Due to the traffic on Aurobindo Marg, we changed our Friday evening plans and cut across to the set of restaurants adjoining the Asian Games Village, also called "The Village"
Husband remembered this as an a set of upmarket restaurants and we were looking forward to the food and I was looking forward to substantially adding to our Home Delivery menu collection (pickings are slim in this part of the city)
The restaurants looked nice, clean and mid range. The Manager who greeted us outside was very nice and polite and we began to forget the traffic woes outside. We walked into the bar "Tonic" which was half empty, but the manager of Tonic insisted that it was booked for a private party and hence there was no space.
He physically guided us to the Rajasthani Restaurant next door. The moment we entered it smelt like a dirty men's toilet. I thought I was imagining things because there were a decent number of customers eating here, but husband also turned round and whispered "This place smells, I don't want to eat here". I thanked him under my breath and we decided to try the Chinese restaurant upstairs "Chopsticks"
This one fortunately did not smell. It looked neat and clean. Again the staff was extremely polite.
We started with a bacardi breezer (195Rs) and a Mojito (375Rs) and a bottle of water (75Rs). The fact that the Mojito wasn't well mixed or muddled should have warned me of what was to come.
As an accompaniment to the drinks we asked for cream corn (235Rs) and Crispy Thai Chicken(335Rs). The Crispy Thai Chicken was well flavoured but was too dry. The cream corn was average, but the one at Mainland China is highly superior and this fared really badly in the comparison.
For the main course we ordered an American Chopsuey (245Rs) which was cloyingly sweet and a Chicken Taro nest (245Rs) Although the Taro nest was supposed to be just chicken in a generic sauce, I could taste bamboo shoot on some pieces and a funny smell on some others.
We sent most of the Taro nest back to the kitchen untouched. We obviously didn't even dare to order a dessert given the quality so far.
The bill came up to almost 2300Rs with the addition of 12.5% VAT, 10% Service Charge and 20% LVT (was this for the alcohol?). Not a reasonable amount. You can eat much much better food in Delhi at this rate.
For the first time in my life, I had to eat something as soon as I came home from a restaurant.
Not a place we will ever return to.
Food : 1
Ambience : 2
Service :3.5
The paanwallah downstairs turned out a much better product. He made my meetha paan exactly the way I like it. Maybe we should have tried the chaatwallah at the gate.
