In a nutshell
High investment in interiors, high decibel initial marketing, created the right buzz but not wow (not bad as well) when it comes to food.
Address & other details: ann censored
Meal for 2: 1000 onwards
Cuisine type : vegetarian & nonvegetarian
Disclaimer: All restaurants / eateries reviewed by YUMMRAJ were visited by YUMMRAJ himself & he has paid for the full Bill & tips also. http://www.yummraj.com does not have even one featured / sponsored reviews. YUMMRAJ believes in going to a restaurant in anonymity, as a normal guest, experience everything & give a honest account of the same to you.
I rate all the food items & then give a final overall rating which is a simple average of the individual item ratings. What the ratings stand for: 5 = Excellent, 4 = Very Good, 3 = Good, 2 = Fair, 1 = Disaster.
Short Description – in case u r in a hurry:
The girl at the counter was busy on phone, expressionless as we entered, as if we were transparent!!!! 10 minutes after entering & getting seated, no one turned up. Then someone came to ask ‘hv u placed ordered’. Funny people I wud say.
The gentleman who started serving us after this was excellent and he took very good care. He apologized several times (we stared getting embarrassed beyond a point) for one bad dish. He also gave a 10% discount which we did not ask for.
Without knowing what the reality is, my perception is that this place is run by an investor who is not into food, who had hired a good agency to create the concept, the name etc and another good agar cry to do great PR. The owners do not seem to be having a day to day involvement in the affairs and the systems and processes do not seem to b strong enough. Anyway, none of my business, as long as all is good.
After main course was over, no one came to ask for dessert. We kept sitting and then finally asked for the menu card for dessert.
Detailed Description – In case u have the time to NJOY reading:
Tawa braised masala pork with bbq pineapple glaze and apple salad. The pork was old and smelly due to prolonged refrigeration. We sent it back and were told ‘it is pork fat smell’ as if we were eating pork for the first time.
I said pls take it back – I will pay for it. The server said they will cancel the dish. Rate it 0/5 as it was inedible and not fit for human consumption. They did not charge for it and also forcefully gave a cheesecake as compensation.
Scottish kedgeree – early 1990s kichadi done in a Scottish way with tandoori salmon. Felt like eating a risotto – nice creamy texture. Salmon chunks were in abundance. They were flaky, juicy, flavourful and YUMM. Use of nigella seeds gave it a nice twist. Rate 4.5/5
Pork belly vindaloo and sticky rice cooked in coconut milk. The vindaloo was a sophisticated city take on original, rustic and robust vindaloo. It was very tasty though. The sticky rice in coconut milk was awesome. Loved every bit of it. Rate the dish 4.25/5.
Duck leg and aloo Bukhara korma, baby sirmal sounded interesting but they did not have. Beef fry also sounded interesting on the menu card but that too was not there.
Saffron pina colada had a nice balance of taste and flavor. Both pineapple and saffron made their presence felt. The drink was not over sweet but sweet with a tinge of sour. Loved it . Rate it 4/5
After our conversation on the salad the chef sent a complimentary cheesecake and instead of us repeatedly saying we don’t want it, we were given a portion.
We ordered chocolate rum cake with old monk. We remembered a similar dish at Indian accent, Delhi. The cake came to the table and it was put to flames by pouring rum that us up on flames.
The difference between the two rum cakes is similar to the difference between a swift desire and a BMW. The rum ball was too smooth and did not have the unevenness of a traditional rumball. It was surely not bad. Rate it 3/5
Overall rating of food at ann censored averages out to 3.93 if we exclude the dish that we were not charged for.
If we include that, rating becomes 3.15/5
I wud surely not revisit as my confidence on consistency here is very low.