Hotel Saravana Bhavan, Mylapore - Service Sucks!

Here is the summary of a complaint on the poor service @ this outlet that I had sent to feedback@hotelsaravanabhavan.com

I had been to mylapore outlet with my family yesterday to enjoy some breakfast.  On the ground floor (non-a/c) a third of the tables were marked - no service.  I asked 3 of your staff (the ones with ties) who take orders to find us a table...instead of helping us find a table...they sent us to another person (order taking person)  in a different section.

I was asked to go to the a/c section.  When I asked for your manager, i was told that the manager would come only @ 9.30 am.

I met one of the safari suit clad guys...sitting next to your cash counter (just outside your cash counter) and told him your staff were not willing to find us a table.  He just said go to the a/c section.I asked him if you folks have grown so big that you do not care if customers walk out....and he replied...we are not asking you to go out...go to the a/c section if u want to eat.

Your service is too bad...I shall not visit this outlet again and would certainly ensure no one I know goes here either.  

Their prompt response in a day's time - 

Dear  Sir,          As  per  the  complaint  stated  by  you, We  have  enquired  with  our        Branch  Manager  there  &  also  warned  &  instructed  the  service        Staff   there  to  properly  respond  to  Our  Customer  while  asking  for.        Prevailing  Service  levels  will  be  tuned  &  get  corrected  shortly.        We  feel  Sorry  for  the  Happenings.                                              Thanking  You.  With  Kind  Regards,  HOTEL  SARAVANA BHAVAN.   Reco - I may venture there again to see if anything has improved....will update on how things pan out!

Eco Cafe, Anokhi, Chamiers Road

It is attached to Anokhi on Chamiers Road.  It is has a closed section as well as an al-fresco area.  Anokhi sells clothes and other off beat stuff that may interest the society ladies (and guys).

Food - Limited menu..typically short eats, coffee, juices and shakes, sandwiches and pasta and a few baked desserts available at the counter.  We had been there around 5.30 and settled for a cappuccino a chocolate & banana shake and a potato basket.  The potato basket had 2 hash browns and a few wedges and fries...not a big basket really!  It was served with some tomato sauce.  Nothing great.  The cofffee was good and I understand that the milk shake was good too.

Ambiance and Approach - It is a relatively old building on Chamiers Road with dim lighting and comfortable seating.  Ideal setting for a coffee shop where you want to have a quite cuppa or go with a few friends to catch up after a long time.
The place has parking for around 10 cars.  And yes they have a valet service as well.  This place is strictly for those with cars / bikes and not for those commuting in buses and trains although it is but a stone's throw from the Adyar Gate bus stand.

Service - Lazy....this is how I can describe it....goes well with the relaxed setting...I guess you should not be in a hurry if you go here....It takes ages to take the order, serve it, get your cutlery and so on - I guess it goes with the 'theme' and 'target audience'. 

Cost - Cost for the above came to INR 500/- Its an expensive joint.

Summary - Food -  Acceptable; Ambiance - Relaxing; Parking etc - valet service available; Service - Do not go there if you are in a hurry - Lazy; Cost - Expensive.

Reco - I'd go there again when I want to relax over a cuppa....but not to catch a quick bite.

iD, Satyam Cinemas, Royapetta

It is attached to Sathyam Cinemas and serves vegetarian fare.  Ideal place for breakfast before a Sunday movie or a quick bite before or after a movie.  The restaurant is open from around 11 on weekdays and from around 8.30 on weekends.  Btw...iD stands for idli & dosa

Food - South Indian tiffin varieties.  Limited menu - but a range of products available.  Limited number of fresh juices, coffee and tea are available.  A variety of dosas, vadais, idlis and other South Indian stuff are available.  Three chutnies are served at the table with sambar even before you order.  These are coconut, onion and tomato and coriander and coconut chutnies.  All are fresh at any time of the day and delicious.  The sambar is made with shallots and is served hot and is good too.

I had a masala dosa - crispy with good masala (potato based) filling.  Aapam is served with either kurma or coconut milk and I generally prefer the latter to satisfy my sweet tooth.  The pongal was good with the right amount of pepper and cooked to perfection,,,garnished with cashew nuts and crispy fried curry leaves.

Ambiance and Approach - Seating other than at the corners where sofa seats are available are a bit inconvenient due to chairs with wheels.  However, the ambience is 'decent' - nothing to complain about...well lit and can seat around 60 pax with around 10 sitting over the bar type open kitchen at the center.  Warning - if you've parked your car and plan to see a flick, you may either be stranded due to the folks in the vehicle ahead of you going to iD or you may keep others waiting if you go for a bit after the film.  This despite there being ample parking in the cinema complex.

Service - Limited staff and hence service is slow.  However, the staff are pleasant.  However, if you have only 10 minutes for a movie to commence and want to have a quick bite....it would probably take you past the first few scenes and opening credits.

Cost - Cost for 2 masala dosas, 1 aapam and 1 pongal came to INR 240/-. A tad on the costlier side.

Summary - Food - Great; Ambiance - Acceptable; Approach - beware of car parking woes; Service - Acceptable; Cost - A bit expensive.

Reco - I would certainly continue to frequent this place when I go for a movie @ Satyam.  The food is great.

Kajha Biriyani, Vaniyambadi - near bus stop

This is essentially a non-vegetarian, South Indian restaurant located a stones throw from the Vaniyambadi bus stop.  The biriyani at Vaniyambadi is popular and I did not know which restaurant to source it from.  I started making inquiries at Krishnagiri and also again while approaching Vaniyambadi and was directed to this one.  It may be around 2 km off the Chennai - Bangalore highway (NH-46)
Food - The biriyani is made with long grain rice and is quite good.  The mutton is cooked well and falls off the bone.  It is accompanied by a onion raitha and a brinjal based gravy, both of which go well with the biriyani.   There is ample meat in the biriyani and if you are not hungry, might find it difficult to finish the pieces of meat.  The only minus was that there were a few small bone fragments that you need to capture and do away with before gorging into the biriyani.
Ambiance - Basic, non air-conditioned.  I had in any case done a take away and did not eat there.  However, I presume the place would be quite hot in summer.  Parking a car around the restaurant would be challenging though not impossible.
Service - Fast - you come in, are seated, place your order...food is packed and served!
Cost - @ Rs.85/- per plate of mutton biriyani, it is reasonable.
Summary - Food - Good, Ambiance - Basic, Service - Acceptable, Cost - Reasonable.
Reco - I will definitely go there again when I drive thru this stretch of highway.  It is certainly better than the more popular Ambur Star Biriyani and I do not think it is related to the Kajha Biriyani in Ambur.  Certainly worth a detour!

Hard Rock Cafe, St. Mary's Road

HRC Bangalore (or HRC Bengalooru as it is now called), is located off MG Road, off Church St., in a heritage building.

Food (&Drinks) - the Caiproska - a vodka based drink with lime, sugar and mint was quite good - a favorite of mine.  The Mojito (similar to caiproska but has white rum instead of vodka) was also quite good.  The chicken kebab did not seem to be a kebab - not a tandoori kebab..but was quite tasty and the mint chutney accompanying it was good.  The potato skins with beacon was also good, potato skins, with a bit of the body scooped out and stuffed with beacon and cheese and baked..however one potato was a bit under done and a tad raw.

Service - Its a pain getting a table around the bar section..however managed to get it...service is a bit laid back...there are a number of waiters..who display a lot of energy...but are mostly not around tables...however, they serve with a smile.

Ambiance - Has three sections, the bar, the restaurant and the outdoor - for smokers....the former two are typical HRC with a lot of music memorabilia displayed.  The music system seems to have been replaced - certainly sounded a lot better than last time.  They do have free valet parking.

Cost - A pint of KF draft was around ₹190/-, the cocktails come at around ₹360/-.  The kebab had six pieces and was around ₹350/- and the 4 pieces in the potato dish around ₹250/-.  A bit on the higher side..but in line with similar restaurants / pubs.  10% service charges are extra!

Summary - Food - Average, Drinks - Good, Ambiance - Good, Service - Can improve, Cost - Appropriate.

Reco - I'll go there again!

Terminology - ₹ - Symbol for Indian Rupee

Coconut Grove, Church Street

This is a semi alfresco restaurant serving Kerala cuisine.  Liquor is served.
Food - The crab fry a dry preparation with fresh grated coconut and red chili was spicy and tasted good.  There were three crab bodies on offer and a couple of claws.  A good starter.  The aapams were a bit sour...they usually add a pinch of sugar to compensate for the sourness..but this was missing...it was served hot and fresh nonetheless.  The fish molly a mildly spiced stew with fried fish pieces was awesome.  The fish curry was a let down....nothing to write home about - the gravy was predominantly chili chili and chili and turmeric..seemed a bit raw (the spices). (Both the fish dishes were prepared with Seer Fish.)
Service - Service was largely prompt but there is scope for improvement.
Ambiance - Basic furnishing, has an open air area and a covered non air-conditioned area as well.  I did not notice any valet...so you may have to try hard to park in and around Church St....especially during a busy evening or lunch time on week days.  However, it is very close to the MG Road Metro station.
Cost - Quite steep - probably a bit more than similar restaurants on Church St., They do not fleece you additionally towards service charges.  A bottle of KF beer is around ₹190/- and a 60ml bacardi comes at around ₹290/-.  A plate of aapam is around ₹80/- for two pieces.  The gravies cost close to ₹400/- each and the crab dish around ₹450/-.
Summary - Food - Good, Service - Acceptable, Ambiance - not bad, Cost - a bit expensive.
Reco - I'll go there again..not any time soon..and will avoid the fish curry.
Terminology - Aapam - 'hoppers' - a pancake made with fermented rice flour - a staple of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka.

Eden Park (near Indian Express)

This place is known for its Andhra Meals and we had gone there for lunch. 

Food - Ghee, gonkura, a pickle, salt and podi are all available on the table.  There is a rasam, a sambar, curds and a watery butter milk served in cups (you can get extras of these except curds).  The rasam and sambar were good.  The gonkura chutney was fresh and hot (spicy).  The podi was also good.

Yellow dal, a spicy masala based gravy and a veg dry accompaniment are served at the table.  The dal was a bit too bland.  The gravy was great and had pieces of vadai (fried lentil balls) - it was spiced with cinnamon and saunf.  The veg accompaniment - a ladies finger (okra) and black channa dal (chic pea) based one fried with onions and topped with shreded coconut - a tad oily, was good.

The rice was grainy and hot.

The meals is served on plantain leaves.  They serve non vegetarian dishes as well, but we had not ordered any.

Ambiance - There is a garden alfresco area that is open in the evenings.  Lunch is in an old building.  No air conditioning was in place, however the weather was pleasant and we did not find this an inconvenience.  The interiors are basic with tables and chairs.

Parking should not be a problem with the restaurant folks illegally cordoning off a portion of public space outside their restaurant for parking.

Service - a bit slow.

Cost - Rs.100/- per meal.

Experience - Food - good, Ambiance - do not go there expecting one, Cost - worth it, Service - needs improvement - but may never improve.

Reco - I'll go there every once in a while.

Terms - Podi - refers to parupu podi (Tamil) dried pulses with red chili and other spices either finely or coarsely ground

           - gonkura - a sour leafy vegetable - used predominantly to make a chutney with dried red chili

Angeethi, Museum Inn

The restaurant is attached to Museum Inn on Museum Road and is quite a popular one.  It is a roof top alfresco restaurant.  It serves predominantly North Indian cuisine and is part of the BJN group of restaurants.  I had gone there for a Friday lunch buffet.

Food - There were a host of items, including a chat counter - which I avoided as I was there for lunch.  There were a host of vegetarian and non-veg dishes.  The spinach soup was served at the table and was great a slightly creamy soup.  The veg biriyani and the mutton biriyani were really good.  The meat in the mutton biriyani was cooked to perfection.  It was the typical layered North Indian style of biriyani and not the South Indian or Hyderabadi style. 

The prawn gravy a curry type dish was not bad - but nothing to write home about.  There were a host of veg gravies that I did not end up tasting.  A veg sheek kebab and the chicken tikka were good. 

A variety of Indian breads (tandoor cooked) were served at the table. 

There were a host of salads - nothing great - and curd rice on offer at the buffet.

The carrot halwa was good and the rasa malai was awesome - fresh and not too sweet.

There was a counter that dished out gola (shaved ice with a choice of syrups) - something that you usually do not find in restaurants - I loved it.  There was also a choice of ice creams.

There is a paan counter - you could order your pan and pay for it.

Ambiance - The place was packed and additional tables seemed to have been added to make the most of the popularity of the place on a Friday afternoon.  There was hardly any place to walk.  The tandoor was spewing smoke on a third of the tables. 

Valet parking is available (its a short walk from the MG Road metro station).

Service - We were seated promptly since we had booked a table.  But service was unable to keep up with the crowd - serving the soups and bread at the tables and filling the fast emptying food counters.  It was slow.

Cost - @ 400 per person it seemed worth it for the food if not anything else....the paan in the paan counter are expensive.

Summary - Food - great; Ambiance - poor; Service - poor; Cost - acceptable.

Reco - I would like to go there, perhaps not on a Friday when I expect it to be a little less crowded.

Italia, 100 Ft Road

Located in one of the prime top end business centers in Bangalore there were hardly anybody around.  This place is supposed to dish out Italian Vegetarian food.  We had gone for a friend's (vegetarian) birthday treat on a Monday morning - this place had a reputation and we went there expecting a good experience.

Food - The starters consisted of a couple of a stir fried vegetable and deep fried battered baby corn, though not Italian, were both good.  The corn and cheese balls - again fried, were also good.  The bruschetta was good but the garlic bread was a bit dry.  The cream of veg soup with some basil thrown in was quite good, though we had to send it back to be re-heated as it was luke warm.

The main course consisted of 3 pizzas - artichoke and olives; tomato onion and a green capsicum (bell pepper) based one.  All the pizzas were good, thin crusted.  There was also a couple of  varieties of pasta - lasagna and spaghetti in both white and tomato based sauce - not bad.

There was also a veg fried rice - (the Indonesian or Malaysian nasi goreng type) and a veg noodles - no Chinese gravy to accompany.  I had a bit of the rice which was not bad - but how on earth did these dishes find a place on an Italian buffet menu?

The desserts were a big let down - a blue berry cheese cake - did not look too good to risk a tasting and fruits on jelly - more jelly than fruits.  I ended up ordering a tiramisu - again a let down - not much of a coffee flavor.

Now the kicker - Most of the items - the soup, starters and main course were served at the table.  If you did dare to go to the counter to help yourself, most of the counters were either half empty or totally empty!!

Service - pretty laid back.

Ambiance - Simple interiors but quite good with a sub ground level, a ground level and a mezzanine level. Can not comment on the parking as I went by auto.

Cost - Rs.375/- per plate - pretty expensive given the experience (service and lack of food in the counters and lack of desserts).

Summary - Average food, nice location and setting, poor service, bad experience.

Reco - I will not go there again.

Terminology - Lasagna - Long ribbon shaped pasta

Mainland China

I went for the lunch buffet on a Saturday.  I have been here over weekends and have found it difficult to find a place...now it was not that difficult..perhaps the quality had come down or there were more options or perhaps, people just were not spending.  Cuisine is, of course, Chinese.
Food - Starters and soup are served at the table.  The chicken clear soup had a funny smell and no taste.  There were two veg and two non veg starters.  There was veg dumplings and fried veg wontons and there was a stir fried veg and chicken and chicken dumplings. Both the dumplings were good, especially with the accompaniment of the spinach based sauce.  The stir fried veg and chicken was more veg than chicken and the dough was undercooked and raw.
The main course had a prawn fried rice which was good and a sichuan chicken noodles that hardly had chicken, but was tasty all the same.  The crab gravy was good but difficult to eat as it was only the halved bodies of the crabs without the proper implements to eat them with.  The prawn / basil gravy was good, though a tad salty.
I did not try the fish or chicken gravies on offer.  The veg fried rice was not bad but the veg hakka noodles was too bland.  The stir fried vegetables in a brown gravy was repulsive.  I did not try a couple of other veg dishes.
The salad counter had a five salads including a non-veg one and all were quite good.  The dessert counter had a mousse, a couple of cakes and a brownie (which was good) and a choice of cut fruits (good once again) and a choice of 4 ice creams with hot chocolate sauce, nuts and butter scotch to top.
You get a welcome drink or a pint of fosters with the buffet.
Chinese green tea is served at the table for no additional cost.
Service - Was prompt.
Ambiance - Pleasant, air conditioned, spacious.  They have valet parking.
Price - Rs.696.50/- per person.  Costly!!
Summary - Average food; satisfactory service; good ambiance; expensive!
Reco - May not go there in the near future.

Nandhini Deluxe

This is the one on ESI Hospital Road and not the one next to the Domlur Flyover.

For starters, the restaurant has shifted to the next building and the building in which this restaurant was located now strangely has Bhagini (another multi cuisine Andhra restaurant).

Food - I had a full meals and some guntur chicken.  The rice was hot and there was ghee on offer.  You have 'gonkura chutney', 'avvakai mango pickle', salt and the lentil mix at the table.  There was a chutney (onion based) which was very sour.  The sambar was sour and did not stand out.  There was yellow dal - which was also slightly sour.  I did not risk trying the rasam as I felt that would be an explosion of sourness too. 

The vegetable sides was a potato dish that had some onion and was pepper based.  It was actually a nothing dish.

The meals also had the usual curds and butter milk.  Fried salted dry chili (Mor Molaga in Tamil) was served at the table - which was good.

The guntur chicken was a semi dry preparation that was wonderfully spicy and aromatic - not too hot, the sad part was the chicken was under cooked.

The carrot 65 was a batter fried sliced carrot - also sour - was again a nothing dish.

Service - very poor...had to wait for the rice, they almost forgot the carrot 65....had to ask at least thrice before the second rounds of the lentils, the chutney and the vegetables.

Ambiance - basic, air conditioned - but was probably switched off as I felt it was warmer inside the restaurant than outside.

Damages - Full Meals - Rs.96/-, Guntur Chicken - Rs.135/-, Mutton Biriyani - Rs.130/-, Veg Biriyani - Rs.95/-, Carrot 65 - Rs.90/-. (I have commented on only those items that I tasted).

Summary - Food - Ordinary, Service - Poor, Ambiance - Nothing, Cost - Reasonable (matches quality of food / service / ambiance).

Reco - I will not go there again in the near future!!

Terminology - Yellow Dal (lentil - Tur dal - pigeon pea)

AM BACK

Sorry folks...for the long absence...just did not get to blogging...guess it was the facebook effect...now that FB effct is wearing down...u should see new posts regularly!

Kamat Upachar, Kamanadoddi, NH-7

I happened to go here on day when it had rained earlier.  I was at the restaurant at around 6.30ish in the evening.  The restaurant was infested with flying ants in sizes varying from half a centimeter to a bit larger than an inch - probably out to mate.  There were a few people who were eating despite this annoyance.

I, though, made a quick getaway.  It may be noted that the people working there were not making any attempt to clear the tables or the floors of these insects.

On a later occasion, on a sunny day, I had been there for a quick bite.  I ordered a plate of idli and vadai.  Both were not hot and barely warm.  With such poor quality and trying to capitalize on their otherwise good brand name in Bangalore, I doubt this restaurant with last long.

Reco-I will certainly not go there in the near future, rain or no rain!! Avoidable!!

Nova Kitchen, MBK

In a recent visit to Bangkok, while shopping @ MBK, stopped at a small eatery that could seat around 40 pax for a quick lunch.  The eatery serves traditional Thai and South East Asian cuisine.

The fish porridge was excellent, hot, mildly flavored, chunks of fresh salt water fish and in a rice broth.  The Mamuang which my partner ordered was also quite tasty and served with rice.  It is a spicy, garlic based semi dry chicken preparation.

The quantity of the food served, especially the porridge was substantial.

The above dishes with iced lemon tea and a pint of Singha beer cost us THB 430/- Worth it.

Reco - I'll probably go there again when I shop @ MBK.

Eatery@Star Bazaar, Koramangala

The eatery is tucked in a small area under the escalators and serves a number of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes, a salad bar and a host of bakes.

There is no place to sit and portions are weighed.  A little more than a dozen pax can stand and eat around this place.  The place is pretty warm as the open / live kitchen is also present there - not an inconvenience if you are doing a take-away.

For

+ Good food – the Methi chicken – a gravy dish is simply awesome.  Not very spicy (hot) and very flavorful.  The veg biriyani was also extremely flavorful and tasty.  Food is prepared fresh and is served / packed hot.

+ Convenience – The place is apt as a takeaway after you are done with your shopping to pack stuff for lunch or supper if you have not yet cooked at home.

+ Portions – as I had mentioned earlier, you are charged by weight and there are sufficient pieces of meat in non-veg dishes.

+ Reasonable pricing.

Against

- Slow billing – the staff are pretty slow, seem untrained and there is only one operational cash counter.

- Food can be better – the mushroom / peas curry – a red, spicy gravy was not tasty, although it was not bad.  The vegetables are not finely chopped in most cases – in order to save time and concentrate on volumes.

Quarter kg of the mushroom and the chicken dish and around 400 gms of veg biriyani cost around INR 190/-

Reco – Definitely a convenient place to pack tasty food if you have not prepared much @ home.

Rajdhani, Forum Value Mall, Whitefield

It is located in an air-conditioned and exclusive area within Transit that can seat around 100 pax.  Place serves vegetarian Rajasthani cuisine and no liquor.

For

+ Good / uncomplicated Rajasthani Thali – Almost all the items on offer are tasty.  The stand out item was the bitter gourd dry side dish and the rice dokla.

+ Good variety – You get

>3 chaat items, including rice doklas, served with mint and tamarind sauces and a veg salad

>3 varieties of bread (rotis)

>3 types of lentil (dal) including kadi

>3 other side dishes (2 gravies and 1 dry)

>butter and jaggery

>butter milk

>plain rice, ghee, kichidi and curd rice

>pickles, fried chili and onions

>a choice of 3 sweets – srikand, a milk sweet - basundi types and a halwa - moong dal halwa – of which one can be taken.

+ Good quantity – but for the sweets that is limited, all other items are served in unlimited quantities.  (1 ltr bottle of bisleri water is given free for each table)

+ Reasonable Pricing - @ INR 200 per plate, the pricing is reasonable

+ Excellent Service – You have a senior waiter attending to around 6 guests.  You just have to ask and any item reaches your table in an instant.  In many cases the items are refilled even without your asking for it.  When you are seated and finished, you can wash your hands in warm flowing water brought to you by a waiter in a jug and a container to collect the dirty water.

Against (nothing much)

- The kichdi had some sago in it making it a touch jelly like – not the best I’ve had.

- The food is predominantly bland – but that is how this type of food should be – actually not complaints on this front.

- The moong dal halwa was a bit dry.

Cost per plate is INR 200/-

Reco – If you like vegetarian fare, this place is a must visit.  The food is way better than most thalis (meal plates) and buffets available in town.  

Eden Park Restaurant, 1, Cunningham Road

This place is tucked beside the Indian Express and Hindu offices in the Cantonment Area - off Infantry road and not on the 'main' part of Cunningham Road.  This is a part garden restaurant and part indoors.  The place can seat easily seat around 200 pax between the indoor and outdoor areas.  There are both air conditioned and non air conditioned sections that can easily accommodate around 50 pax each. 

There is a play area for kids with some computer games.  They serve alcohol.  They serve Andhra cuisine.

For

+ Good Food – the meals was really tasty and so was the fish fry (seer fish slice marinated in chili, salt, ginger and garlic and fried).  There is lentil powder (parupu podi) and ghee (clarified butter) at the table which go very well with hot rice.

+ Pleasant service

Against

- Painful parking – you need to park in the busy infantry road, queens road area.

- More variety of curries and gravies could have been included in the meals.

- Expensive - @ INR 80/- per meals it is pretty expensive.

- The ghee was not of the best quality.

2 meals + 1 fish fry cost close to INR 300/-

Reco – I do not mind going there again.  Not the best of places for Andhra cuisine, but certainly a good place.

Kamat Upachar, Kamanadoddi, NH-7

This is a relatively new restaurant from the Bangalore based Kamat group. It is attached to a Reliance Petroleum outlet. Since Reliance Petroleum outlets do not have as much business as normal ones and this eatery is yet to install its signage on the highway, the crowd was sparse.

I’m sure, given the shortage of restaurants in this stretch and the brand name of the group would ensure more footfalls.

It is not air-conditioned, has ample parking and can seat around 100 + pax. Liquor is not served.

Going For

 + Tasty Masala Dosa – It is the typical Bangalore Masala dosa which has a smattering of chili powder on one side (This is a powder made with red chili, some pulses and at times spiced with a touch of coriander seeds and / or garlic).

 + Ample Parking

 + Adequate seating

 + Prompt service (It had better be, considering only a handful of customers were present.)

Not Going For

 - Limited menu – I would blame this on the fact that this unit is only starting out now.

 - Specialties of the group, being based out of Karnataka, such as Kadubu are missing in the menu.

 - Cold Vada – This could certainly have been avoided.

2 Masala Dosas + 1 Idli Vada + 1 coffee came to around INR 110/-.

Reco – I sure do expect all the negatives, such as the cold vada, the limited menu and the lack of specialty dishes to improve. I’ll definitely visit this place again.

Gloria Jean's Coffee, St. Mark's Road

This is a popular coffee shop chain to which I had been in Australia. There is an outlet on St.Mark’s Road, opposite Bishop Cotton school. The outlet can seat around 40 -50 pax, is air-conditioned and overlooks the road.

The menu is a typical list of different cold and hot coffees, some teas and other hot and cold beverages, sweet and other bakes and some Indian short eats such as samosas.

Going For

 + The coffee – the espresso was quite good – much better than what you get at Coffee Day, as good as what you get at Barista. The cappuccino was good too.

 + The large espresso costs as much as a small shot – which is never the case in either CCD or Barista.

 + Pleasant service

 + Comfortable seating (quite a bit of sofas and couches), although a bit cramped.

 + Credit Cards are accepted – I am specifically mentioning this as a factor going for, since recently I had a tight squeeze at some CCD outlets and McDonald’s.

Not Going For

 - No Wi-fi connectivity

 - Parking may be a problem – if you have a four wheeler since the building may not have adequate parking on weekdays, being a commercial complex. The parking on the road too is not very adequate during peak hours.

 - Apple Pie – Taste was not bad. Had too much of dried grapes (kishmish). The sad part was the stem of the grapes was not removed in some of them. There was too much of powdered sugar on top and the pie just did not come off well onto the fork. The portion was quite good, I should add.

The two coffees and the pie came to around INR 170/-, pretty much in line with Barista.

Reco – Go there for the coffee.

Pelita Nasi Kandar, Thyagaraya Road, T Nagar

PNK serves Malaysian cuisine – which has influences of Malay, Indian and Chinese cuisines. The restaurant can seat in excess of 125 pax, is air-conditioned and seating is across two levels – ground and mezzanine. Liquor is not served as is the case with most stand alone restaurants in Tamil Nadu.

Parking is not available at the restaurant, but sufficient parking facility is available on the road outside.

Going For

 + Excellent Food – The Sotong Goering (Fried squid), and the two meal combos that we ordered – the Fish and the Quail – were both tasty. The meals come with a portion of rice (may not be sufficient if you are very hungry), a gravy of the selected meat, 2 vegetarian dry dishes and a papad. Both the gravy dishes were Tamil Nadu (Chettinad) cuisine influenced.

 + Live Kitchen – while the seating is not any different from any other restaurant, one side of the restaurant is a live kitchen - it is always nice to watch the food being prepared fresh.

 + Menu – The menu is quite exhaustive with a number of dishes of the three main types of cuisine available in Malaysia – right from starters to desserts.

Not Going For

 - Service – Service is a bit slow. Although there are a number of waiters and persons taking orders, the service is quite slow.

 - Noisy – The restaurant is very noisy – like some of the large coffee shops found near colleges.

The three dishes mentioned above cost around INR 350/-. The Fresh lime soda was expensive @ INR 35/- and bottled water is sold at double the list price.

Reco – Must visit. I will certainly go back and try another set of dishes.

McDonald's, India Grage Petrol Bunk, Kasturba Road

No I am not reviewing the food @ Mac's.  This is a 'fast' post for this fast food joint!

-It is the service - I had ordered 2 burgers - a Fillet o Fish and a Chicken Maha Mac.  The time was around 5.45 in the evening on a Friday.  There was not much of a crowd either at the counter or seated, ahving palced orders.  It took at least 5 minutes for the burgers to get delivered at the counter - pretty trady given their reputation of serving up in a minute or so!!

-The other thing is if you are not carrying cash, do not go to McD.  They do not accept cards.

The burgers that cost around INR 130/- were good!

Bananaa Leaf, TTK Road

Yes, the name of the place is spelt bananaa with 2 ‘a’s. The place is air conditioned and serves Chettinad cuisine. The restaurant is located in a house and hence the seating is quite unlike other restaurants and is split across a number of rooms. The place probably seats around 75 pax. I think beer is available in the sly, not sure.

Going For

+Parking – One may park around 4-5 cars outside the restaurant, else you can leave it with the valet.

+ Timings – It opens at 7am and remains open through the day. There is a different menu for breakfast, lunch, post lunch and dinner. I happened to go there for lunch.

+ The meals was a typical South Indian spread and both vegetarian and non vegetarian thalis cost INR 125/-. There are gravies of chicken, mutton and fish with the chicken and fish gravies having a small piece of meat in them. The entire spread with the veg dry curries, the sambar, the rasam and the works is quite filling and quite tasty.

+ Karuveppilai Kozhi – this dry chicken fry is spiced with red chili and fried with curry leaves leaving a wonderful flavor of the curry leaves on the meat.

Not Going For
- Lax / slow service
- The rice was not served piping hot as was expected.
2 meals + 1 portion of the chicken dish cost around INR 430/-.
Reco – Worth a visit.

The Spirit Lounge, HAL Airport Road

This joint is diagonally opposite Total Kemp Fort on HAL Airport Road.  Although, the place claims to be a multi cuisine restaurant, it is essentially a bar and the cuisine is predominently Andhra cuisine.

There are air conditioned and non air conditioned sections.  I happened to go to the air conditioned portion.  The air conditioning, though on, was not very effective.  The place can seat around 70 pax, is dimly lit and probably doubles as a dance bar on special occasions (but then again, maybe not).

Going For

+ Nellore Chilly Chicken - spicy chili chicken - similar to chicken 65 - chili coated fried chicken.

+ Mushroom 2009 - green chili and mushroom fried.

Not Going For

- Service - the hapless waiter was conversant with Telugu only (I hope), he did not know either Kannada or English or Hindi.

- EggChilly - batter fried boiled eggs - quite a mess.

- Ambience - a dark and dingy booze joint!  I should mention that even @ 6.15pm, when I was there there were some guests in the table next to mine who were served a portion of biriyani!

30 ml Teacher's 50 costs INR 210 and 30 ml of Bacardi INR 110.  A beer costs INR 110/- for a bottle. Non - veg dishes (dry or starters) cost around INR 110 and vegetarian ones cost around INR 70/-.  A masala peanut cost INR 35/-.

Reco - Not recommended for ladies - either by themselves or escorted by gents.  Given the price, there are other shady joints one can go to for a quick gulp of hard liquor or for a quick swig of beer!

Serengeti, Total Mall, Madiwala

This restaurant is located on the top floor of Total Mall along with a pubm(Zanzibar), belonging to the same group.  There was sufficient parking when I went, but doubt if place would be availabe during weekends when there is more footfalls in the mall.

This is a theme restaurant, as the name suggests, sports an African theme.  The false ceiling is covered with dense plastic leaves, the pillars are covered by tree trunks and there are birds, monkeys, squirrels and other animals all over the place.  There is also an artificial rain fall in the middle of the restaurant, and the waiters are dressed up like forest officers - in khaki.

The place can seat around 100 pax and serves 'Awadhi' cuisine - cuisine of the Moguls where food is more often than not slow cooked over a light flame and in 'Dum' style - by encapsulating the smell and flavour of the meat and the spices.

Going For

+ The Theme - very refreshing and different, worth a visit.

+ The welcome - you are welcomed pleasantly and seated without having to wait for too long.

Not Going For

- The music - this forest themed restaurant plays old Hindi film songs.

- The music system - the Hindi film songs are not well heard, and on top of it you keep hearing the loud beats emanating from Zanzibar.

- The service - very laid back

- The food - the Raan - E - Sikandari - was a leg of mutton which was supposed to be slow cooked.  But was smeared in Tandoori Chicken masala and was not done very well - the meat was not very soft.  The Awadhi Ghost - a spicy (flavourful with Awadhi masala) gravy - was very ordinary.

A pitcher of draught costs INR 475/- and a mug INR 150/-.  Cocktails cost around INR 350/-.  The Rann, the Awadhi Ghost, 5 Tandoori Rotis and a Dal cost around INR1100/-.

Reco - Can go to experience the new ambience and theme, that's about it!

Prego, Taj Coromandel, Nungambakkam

Prego is an Italian restaurant in the 5 star hotel. It is located at the basement level, can seat around 60 pax. The interiors are not too bright, nor too dark, the ambiance is quite good as would be expected of a restaurant in a star hotel.

Going For

+ Tasty food - Veg Broth (Minestrone soup) - served hot and as good as a minestrone soup gets. The spaghetti scampi (with some squid ink spaghetti along with the normal white spaghetti and scallops), the risotto scampi (prawn risotto) and the tenderloin tartare were all tasty.

+ Pleasant service

+ Good ambiance - as mentioned earlier.

+ The passion fruit cocktail (with white liquor) was quite good.

Not Going For

- Very few prawns in the risotto - 4 nos. - considering the dish costs INR 700/-.

- The tartare, while tasty could have been a bit more acidic / lemony. It was a bit too bland.

- Lazy service - certainly could have been better for a star hotel!

- Limited menu - The menu is very limited and I do not remember seeing any Pizzas in an Italian restaurant.

- Badly arranged menu - The menu is not very well arranged either by way of meats or by way of types of dishes or by way of starters and main courses.

The aforementioned 4 dishes cost around INR 2600/- fair for a 5 star hotel. The cocktail came to around INR 375/-. Scotch was costly as expected with a 30ml of Teachers highland cream costing around INR 400/-.

Reco - Not bad. May not be worth it!