Reviews Posted by: Sid |
| 16 Reviews |
 |
|
|
|
| "Sbarro: Run... and keep running" |
16 Dec 2008 |
| We visited Sbarro this past weekend. Sometime in the future, we may visit snake infested amazonian jungles when bored, jump off cliffs with bedsheets and attempt to fly and perhaps even sit on the kerb and count the number of men with moles on their noses.
However, you will probably not see us at Sbarro again.
It’s located in the Great India Place mall, in NOIDA - on the 3rd floor with the rest of the food outlets. Featuring a very open decor plan with rather small tables, it looks quite interesting and a nice place to pop into for a snack. The service is prompt and friendly with non-interruptive music in the background.
We ordered slices of the Supreme Stuffed Pizza - which is more like a pie really and has nothing like pizza about it. There’s very little cheese, and the whole concoction was totally without flavor of any sort. The vegetables were watery and the meats barely there. What I’m trying to say here, is that I have no idea what it was or what I ate - just that I’m probably not going to eat it again.
The place is quite on the expensive side what with a slice of the ‘pizza’ going for INR 140. Also, be warned that they charge double the MRP for their bottled drinks. If the food was brilliant, I may not have been grouchy… but it was and I am.
I recommend at least one visit, so you know how low a pizza can sink. :-)
Meal for two: INR 500 | Rating: 4/10 | Alcohol: No
food.sidkhullar.com |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| "Anchor: Shady watering hole" |
16 Dec 2008 |
| Anchor is a restaurant cum bar located in the heart of Sector 18, NOIDA. A huge anchor at the entrance loudly proclaims its nautical nature. Once you’re inside, it takes a while to adjust to the dim lighting and you start seeing the sea-faring aspects of its décor. Ship and compass shaped tables, naval relics on the walls, various gauges stuck at spots in the wall and what have you.
Going beyond that however, there isn’t anything remotely marine about the place, including the menu. We suggest playing it safe – stick to the alcohol and starters of Indian origin. Considering its main focus is the bar and accordingly, the snacks, much needed attention has been kept away from the main courses, which are average at best. We tried their Chef’s Special – Golden fried prawns. Much to our dismay, these were cornflour pakodas at best with none of the typical crispness associated with this dish. Their Mutton Rogan Josh too was nowhere close to the authentic Kashmiri dish. Their happy hours are quite long from 12:00p to 8:00p and do not apply to foreign liquor.
If you’re planning a wild night out with friends, Anchor may be the place for you. If you’re looking for a quiet evening with good food, you may wish to consider the many other places in this area. Do remember to check your bill carefully – their billing system has this peculiar habit of adding unordered items to your bill.
food.sidkhullar.com |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| "Geoffreys: Overrated" |
16 Dec 2008 |
| Naheed, Kiranjit and I decided to step over to Geoffreys for a quick lunch yesterday. Based on my last experience there [sunday buffet brunch and beer], I was only too happy to recommend the place. I wouldn't do so readily today.
Lets talk about the environment first. Service was fast, friendly, efficient anf thoughtful. The ambience was quite normal, what with their particular brand of music playing in the background. The temperature could have been a bit on the warmer side, but thats ok I guess. Also, the suspended televisions had horribly noisy reception. And oh, they really ought to fix those shaky tables.
Coming to the food - we ordered a Geoffreys mixed grill, grilled lamb chops, classic chicken steak and a non vegetarian mezze platter. The mezze platter was absolutely excellent and was served with muttabbal, tabouleh and hummus. The hummus could have been a little thicker, but the flavor was right. Full points for that. We enjoyed every morsel.
The mixed grill however, was *all* fried with nothing grilled in it and badly fried at that - everything was soaked in oil. The lamb chops themselves were fine - the brown sauce however, was a total disaster. First it arrived congealed and barely warm; secondly the chef had obviously thrown in those readily available mixed herbs into the mixture and hadn't bothered to wait before serving. result: a prickly, scratchy and uneatable sauce. The chicken steak too arrived barely warm and the sauce here too wasn't worth eating. The bread was old, dry and disintegrated into crumbs on being touched with a fork.
In short - everything except the mezze platter was junk.
Conclusion: Go if you must, but stick to the beer, buffet and mezze | meal for 2: INR 1,100 [no alcohol]
food.sidkhullar.com |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| "Chor Bizzare: Great Buffet" |
16 Dec 2008 |
| Ashwin and I decided to meet up for dinner a few days back and we decided to visit Chor Bizarre, which is in the same complex as Oriental Octopus - Savoy Suites, Sector 16, NOIDA.
The decor is quite interesting, what with antiques and objets’d art dating back to the days of the Raj prominently displayed. Old hindi songs playing in the background add to the ambience and the friendly service is just what you need to for a nice relaxed evening. They’ve got both a la carte and a buffet, part of which is located an old car - Model T? Not sure, just guessing. If you’ve been there, do let me know which one it is.
Coming to the food. Bit of a let down really. We opted for the buffet and they do have quite a spread - dals, salads, starters, street food, sweets, meat, chicken, paneers and what have you. The thing is, the spices are waaay too diluted for the Indian palate. So while all the correct spices have been the used, the cuts of meat terrific, the textures are all correct BUT the spices are just too little. Me thinks it is because of all the expats staying in the suites [serviced apartments] above and the management decided to cater to their taste.
So… if low spice is your thing - Chor Bizarre is the place for you. If not, avoid. I give it a 7/10 rating overall, which is damn good!
food.sidkhullar.com |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| "Papa Johns: Inconsistently Good" |
16 Dec 2008 |
| We’ve ordered numerous times from Papa Johns, Sector 18, NOIDA and eaten in the dine in area a few times too.
There really isn’t anything to distinguish this place from the other pizza joints in the area.Their staff is just as bumbling, the pizza tastes just as ordinary and the add-ons quite run of the mill.
Talking of staff, where are all the smart young people we see all around… and why aren’t they opting to work at places like these, even if they are summer or temporary jobs? I’m sick of being served by people who can’t pronounce ‘pizza’ properly - a classic example is the McDonalds on the Delhi Jaipur highway. Interacting with the staff there you’d think they were cattle herds before being placed behind the counter. While cattle herding as a profession is quite ok, you need to train them a mite better before placing them in a customer facing situation.
Papa Johns, in my opinion, has three redeeming features - (1) the garlic sauce (2) the pickles chillies (3) the mama mia size. Apart from that it is more expensive than the Dominoes and the Pizza Huts and tastes quite the same.
food.sidkhullar.com |
|
|
|
|
|
GRUBHOGS.COM © 2008-2012 , All rights Reserved
