Indian

you knw when my friend said that 21 Fahrenheit, India's first ice lounge is an experience which is unique and is also the world's first ice lounge which serves hot food and snacks I did not believe it but then he gave me offer to visit there for lunch and we went there and i was completely shocked to seee what I saw there IT is MARVELLOUSSSS...I thought I came in mini kashmirrr.It is a mustvisit place yaar..21 Fahrenheit is -60 Celcius and it is freezing! Entry charges to 21 Fahrenheit is Rs 750 which goes into dry-cleaning the fur jackets, gloves and snow boots.It comprises a small place where the walls, seatings, curtains and even the glasses are made of ice. Clever lighting bouncing off the ice creates a magical effect.Try the Lava Chocolate, Vodka PanI Puri, Icy Blonde and Snapfrost at 21 Fahrenheit.21 Fahrenheit is a technological marvel and a must visit.I saw its website even which is www.21fahrenheit.in.You all must visit here!!!!!!!!

Horrible is one of the adjectives you can think of.

They let you in against a cover charge of Rs300 which is adjusted against F&B.

The waiters don't know anything about the menu. The pizza served is a 6"X 4" (Have you heard of a shape like that for a pizza?)

The fried rice was the worst I have ever eaten.. made with God knows shat oil / lard..

The adjoining discotheque does not have sound-proof walls. So the jarring and pounding does bother you immensely.

Just avoid their loos if you are not the kind who can handle throwing-ups.

They have a pint sized menu and half of the items in it are "Not available" !!!

It is just a seedy joint where you see lots of young boys and girls boozing/puffing away to glory.

F&B : 1/10
Ambience : 5/10
Service: 3/10
Facilities : 2/10

Overall rating : 2.5/10

NEVER EVER GO TO THIS ONE. WASTE of TIME & MONEY.

Its is a place were in you can hang out wid almost everyone. It serves you good food.
Customer satisfaction is our moto !

I would be happy to have your views on this !

Cheers n Peace !!

The hoardings tempt you. "GRASS"... the name sounds like a vegetarian paradise.. it was a flop show.

Dare not use their washroom/loo-s, especially after eating. The horror of the place might make you lose your lunch/supper.

Nice place, interiors.. Grrreat potential.. these guys (who are running it) are just RUINING it.. :-(

We (spouse & self) were the only 2 people eating there at 10 pm on a Thursday nite.. That pretty much sums up things.

Some lousy movie was on the wall projection cable TV. We requested the waiter to change it to any Eng News channel, the reply came back, All Eng News channel are paid channels and we have not renewed our payments !!

They have pizza in their menu. When we enquired the waiter about it, he said it was a nine inch 'pijja'. Thank you very much !

The prices are very expensive for what they serve. They slap a VAT of 12.5% but it is not mentioned anywhere on the menu. Further there is no Mah. ST/ CST Regn. no. on the bill. God knows where the VAT goes.. (to fund their VAT-69s.. I guess)

Six tiny pieces of mushrooms with two tb-spoonfuls of a gaudy red sauce - The starter - was INR130.. a big flop

I suspect they dump the sauces/ketchups used by the road-side sandwich-wallas inti their gravies.. you get tha unmistakeable (dis)taste in your mouth.

That sums up the experience of "Eggplant-in-Hot-Garlic-Sauce" (INR115). It would have helped if the dish had even traces of garlic.

The steam rice (INR50 per small bowl) was woefully under-cooked.

The tragedy that followed was the Green Thai curry (INR130). It tasted like paint. The texture of the curry was terrible.
The basil leaves were burnt (literally). The curry was loaded with just small pieces of cauliflower and carrots (aaaaarrghh !!)

However hard we tried, pushing the stuff down the throat was becoming a task that was getting more painful by the minute.

(Packing that and giving it away to the needy on the streets would have brought us their curses; not blessings!)

Couple of tables away, the waiting staff were sitting with legs on the chairs, slurping some drinks and noisily gossiping. Every three minutes a staffer comes to your table to ask whether he could remove the plates, even while you were eating !!!

The hotel management is JUST NOT SERIOUS ABOUT THEIR BUSINESS. It is amply clear.

Considering that we were the ONLY diners in that hall, they took an AWFULLY long time to serve the food !!!

INRs-525 spent on a flop dinner show.

Maybe my review is based on only their Oriental cuisine. Its a case of first impressio is always the best (here - worst) impression !!

As a rule, We are great supporters of pure veg restaurants; but this one was abominable.

Stay CLEAR of GRASS.

Like the great Ivan Lendl once remarked "Grass is for cows"

As they say, nobody goes to Goa to eat veg food.

But what about pure vegetarians (like the author)?

Research and enquiries threw up the name of Nav-Tara, supposed to be one of the best (?!) for veg southie dishes. We (a gang of 7 comprising 3 senior citizens) went there at 9-00 AM one morning.

At all times, the staff assume that they are doing you a favor. Grumpy and rude.. sample this : we ordered idli. It came ice cold.. believe it or not. When we requested the waiter to get us hot idlis, his response was classic:

" you will get idlis at this temperature only; if you dont want, then don't eat it"

and without even waiting for our response proceeded to lap up the plate of idli on our table. Atrocious !

At 9-00 AM in the morning you get cold idli-s !!

While exiting the place, I approached the manager (I assume so; he was the only staffer wearing a tie !!) who was on the phone, going on and on to his caller about how this particular DVD player has better features, with a remote control that has colorful buttons.. etc.. TOTALLY neglecting a customer who wanted to talk to him DURING THEIR BUSINESS HOURS !!

I prompted.. "Excuse me, Sir.. just a minute, pls"..

He went on and on with his phone talk, looking through me as if I was thin air !!

I prompted again.. "Excuse me, Sir.. just a minute, pls"..

He went on and on with his phone talk, this time je just turned his face away !!!!

I waited for exactly 180 seconds and then barged out.

Visit NavTara, only if you want a perfect way to destroy a simple veg dining experience.

In contrast, there are joints in Bombay which courteously dish out STEAMING hot idlis even at midnite tme.

Abhishek is a recent (~1-1.5 yrs.) addition to the group of restaurants' near Nal Stop. Its excellent service, delicious food, and good ambience, has given other restaurants in that area a run for money.

They serve normal North Indian, and Punjabi food, but the taste, and the speed of service is awesome. Try the Methi Malai Kofta, mouth watering. The servings (including the starters) are generous. For a family of four the expected bill comes to around Rs. 500, so I would term this restaurant as "affordable".

The only con I can see is the rush, it is crowded during weekdays too. The weekend waiting can go as high as an hour and half, though they manage to get you a table as fast as possible. The staff is courteous, and the ambience is decent. I would highly recommend it for a casual dinner (except on weekends).

Oh, one thing - there are two Abhishek hotels opposite each other, one of them is a bar (you will be able to spot the difference visually though).

Very nice place to visit. Also has valet parking, you will generally need it on weekends when long queues are inevitable too.

All the veggies are nice. I was also recommended non-veg dishes by friends. The Dal Sigree is awesome. Combine that with one of the biryanees and you are setup for a sumptious dinner. There is a particular starter made of Bhindee (Lady's Fingers) that is so good that it makes you wonder whether you are really eating Bhindee ! Good desserts too.

On weekdays, there is the sit-down buffet available for lunch, for about Rs. 300.

Overall, its a bit pricey but worth it. Don't go there if you are looking for a 'light meal'. Enjoy !

We went to Abhiruchi Village Cottage Restaurants (look up their site www.abhiruchivillage.com) for a saturday night's stay.

Pro-s
======
Tracts of greenery.

Well constructed swimming pool. (read on)

The air smells green. Relax in hammocks.

The AC Room was freezing without the AC on (perhaps due to the Pune January season).

Cons
=====

The story begins.. brace yourself..

VERY VERY VERY VERY POOR maintenance.

If you want to see a first class swimming pool (well tiled) with carpets of moss and scummy water, then this is the one.

CAVALIER attitude towards customer service; ranging from the farm gate sentry to the room boy. Everybody from the office, watchmen and room-boys address you in singular ('Tu') while you address them with respect ('aap')... cantankerous ! Talk about customer orientation.

One is reminded of Gandhiji on the 'customer' - the most important person on our premises.... Abhiruchi does everything opposite to that. This requires special talent.

Food is a simple non-pompous veg fare. But INR 150 (USD 3.75) per head for what they dish out is DAYLIGHT ROBBERY.

Enquire about their horse ride, camel ride etc. 'First pay and then talk' seems to be their credo.

TV sets are available for as low as INR 2000 (USD 50). They have one grainy TV common for all guests. It doesnt receive ANY signal. So no way of knowing a quick update of whats
happening in the world. "Cable waale ke paas light nahin hai" comes the careless reply. A scrutiny reveals the presence of a dish antenna !

The filthiest bathroom/toilets you would have ever seen, replete with the latest and unseen species of mosquitoes and flying pests. Let me reserve my vocabulary.

They take pride that they have NEVER washed the bed covers or the pillow covers since inception. They forewarn you to bring your own towels, napkins and bedsheets. So you really can't fault them on this.

The website boasts of facilities not to be found at all. Try to procure a bucket of hot water for a shower. The roomboy conversation goes like this..
===============================================
With a grumpy irritated and disgruntled tone
"Why do u need hot water ?" (tula kaa paahije)

At my wits end
"Excuse me !?" (Maaf keejiye.. kya kahaa aapne)

With an expression as if he has been compelled to perform a rectal examination on a person with piles trouble
"To take bath or to drink ?"

"to take a bath"
On first thought - "to perform your coronation as the King of England at the Westminster Abbey" came to my mind; but I had to resist it.

"Wait till 7 in the morning" like a HC judge pronouncing a verdict..

Projecting an expression of urgency on my face "Sire.. I badly need a bucket of hot water pls.. I bathe atleast twice a day"

I thrust a tenner into his hands.

"You will get one bucket. wait for half an hour"

"Sire.. pls show mercy.. one bucket is too little"..
I thrust another tenner.

"Ok wait for half an hour.."

This was the ordeal for all the essentials.

===================================================

A stay at Abhiruchi is a humbling experience. You are humbled by the greenery and the staff who treat you like turd regardless whether you are a President or a peasant.

Are the owners (The Bhide-s.. I understand) even aware of the mess that is going on?

I shared these with a good Maharashtrian friend of mine, who guffawed "it happens all the time.. But you have to see / feel it to experience it".. My jolly good friend has strange ways of exacting revenges for past unpunished deeds.. Recommend Abhiruchi !!!

To end, Oscar Wilde had to say this about America -

America had often been discovered before Columbus, but it had always been hushed up.

Do we see a similarity?

decent atmosphere -

with a band thrown in !!..(one vocalist and one keyboardist-cum-guitarist) they apparently perform till 11.

la carte menu is not that lavish.

saturday nites they have a minitte buffet for 225.. might be worth a try..

We went on a sunday nite. there was a regular buffet for 400.. the spread was not sooo appealing..

so we settled for the DUM VEG BIRYANI (VDB) for 140.. It was :
- steaming hot !
- fairly filling for two people.
- pretty well made.. definitely not bad.. I hate biryanis soaking in oil/grease/lard.. this one was thankfully not like that..
- the raita that came along was woefully sour..

VDB was supposed to come in a 'handi'. But it came in a ceramic pot instead.. Mirador's 'idea'/ interpretation of a 'handi' is not convicing / appealing.. :-(

There is no THAI food.. considering the ubiquitous rice-green veg curry is a mumbai favorite :-(

Avoid the pizzas. for 170 bucks they serve you small pizzas of six inches diameter.. I was dumbstruck.. such a big hotel serving such a small one..

the service is decent.

the drinks menu is not that impressive.. u might strike a bargain during the happy hours UPTO 10 pm.

Rating: 5.5/10 for VDB only

else , it is 4/10 !!

This is more of a home delivery joint. Deliver in most parts of Secunderabad - call to find out. Nothing like ordering or picking up a set of fresh, hot phulkas and rotis on your way home. Clean, hygenic and affordable. They also have pickup points in parts of Marredpally and Vikrampuri at select hours in the evening. Also cater to bulk or party orders.

Negative: No other side dish or curry available. Also home delivery seems to be restricted to parts of Secunderabad only.