[Rated: 2/5]
There was a time when going to a good restaurant would pull people towards starred hotels. Not anymore! The reasons was simple; Service trainings and food consistency where these starred hotel chains could spent upon. Ambience was anyway assured as they were inside a well maintained property. As mall culture took over, restaureurs do not have to struggle anymore to maintain the outside surroundings. Also, the local chains that have mushroomed, spend well on trainings as guests do not mind paying extra for the complete dining experience.
After one of my colleagues unsatisfactory visit to Seasonal Tastes at Westin hotel, I was in no mood to visit the hotel again, but one of my friend wanted to try out their new restaurant, Eest so I succumbed to her temptation. This hotel is run by Vatika, which otherwise has highly ranked restaurant by us like – Coriander Leaf, 56 Italiano etc. As we entered the restaurant located on the first level in the hotel, we found it to be abnormally empty for a Saturday lunch. Wondering if we were at the right place, someone guided us to the table. Ambience was nice, but nothing exceptional for a five star property.
Ed: We are told that Vatika only owns the real estate. Hotel and restaurant is run and managed by Westin.
After a little wait our steward, Mercy, came to us with the menu. On asking her about the suggestions she was completely lost. Either she had difficulty understanding English (even Hindi) or she wasn’t aware of the items on the menu. While my friend was asking her about the suggestions, Mercy kept standing behind her back making it very inconvenient for my friend to converse. Finally we asked Mercy to come on the side, but despite trying our best could not get any suggestion out of her. Finally I went ahead with Xiao Long Bao (420; Pork Dumpling), Tenderloin Bulgogi (1800), and Green Tea Icecream (180). My veg friend ordered for some vegetarian stuff which I did not take note of.
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| Green Tea Ice-Cream |
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| Tenderloin Bulgogi |
Xiao Long Bao was served in an oval shaped bowl, making it impossible to keep the accompaniments on the plate. Every time I kept sauces on the side they will go down at the bottom and mix with the dumplings. We were told that Tenderloin Bulgogi would be grilled on the table, but when the dish came the server apologized for misunderstanding (another issue of language barrier). Tenderloin was grilled well and was the best of the lot. However I would have liked grilled mushroom and garlic on the side.
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| Oval Bowl |
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| Dumpling Accompaniments |
My friend specifically told the server about her being vegetarian and asked for the green Tea Ice-Cream, which was served to her. Nobody told her that it contains egg. Normally the menu is marked in red or green conveying the ingredients the dish uses, not in ‘Eest’ case though, and as usual the server wasn’t of any help. Ice-cream had big lumps of ice in it. When I checked it with their manager, Anil Rawat, he avoided the discussion by saying this is an in-house production and not commercially made; and this when the manager saw us clicking pictures and subtly asked if w
e were from the media and we replied in negative to keep our identity hidden. I am not sure if such a lame excuse (In-house production) can work with anyone.
e were from the media and we replied in negative to keep our identity hidden. I am not sure if such a lame excuse (In-house production) can work with anyone.
Disappointed at the service (there are more incidents which are of no use highlighting) and the food, we both came back fully convinced that we would prefer going to East than Eest for our next meal.
Ratings out of 5
Food: 2.0, Ambiance: 2.5, Service: 1.0| Overall: 2.0
Meal for Two: Rs5000 (without alcohol) | Alcohol: Yes | Credit Card: Yes|
Address: Westin Hotel, 1 MG Road, Gurgaon| Phone: 0124-4977777
Meal for Two: Rs5000 (without alcohol) | Alcohol: Yes | Credit Card: Yes|
Address: Westin Hotel, 1 MG Road, Gurgaon| Phone: 0124-4977777
– Pawan Soni
This is the Best PAN Asian Restaurant i have ever been too. It is the best in India if not South Asia.
I love the ambience. The food is to die for.
The staff are usually great. They know their stuff well. They always remember what i had the last time.
I am there atleast once a week. Try their Dried Chilli chicken and Tom Yam. Both are Awesome.
My rating of this place is 6 out of 5.
Pratap.
Dear Anonymous,
Well thank you for your comment. These are nothing but preposterous. Usually people do not leave beside their such strong comment without disclosing their id. Such comments only come when the restaurant does not get the desired review and either they themself or their friends write accolades on their behalf to improve their grounds. Either way I am happy that the restaurant has taken a note of the lapse of service. To act or not, that is purely your call.