Java+ - Courtyard by Marriott, Ahmedabad

Java+ - Courtyard by Marriott
Ramdevnagar Cross Roads,
Satellite
Ahmedabad
079 66185000

Finally stopped by here 2 days ago, for a late lunch / high tea kind of break.

From a previous visit, I knew that they didn't serve any hot "meals" but just some snack type sandwiches and puffs (which was the reason we left, the first time we visited this location - we wanted a hot meal and just went to Momo Cafe instead).

There are a couple of counters. The main counter has all the savoury puffs and sandwiches and sweets - cakes, eclairs, cupcakes, macarons etc, with a coffee machine behind it. There is a sweets table which operates like those candy land counters that you see in mall - kids choose from an assortment of sweets, that are weighed and then billed. And there was a thin counter with whatever additives you may need for your coffee.

Order taking is self service style, where you pick and choose from the items on display, but the order will be delivered to your table.

I first ordered a chicken puff, a grilled chicken and hummus foccacia sandwich and a hazelnut sub zero (iced) coffee. There were 7 customers in the restaurant. All of them already had their orders on their tables. There were 3 people behind the counter and 2 serving tables. The snacks were already on the counter. They just had to be slightly warmed up. It took them 35 minutes to do this!

Tastewise they weren't bad, but I've had much better snacks and coffee at much better rates. The chicken in the grilled chicken focaccia was on the drier side and the lettuce felt soggy (even McDonalds serve fresh crispy lettuce!)

Since other people had commended their sweets, I thought I'd give them a chance on that front. While the pistachio biscotti wasn't bad, the nutella eclair was heavy, hard and the absolute opposite of what good choux pastry should be - light, airy, pillowy, melt in your mouth goodness.

The macaroon shells were ok on taste and texture, but the chocolate filling was thick and too much, so the heavy chocolate flavour completely inundated the light almond flour flavour and slightly grainy texture of the macaroon shells.

The bill wasn't printed properly and I don't remember individual prices. I think the biscotti was 60/- for 2 pieces, the macaroon around 45/- or 60/- and the coffee was somewhere in the 120/- to 175/- range. There was an offer displayed on the board outside saying ladies would get free drinks with their food orders, but I don't think it was applied to me. My total bill came up to 735/- inclusive of taxes.

You can find much, much better cafes in Ahmedabad, Java+ might have a good (read as 'different in Ahmedabad') decor (especially the open air garden, but its normally filled with smoking groups, Sigh!) and a decent ambiance, but the food isn't worth it at all.

Rating : 2.75 / 5
(because I expect a much higher standard of service and food from a renowned 5 star property)