Duh! Heartbreaker!!
Bad luck befalls good restaurants sometimes; maybe it’s just a day. I wish I could write a review with such generosity, since I had a soft corner for this place. The GRT Grand Days’ lobby buffet ‘Anytime’ has been my ‘Alltime’ favorite. Since 2002 I guess, I’ve been there ‘n’ number of times and it has never let me down. Now what better ‘tried and tasted’ place to recommend to fellow burrpers from all around the country for a meet? How frustrating it is, when you are let down so badly and it involves the ‘food honor’ of the city by itself!
Burrpers from every metro in India graced the GRT Grand Days that weekend, and it was all fun except for the food at ‘Anytime’! I mean, what’s got into these guys? It was probably the best buffet in terms of quality and quantity even until a few months back that I visited. The crowd is still the same as it used to be, lot of family esp. on the weekends. The ambiance is typical, nothing innovative. There is an attempt to sophistication though. The food used to cover up for any other inadequacies here. But it seems the other way now. The service is quick and we were actually offered complimentary ice cream brought right to our room, for providing melted milkshaky ice cream in the buffet.
To be precise, there is nothing left to remember, nothing finger licking.. oh well nothing edible! No wait, I need better words! The starters were ok, weird names and weird tastes, the main course was nothing weird for a change, it was absofreakinlutely boring set of side dishes, some paneer, some okra, some brinjal, some gourd. The gobi pulao had not a single piece of gobi in it and I guess no salt in it either! What I found funny was the ‘Grand’ rice, tasted like a road-side brinji or whatever. Whoever decided to give that rice the signature name! The desserts were not bad, but definitely not the variety there used to be. Only good mention I can give here, is that the Bengali sweets viz. rasagolla, rasamalai, gulab jamun, etc. were awesome.
I didn’t make the mistake of reviewing this place few months back! Shame on you guys, even if it’s for a day, even if you’ve not satisfied a single customer, you are a loser already. But as a genuine patron, am still wondering where has it gone wrong? Has the chef changed? Or has he become really really old?? Whatever! Mainstreet is right next door and serves their buffet hundred bucks less than GRT. I hear the breakfast buffet is good though (continental/south Indian), no reason to be forgiven for letting me down!
Ambiance - 4/5
Food - 2.5 /5 ( i would ve given a 5 few months ago :( )
Service - 4/5
Price - 1100 and above for a couple
Will i ever go back? - hmm.. tough one! actually yes, i wud like to chek it out again hopin not to be disappointed...ahhh naaa...ahhh..mmmm...
Any time
Hotel GRT Grand,
106 Sir Thyagaraya Road,
T.Nagar, Chennai
Phone 28150500, 28150793
Adios, my old friend!
Showing posts with label alcohol-served. Show all posts
Showing posts with label alcohol-served. Show all posts
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Monday, December 15, 2008
10 Downing Street - T.Nagar
Now that's what i call a pub!
What a relief to Chennai's dying nightlife! Something with class is here on offer, right from the entry where they make sure to check your ID, to real-time bouncers, to the dark typical classic-pub ambiance with secluded booths. I rem many places that opened up with class but went down the drain soon, losing sophistication. Somehow 10D seems promising enough to keep it going.
Perfect, is the word wen u look at the menu. An awesome lot to drink and eat. The cocktails don stop with the regular bloody mary, screwdriver and long island iced tea like many other pubs in the city. They have innovative drinks and the cosmopolitan is to die for. They have specials everyday and looks like ladies drink most drinks on the house on Wednesdays. But i heard there is some restrictions on that one.. not sure yet...
The service is not bad, but definitely doesn't reflect the standards of the pub. The waiter was a lil weird n non-professional, also we never received an item we almost asked for 10 times. Oh that is the masala peanut which would've been served on the house if its another place. That reminds me, there is absolutely no snacks on the house! yea, nothing at all. But for the food, the potato wedges and the cheese omelete are yummmmmm! Heard the non-veg is great too. They have a pub lunch and my guess is it shud b equally good, if the same chef is gonan do it for u.
Ambiance - 5/5
Food - 4.5/5
Service - 3/5
Price - How much do u drink? Anyways the food is expensive... be sure to hand out atleast 2000 bucks for a couple... if u wanna eat too...
Will i go back again? - a very good choice to take your guest whose new to the city i wud say...
10 Downing Street
#50, Kences Inn Boutique Hotel,
North Boag Road, T Nagar,
Chennai - 600017
Phone 28152152, 28113004, 43546565
Oh mind you, its a perfect pub is what i said, so dont be disappointed looking a great dance floor!
What a relief to Chennai's dying nightlife! Something with class is here on offer, right from the entry where they make sure to check your ID, to real-time bouncers, to the dark typical classic-pub ambiance with secluded booths. I rem many places that opened up with class but went down the drain soon, losing sophistication. Somehow 10D seems promising enough to keep it going.
Perfect, is the word wen u look at the menu. An awesome lot to drink and eat. The cocktails don stop with the regular bloody mary, screwdriver and long island iced tea like many other pubs in the city. They have innovative drinks and the cosmopolitan is to die for. They have specials everyday and looks like ladies drink most drinks on the house on Wednesdays. But i heard there is some restrictions on that one.. not sure yet...
The service is not bad, but definitely doesn't reflect the standards of the pub. The waiter was a lil weird n non-professional, also we never received an item we almost asked for 10 times. Oh that is the masala peanut which would've been served on the house if its another place. That reminds me, there is absolutely no snacks on the house! yea, nothing at all. But for the food, the potato wedges and the cheese omelete are yummmmmm! Heard the non-veg is great too. They have a pub lunch and my guess is it shud b equally good, if the same chef is gonan do it for u.
Ambiance - 5/5
Food - 4.5/5
Service - 3/5
Price - How much do u drink? Anyways the food is expensive... be sure to hand out atleast 2000 bucks for a couple... if u wanna eat too...
Will i go back again? - a very good choice to take your guest whose new to the city i wud say...
10 Downing Street
#50, Kences Inn Boutique Hotel,
North Boag Road, T Nagar,
Chennai - 600017
Phone 28152152, 28113004, 43546565
Oh mind you, its a perfect pub is what i said, so dont be disappointed looking a great dance floor!
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Barbeque Nation - T.Nagar
RIDICULOUSLY EXPENSIVE!
and this aint even a three star hotel! Nobody has ever heard of Shri Devi Park Hotel until BbqNation sprang up with this innovative concept which attracted the typical wannabe crowd of the city .. so its undeniably happening.. that explains the pricing and the careless service. I wish they bought the waiters a mic and some confidence before they start work.
The ambiance is quite different, of course the starters being grilled on the table is part of it! But seriously, the kebabs are already cooked and ur actual kidding urself tryin to burn it further on ur table! I felt like playing 'kitchen kitchen' when i was five! Vegetarians PLZ STAY AWAY, dont get carried away by reviews written by ppl who have probably ate in the Bangalore bbqnation! Theres nothing in the starters for veggies except for the usual paneer crap u can find anywhere and Thai baby potatoes which was not bad (a big let down afetr reading so much about it online).
Hence to do justice, i ve got the reviews from meat-eating friends too. The chicken (Singapore style) and the prawns were edible. The stuff that actually tasted good was the ones that were directly served on the plate, viz the crispy babycorn was sooooo yummy and the fish in oyster sauce was great too. Since we were advised to spend a lot of time with the starters, we were ready for more disappointment in the buffet.
The buffet was just the usual. The veg biryani which was recommended wasn't there to be seen. There was the usual gravies, Chinese stuff, noodles, curd rice, etc. naan was served on the table and the dal was actually really good, compared to the bland taste of the rest. The desserts were average, esp the mini-jamun with ice cream and the butterscotch 'something'. Nothing else was worth remembering. The bar menu was extensive and had everything from around the world, which is quite amazing for such a place. But be ready to spend a fortune if you want to have a good drink. They have some innovative cocktails, the masala margarita was good with chaat masala on the rim! NO! there is no complimentary drink with the buffet as falsely reviewed by many all over the internet!
As such, the buffet costs u around 450 including tax, if u planning to add anymore than that, carry ur mastercard! But if i had a lota money to blow, i wud choose much much better places in the city, than being blinded by mere hype!
Ambiance - 4/5
Food - 2/5
Service 2/5
Price - Close to 1000 bucks for a couple if you dont open the bar menu (else u can forget ur math)
Will i ever go back? - Are you kidding me?.. not even if ur payin!
Barbeque Nation
Shri Devi Park Hotel,
Near Soma Sunder Ground,
1, Hanumantha Street,
T.Nagar, Chennai - 600017
Phone 42694481, 42694482
Whatever said and done.. you can try it once for novelty sake... if you go back again.. not my fault nemore!
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Ahaar, The Residency - T.Nagar
Weirdo
i'm having mixed opinions on this place .. i really dono if i shud recommend it or not..if ur a foodie, as in just bothered bout the food, u can def hit this place, but for me i'm not goin bak here again. But yes the food is awesome and the service is a good attempt too.
My problem is with the ambiance. I expected a three star hotel like The Residency to have a class. There was no lobby, u had to walk-in to a scary sidey looking elevator to reach the first floor or u can climb up the stairs that smells of booze from the bar in there. You enter the restaurant which looks like a plain flat long banquet hall with no interiors made into a restaurant with wooden furnitures and the buffet placed in one corner, there was this carnatic music playing live there, which was more irritating than pleasant. So this 'booth'ish place sure wasnt welcoming nor was the crowd there that looked like middle-aged men who came to drink in the bar and walked in here by mistake. Somehow the atmosphere smelt rusty and antique, not in a good way. We wouldve walked out but for the cake we had ordered already for a friends bday.
The service is good, they gave a quarter kg cake on the house. The manager was very attentive. But somehow the waiters were acting weird, funny and were too eager to serve you well, which was kinda cute n fortunately not disgusting since we were in celebration mood. To sum it up, it wasnt professional, but the food was great.
The buffet has the usual north, south indian and chinese stuff. There was a live aapam counter with awesome coconut milk as side dish. YUMMY. The starters were GR8, the mysore bonda was incredible and the pasta with both white and red sauce were very good too. They had freshly fried potato and banana chips which were mouth watering. The chapathi was bad tho, rubbery. But the tandoori paratta compensated for it. The gravies were paneer, aloo, gobi made very well and some radish peanut innovative thingie which i din like much.
South indian was good too with tangy kozhambu and veggie, curd rice and curd vada both tasted sexy. There was a residency rice, which din deserve the signature name, actually the pineapple rice was diferent and better. Chinese was noodles and a ladies finger in soy sauce. The problem was that the food were arranged in random order, so u cant really get the rite comby to eat. Desserts were the best part, from anything like payasam to custard tasted yummy. The icecreams were very richly flavored too ...
Ambiance - 1/5
Food - 5/5
Service - 3.5/5
Price - 700 per couple
Will i give back again? - If i hear about a renovation, will definitely walk-in without fear!
Ahaar
The Residency
No. 49, G.N.Chetty Road,
T.Nagar,
Chennai - 600 017.
Phone: 044 28253434
http://www.theresidency.com/residency-chennai/chn-ahaar.asp
Dont miss the strawberry icecream...that u jus cant stop eating...
i'm having mixed opinions on this place .. i really dono if i shud recommend it or not..if ur a foodie, as in just bothered bout the food, u can def hit this place, but for me i'm not goin bak here again. But yes the food is awesome and the service is a good attempt too.
My problem is with the ambiance. I expected a three star hotel like The Residency to have a class. There was no lobby, u had to walk-in to a scary sidey looking elevator to reach the first floor or u can climb up the stairs that smells of booze from the bar in there. You enter the restaurant which looks like a plain flat long banquet hall with no interiors made into a restaurant with wooden furnitures and the buffet placed in one corner, there was this carnatic music playing live there, which was more irritating than pleasant. So this 'booth'ish place sure wasnt welcoming nor was the crowd there that looked like middle-aged men who came to drink in the bar and walked in here by mistake. Somehow the atmosphere smelt rusty and antique, not in a good way. We wouldve walked out but for the cake we had ordered already for a friends bday.
The service is good, they gave a quarter kg cake on the house. The manager was very attentive. But somehow the waiters were acting weird, funny and were too eager to serve you well, which was kinda cute n fortunately not disgusting since we were in celebration mood. To sum it up, it wasnt professional, but the food was great.
The buffet has the usual north, south indian and chinese stuff. There was a live aapam counter with awesome coconut milk as side dish. YUMMY. The starters were GR8, the mysore bonda was incredible and the pasta with both white and red sauce were very good too. They had freshly fried potato and banana chips which were mouth watering. The chapathi was bad tho, rubbery. But the tandoori paratta compensated for it. The gravies were paneer, aloo, gobi made very well and some radish peanut innovative thingie which i din like much.
South indian was good too with tangy kozhambu and veggie, curd rice and curd vada both tasted sexy. There was a residency rice, which din deserve the signature name, actually the pineapple rice was diferent and better. Chinese was noodles and a ladies finger in soy sauce. The problem was that the food were arranged in random order, so u cant really get the rite comby to eat. Desserts were the best part, from anything like payasam to custard tasted yummy. The icecreams were very richly flavored too ...
Ambiance - 1/5
Food - 5/5
Service - 3.5/5
Price - 700 per couple
Will i give back again? - If i hear about a renovation, will definitely walk-in without fear!
Ahaar
The Residency
No. 49, G.N.Chetty Road,
T.Nagar,
Chennai - 600 017.
Phone: 044 28253434
http://www.theresidency.com/residency-chennai/chn-ahaar.asp
Dont miss the strawberry icecream...that u jus cant stop eating...
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