefer salads over other stuff. Girls almost always are on some sort of a diet (no carbs today, brown bread only - blah blah blah). As a result we found ourselves headed towards salad chef for the benefit of some of the gals of the group. What they don't realise is that after you add the myonnaise and cheese, salads are a hara-kiri for dieters.
Anyway, I usually disregard the diet factor when eating out. If I am spending my time and money, taste takes top priority. And thats why I lik this place. Salad Chef is one of the best places that I've been to for salads (as the name suggests) and sandwiches.
It scores on two fronts in terms of location. VV C block is not too far away from Priya, so we often dropped by on the way to (or back from) a movie.
Being college students at that time, another plus was that it was close to a decent theka (liquor shop). Adding the two, I give it an 8/10.
You sit in the open on plastic tables and chairs. Don't go on a summer afternoon. Unlike most markets in Delhi, and especially shops selling grub, this one is surprisingly clean. Ambiance usually comes at a price, thus no one ever complained. 4/10
The variety is good, salads taste genuine and they have some innovative varieties like chicken tikka sandwich. The burgers are a surprise and I rate them amongst the best ones I have had outside the 5 star coffee shops. There is also a variety of juices. 8/10 on taste.
Meal for two, 300 bucks, tops. Its cheaper for vegetarians. 8/10
There isn't much of a crowd, and you definitely go there with the intentions of getting some eye-tonic. The liquor vend doesn't help matters. 3/10
Service is good and prompt. They have an online menu, so you can call ahead and get your order prepared. It also helps if you want to order from home, and don't have a copy of the menu. We also tried to home delivery (had to persuade him to get delivery done at the IIT campus) which was okay.
Bottomline: Great place, but can definitely do with an eat - in option.
Location 8
Ambiance 4
Taste 8
Value for money 8
Crowd 3
Service 7
Detailed report
People in diets tend to prefer salads over other stuff. Girls almost always are on some sort of a diet (no carbs today, brown bread only - blah blah blah). As a result we found ourselves headed towards salad chef for the benefit of some of the gals of the group. What they don't realise is that after you add the myonnaise and cheese, salads are a hara-kiri for dieters.
Anyway, I usually disregard the diet factor when eating out. If I am spending my time and money, taste takes top priority. And thats why I lik this place. Salad Chef is one of the best places that I've been to for salads (as the name suggests) and sandwiches.
It scores on two fronts in terms of location. VV C block is not too far away from Priya, so we often dropped by on the way to (or back from) a movie.
Being college students at that time, another plus was that it was close to a decent theka (liquor shop). Adding the two, I give it an 8/10.
You sit in the open on plastic tables and chairs. Don't go on a summer afternoon. Unlike most markets in Delhi, and especially shops selling grub, this one is surprisingly clean. Ambiance usually comes at a price, thus no one ever complained. 4/10
The variety is good, salads taste genuine and they have some innovative varieties like chicken tikka sandwich. The burgers are a surprise and I rate them amongst the best ones I have had outside the 5 star coffee shops. There is also a variety of juices. 8/10 on taste.
Meal for two, 300 bucks, tops. Its cheaper for vegetarians. 8/10
There isn't much of a crowd, and you definitely go there with the intentions of getting some eye-tonic. The liquor vend doesn't help matters. 3/10
Service is good and prompt. They have an online menu, so you can call ahead and get your order prepared. It also helps if you want to order from home, and don't have a copy of the menu. We also tried to home delivery (had to persuade him to get delivery done at the IIT campus) which was okay.
Bottomline: Great place, but can definitely do with an eat - in option.
The Donut Factory, MGF, Gurgaon
No complicated ratings on this one. Good stuff. The doughnuts are fresh (prepared right there in front of you on an assembly line). There's a good variety of flavors and the cost is right. 70Rs/10 , 100Rs/15.
Refer to stud's blog for details.
Ideal munch
Refer to stud's blog for details.
Ideal munch
Monday, January 16, 2006
Banana Leaf, MGF, Gurgaon
Summary
Location 8
Ambiance 6
Taste 8
Value for money 9
Crowd 3
Service 6
Detailed report
Banana leaf seems to have a simple ambitions, and manages to get it right. Neat decor, Vegetarian south-Indian menu, good location and decent staff.
Located in the MGF mall in gurgaon, the location is fine as long as you don't want to visit the place on week-ends (as people with families do). Because during that time of the week, parking is a nightmare. Though one can't blame the Banana leaf guys for this, but it is something that we do factor in.
The decor is uncluttered and subtle. Generous use of quality marble, good quality furniture and generous space between the tables. None of that Sagar Ratna cramming tables in kind of a scenario. 6/10 for the effort.
The food is good. Not being a maddu myself, I compare maddu food everywhere with Sagar Ratna def col food. And i would say the food here is a 7.1 here as compared to a 7 for sagar thanks to more variety in the menu. The desserts menu is a let-down though.
We had a mixture of dosas and vadas. The onion vada is good. Malabar parantha is also a must try.
Maddu food is always great value for money. 10 people, vadas, dosas, coffee: 100 Rs (with a good tip). There are no service charges. 9/10.
If you are going to a maddu restaurant with the intentions of checking out the crowd, you need professional help you tharki. Noisy kids usually manage to draw their parents towards the Pizza Huts and Mc Donaldses. So get a quite meal. 3/10.
Service: prompt, quick. The waiter did mix up the orders, but rectified the mistake without much fuss. 6/10.
Location 8
Ambiance 6
Taste 8
Value for money 9
Crowd 3
Service 6
Detailed report
Banana leaf seems to have a simple ambitions, and manages to get it right. Neat decor, Vegetarian south-Indian menu, good location and decent staff.
Located in the MGF mall in gurgaon, the location is fine as long as you don't want to visit the place on week-ends (as people with families do). Because during that time of the week, parking is a nightmare. Though one can't blame the Banana leaf guys for this, but it is something that we do factor in.
The decor is uncluttered and subtle. Generous use of quality marble, good quality furniture and generous space between the tables. None of that Sagar Ratna cramming tables in kind of a scenario. 6/10 for the effort.
The food is good. Not being a maddu myself, I compare maddu food everywhere with Sagar Ratna def col food. And i would say the food here is a 7.1 here as compared to a 7 for sagar thanks to more variety in the menu. The desserts menu is a let-down though.
We had a mixture of dosas and vadas. The onion vada is good. Malabar parantha is also a must try.
Maddu food is always great value for money. 10 people, vadas, dosas, coffee: 100 Rs (with a good tip). There are no service charges. 9/10.
If you are going to a maddu restaurant with the intentions of checking out the crowd, you need professional help you tharki. Noisy kids usually manage to draw their parents towards the Pizza Huts and Mc Donaldses. So get a quite meal. 3/10.
Service: prompt, quick. The waiter did mix up the orders, but rectified the mistake without much fuss. 6/10.
Thursday, January 12, 2006
The Fox, First India Place, Gurgaon
Summary
We considered that bill was a bit steep for the experience, though we were either satisfied
or okay with the taste, everyone was happy with the quantity. The junta gave the following scores for various parameters:
Location 5
In gurgaon. Close to the malls, parking lot can be improved.
Ambiance 5
Dirty linen, tattered menu, not much in terms of music, good decor.
Taste 7
Value for money 4
Saved by the generous quantity. You definitely don't get what you pay for in terms of experience. This is why fine dining places rarely get it right, a customer expects a 'fine' experience. Pizza hut is finer than this place.
Crowd quality 3
Service 6
Detailed Report
Gurgaon in general suffers from a lack of places offering a "fine dining" experience. The ones that come to my mind are The Great Kabab Factory at Park Plaza Hotel,Odyssey at Sahara Mall and Chor bizarre and Baujee ka Dhaba at MGF.
Recently, some of our contributors landed at The Fox in gurgaon. It is located in the First India Place on the "Mall Road". Parking is not an issue(and is free of cost), but I would not go there on a rainy day as the parking lot is in the open and the surface has not been concreted. We went on a Saturday afternoon.
Before we talk about the contents of the menu, let me mention that the menu cards were in pathetic condition. Unclean, tattered, the pages were in a state where you could see that they had been dried after having become wet. Not a good start to a fine dining experience. Another HUGE turn-off was the dirty table mats. This is generally inexcusable, but we were too hungry to go elsewhere (there is no alternative in the immediate vicinity).
The menu itself is exhaustive and offers choices from Indian, Chinese, Continental, Italian and Mediterranean cuisines. Offering multiple cuisines seems to be catching up amongst fine dining joints in the NCR. The waiter was knowledgeable and was able to guide us through the food selection process.
The quantity of the food at The Fox is generous. We had the Vegetarian Pasta in Arrabiata Sauce (Ashwani and Saurabh found it average), Chicken and Mutton Kebabs (rated good by Abhimanyu and Ashish), Mutton Biryani (rated average) and the usual combination (rated as excellent) of Dal, Roti, Paneer and Naan that you end up ordering in the presence of Vegetarians. My diet Pepsi was cool (not cold) and there was no ice offered. No liquor was consumed.
We considered that bill was a bit steep for the experience, though we were either satisfied
or okay with the taste, everyone was happy with the quantity. The junta gave the following scores for various parameters:
Location 5 In gurgaon. Close to the malls, parking lot can be improved.
Ambiance 5 Dirty linen, tattered menu, not much in terms of music, good decor.
Taste 7
Value for money 4 saved by the generous quantity. You definitely don't get what you pay for in terms of experience. This is why fine dining places rarely get it right, a customer expects a 'fine' experience. Pizza hut is finer than this place.
Crowd quality 3
Service 6
We considered that bill was a bit steep for the experience, though we were either satisfied
or okay with the taste, everyone was happy with the quantity. The junta gave the following scores for various parameters:
Location 5
In gurgaon. Close to the malls, parking lot can be improved.
Ambiance 5
Dirty linen, tattered menu, not much in terms of music, good decor.
Taste 7
Value for money 4
Saved by the generous quantity. You definitely don't get what you pay for in terms of experience. This is why fine dining places rarely get it right, a customer expects a 'fine' experience. Pizza hut is finer than this place.
Crowd quality 3
Service 6
Detailed Report
Gurgaon in general suffers from a lack of places offering a "fine dining" experience. The ones that come to my mind are The Great Kabab Factory at Park Plaza Hotel,Odyssey at Sahara Mall and Chor bizarre and Baujee ka Dhaba at MGF.
Recently, some of our contributors landed at The Fox in gurgaon. It is located in the First India Place on the "Mall Road". Parking is not an issue(and is free of cost), but I would not go there on a rainy day as the parking lot is in the open and the surface has not been concreted. We went on a Saturday afternoon.
Before we talk about the contents of the menu, let me mention that the menu cards were in pathetic condition. Unclean, tattered, the pages were in a state where you could see that they had been dried after having become wet. Not a good start to a fine dining experience. Another HUGE turn-off was the dirty table mats. This is generally inexcusable, but we were too hungry to go elsewhere (there is no alternative in the immediate vicinity).
The menu itself is exhaustive and offers choices from Indian, Chinese, Continental, Italian and Mediterranean cuisines. Offering multiple cuisines seems to be catching up amongst fine dining joints in the NCR. The waiter was knowledgeable and was able to guide us through the food selection process.
The quantity of the food at The Fox is generous. We had the Vegetarian Pasta in Arrabiata Sauce (Ashwani and Saurabh found it average), Chicken and Mutton Kebabs (rated good by Abhimanyu and Ashish), Mutton Biryani (rated average) and the usual combination (rated as excellent) of Dal, Roti, Paneer and Naan that you end up ordering in the presence of Vegetarians. My diet Pepsi was cool (not cold) and there was no ice offered. No liquor was consumed.
We considered that bill was a bit steep for the experience, though we were either satisfied
or okay with the taste, everyone was happy with the quantity. The junta gave the following scores for various parameters:
Location 5 In gurgaon. Close to the malls, parking lot can be improved.
Ambiance 5 Dirty linen, tattered menu, not much in terms of music, good decor.
Taste 7
Value for money 4 saved by the generous quantity. You definitely don't get what you pay for in terms of experience. This is why fine dining places rarely get it right, a customer expects a 'fine' experience. Pizza hut is finer than this place.
Crowd quality 3
Service 6
Introduction
The purpose of this blog is to present an honest opinion (read I paid my bill so this review is not biased because they gave me a free meal) of various restaurants, dhabas, cafes and street food joints that I (and my friends) have visited in Delhi.
Though the focus may appear to be on South Delhi and surrounding areas, it is thus only because we spent last 5 years in IIT Delhi, where the pathetic mess food frequently sent us looking for alternatives.
The places have been rated on the following criteria on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the best achievable score.
Location, Ambiance, Taste, Value for money, Crowd quality and Service.
Though the focus may appear to be on South Delhi and surrounding areas, it is thus only because we spent last 5 years in IIT Delhi, where the pathetic mess food frequently sent us looking for alternatives.
The places have been rated on the following criteria on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the best achievable score.
Location, Ambiance, Taste, Value for money, Crowd quality and Service.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)