Friends told me that The Tasting Room is a must-visit, so visit it I did, on a Sunday night... The place is above Good Earth (an amazing home decor store) and from the minute I stepped in, I was blown away. It's unbelievably charming. It has a very earthy and warm feel to it. Lighting is not too dim and yet, romantic.
I couldn't stop gushing at how beautiful a place it was till we were shown to our table; tables and chairs of varying heights are strewn about. My two friends and I sat at one of their high tables.
Trouble started when we were each given a menu; a menu which was unappealing both in its appearance (rumpled sheets of dog-eared paper tagged together) as well as its offerings. No appetizers were listed! Big minus... Just soups and salads. Then there was the main course, but the choice there too was very limited, especially for the vegetarians.
The wine list (from the perspective of someone who does not know her wine) looked good. My friends ordered a glass of Shiraz (Rs. 150) each with a cheese platter (listed no where on the menu, but the friend had been there before and knew it existed) (Rs. 315) to go with.
For the main course, my friend ordered a Spanish Chorizo (Rs. 385) (mashed potatoes and sausages, I think). He loved it. The other friend got the Cream Cheese Ravioli (Rs. 225) which was good too. I, upon the recommendation of the waiter, asked for the Asparagus Linguini (Rs. 225). Big, big mistake. It was cream sauce based and very bland. I can do bland, but not bland with no flavour. Portions looked small, but turned out to be okay for an average eater. I could not get through more than a few morsels of my linguini. Felt like throwing it at the waiter for having 'recommended' it to me.
Desserts: Mud Pie (Rs. 110) - very good, the saving grace of my meal. Blueberry Cheese Cake (Rs. 110) - also good. Irish Bailey Torte (Rs. 140) - disappointing, couldn't really taste Baileys.
Service: Pleasant, but only at times. Some of them couldn't understand what we were asking for and would just walk away, without any explanation, leaving us wondering what in God's name is happening! Till someone else would show up to tend to our needs. One waiter did not bother clearing my plate despite repeatedly telling him to. My patience was running thin by then. The bill was dropped at our table while we were in the middle of dessert, and this time, the waiter didn't forget to keep returning to our table to collect the cheque.
Damage for 3, including tax: Rs. 2275.
Absolutely not worth it! The two stars are only for its spectacular ambiance and decor.
Rakshita