Text by: Tanya Munshi
What better way to celebrate a birthday than in a beautiful candle light dinner with a live band playing the most amazing music? Well, this was all possible at The Residency known for its international a-la-carte fare at the Welcome Hotel, Grand Bay in Vizag.
We were pleasantly surprised at the candle light tables, as this was our first visit to The Residency. We had visited The Oceanic Pavilion for buffet earlier, but were disappointed with the food. The desserts always seemed like a last minute job while the overall food was never up to the mark. Thankfully, the food at The Residency was brilliant.
For starters we ordered Chi Ma Kai Chi i.e. spicy chicken wings, with a sesame seasoning, though a little salty, was well made. It went well with Shirley Temple, so the extra salt was not a problem. For the main course, we ordered a Scaloppini Alla Valdostana - grilled chicken fillet with boiled vegetables, potato patty served with mushroom sauce. It was divine.
The Blackened Fish consisted of seer fish was grilled to perfection and topped with Cajun spices. It too came along with a potato patty (though I wished, they had served mashed potatoes instead as the potato patty seemed to override the flavour of the chicken and the fish) and boiled veggies surrounded with lemon butter garlic sauce; overall a marvellous dish.
Even though we were full, since it was a birthday celebration, we signed off our dinner with a Walnut Brownie served with Vanilla ice cream. Sinful!! The Walnut Brownie was amazing and melted in the mouth.
The singer and musician Jeff at The Residency is truly a one man army - he played the keyboard and the guitar and sang some of the best songs from legends like - Bruce Springsteen, Dire Straits, Eric Clapton, Elton John, Pink Floyd...this guy Jeff had the most amazing voice that he could mould it any song. So you can imagine what an amazing ambience it must have been with great food and great music.
A dinner for two would cost around Rs. 1400/-. For a special occassion, a visit to The Residency is highly recommended.
Overall Rating:
Ambience - * * * * *
Service - * * * * *
Presentation of food & drinks - * * * * *
Quantity of food served - * * * * *
Quality of food - * * * * * *
Price - * * * * *
Location:
The Residency,
Welcome Hotel Grand Bay
Beach Road,
Visakhapatnam - 530002
Phone: 91-891-2560101
Fax: 91-891-2550691
E-mail: gm_grandbay@yahoo.com
Monday, April 20, 2009
Friday, April 17, 2009
Visakhapatnam Restaurant Guide> Indian Spice
Text by: Tanya Munshi
1
It started out as the only Indian restaurant in Vizag a few months ago; but on a recent visit we were handed a brand new menu card with continental and Chinese dishes adding to the list.
Care has been taken to pick a few speciality cuisines from each section, making the menu a little limited, but it’s really okay. There’s still ample to choose from.
Indian Spice is a terrace restaurant that offers a beautiful view of Vizag at night. Whenever anyone visits a terrace restaurant, they usually opt for a table that gives them the best view and the natural breeze.
But this is not the case with Indian Spice. Unfortunately, thanks to some underlying trend in Vizag, all the best places are taken up by men who're drinking in groups, while young boys huddled together smoking seesha (Rs. 200/- for 1 hours, I am told) along the railing that offers a good view. We did get funny stares as we were the only married couple sitting at a table for dinner with a view; while all the families were clustered at the entrance of the restaurant, under the shade, which gave no view and no breeze at all.
Sadly, this is a trend we have seen in most restaurants in Vizag how families cluster up in one corner while men in large groups come to drink and have a meal, leaving the other families, especially the women folk feeling uncomfortable.
Anyway, coming back to the food; the food is brilliant at Indian Spice. Pudina ki Tikka consisted of soft chicken tikkas served with the most divine mint chutney with a hint of green mango. The Mutton Rogenjosh was well made, however more on the sweeter side.
The staff is courteous, though the restaurant manager was not too keen to offer a 650 ml beer, instead according to him, Indian Spice only had 330ml pint. This is a recent phenomenon we have noticed in several restaurants in Vizag (not sure about the other places), that as if they only seem to have a 330 ml beer as it is obviously more profitable for them, but less economical for the diners.
Indian Spice has a huge potential, if they found another place for the seesha boys and men who only come to drink. It’s supposed to be a family restaurant and not a bar only.
A meal for two at Indian Spice would cost around Rs. 600/-.
Overall Rating:
Ambience - * * * (I'll deduct points for the band of drinking men and seesha boys in the best spots of the restaurant)
Service - * * * *
Presentation of food & drinks - * * * * *
Quantity of food served - * * * * *
Quality of food - * * * * * *
Price - * * * * *
Location:
Fame Restrobar,
Waltair Uplands,
Visakhapatnam - 3
Note- Indian Spice and Rosso are part of the same brand Fame Restrobar.
1
It started out as the only Indian restaurant in Vizag a few months ago; but on a recent visit we were handed a brand new menu card with continental and Chinese dishes adding to the list.
Care has been taken to pick a few speciality cuisines from each section, making the menu a little limited, but it’s really okay. There’s still ample to choose from.
Indian Spice is a terrace restaurant that offers a beautiful view of Vizag at night. Whenever anyone visits a terrace restaurant, they usually opt for a table that gives them the best view and the natural breeze.
But this is not the case with Indian Spice. Unfortunately, thanks to some underlying trend in Vizag, all the best places are taken up by men who're drinking in groups, while young boys huddled together smoking seesha (Rs. 200/- for 1 hours, I am told) along the railing that offers a good view. We did get funny stares as we were the only married couple sitting at a table for dinner with a view; while all the families were clustered at the entrance of the restaurant, under the shade, which gave no view and no breeze at all.
Sadly, this is a trend we have seen in most restaurants in Vizag how families cluster up in one corner while men in large groups come to drink and have a meal, leaving the other families, especially the women folk feeling uncomfortable.
Anyway, coming back to the food; the food is brilliant at Indian Spice. Pudina ki Tikka consisted of soft chicken tikkas served with the most divine mint chutney with a hint of green mango. The Mutton Rogenjosh was well made, however more on the sweeter side.
The staff is courteous, though the restaurant manager was not too keen to offer a 650 ml beer, instead according to him, Indian Spice only had 330ml pint. This is a recent phenomenon we have noticed in several restaurants in Vizag (not sure about the other places), that as if they only seem to have a 330 ml beer as it is obviously more profitable for them, but less economical for the diners.
Indian Spice has a huge potential, if they found another place for the seesha boys and men who only come to drink. It’s supposed to be a family restaurant and not a bar only.
A meal for two at Indian Spice would cost around Rs. 600/-.
Overall Rating:
Ambience - * * * (I'll deduct points for the band of drinking men and seesha boys in the best spots of the restaurant)
Service - * * * *
Presentation of food & drinks - * * * * *
Quantity of food served - * * * * *
Quality of food - * * * * * *
Price - * * * * *
Location:
Fame Restrobar,
Waltair Uplands,
Visakhapatnam - 3
Note- Indian Spice and Rosso are part of the same brand Fame Restrobar.
Visakhapatnam Restaurant Guide> Rosso
Text by: Tanya Munshi
The youth in Vizag now have something amazing to look forward to over the weekends, ever since Rosso stepped in, painting the town red.
The ambience and decor has been designed well, at par with the international standards. However, the seating arrangement is a little weird, huge couches that take up a lot of space and you may have to share your couch with other party goers. If you're okay with that, then cool! But there's ample space to walk around, you won't have to squeeze between people to get to the other side. The no smoking ban made sitting at Rosso on a packed Saturday night, very comfortable.
The food is fantastic, one of the best we've had in Vizag. The Stuffed Kalmi Kebabs were out of the world. The roasted chicken legs are stuffed with mince meat, yum! Mushroom Salt and Pepper was brilliant and so were the Taipei Crispy Chicken. But in all this, Stuffed Kalmi Kebabs and Mushroom Salt and Pepper win the race.
The music was good, DJ Sanjay from Hyderabad churned out some really good music, both International and Bollywood latest hits. He knew his craft well, as he was able to do blend the music to everyone's liking. He gauged the mood of the crowd and played music that kept the party people dancing and asking for more.
There's a neat dance floor next to the bar' so there's ample place for you to dance. The crowd here, well; a big relief from what we had seen at Chrome. No teeny boppers here, especially the wannabe kinds. Here are kids from the local BPO, college goers, young couples and Hyderabadis who come down to Vizag for a weekend.
The food is slightly expensive here, and the quantity not too much, though the quality of the food makes up for the cost.
Overall, this is a good place to drop by for drinks and dinner. However, order your snacks in advance as the kitchen closes by 11:00 pm. That's not supposed to happen, considering its a pub/ discotheque.
Overall Rating:
Ambience - * * * * *
Service - * * * * *
Presentation of food & drinks - * * * * *
Quantity of food served - * * *
Quality of food - * * * * * *
Price - * * *
Location:
Rosso,
Fame Restrobar
Waltair Uplands,
Visakhapatnam - 3
The youth in Vizag now have something amazing to look forward to over the weekends, ever since Rosso stepped in, painting the town red.
The ambience and decor has been designed well, at par with the international standards. However, the seating arrangement is a little weird, huge couches that take up a lot of space and you may have to share your couch with other party goers. If you're okay with that, then cool! But there's ample space to walk around, you won't have to squeeze between people to get to the other side. The no smoking ban made sitting at Rosso on a packed Saturday night, very comfortable.
The food is fantastic, one of the best we've had in Vizag. The Stuffed Kalmi Kebabs were out of the world. The roasted chicken legs are stuffed with mince meat, yum! Mushroom Salt and Pepper was brilliant and so were the Taipei Crispy Chicken. But in all this, Stuffed Kalmi Kebabs and Mushroom Salt and Pepper win the race.
The music was good, DJ Sanjay from Hyderabad churned out some really good music, both International and Bollywood latest hits. He knew his craft well, as he was able to do blend the music to everyone's liking. He gauged the mood of the crowd and played music that kept the party people dancing and asking for more.
There's a neat dance floor next to the bar' so there's ample place for you to dance. The crowd here, well; a big relief from what we had seen at Chrome. No teeny boppers here, especially the wannabe kinds. Here are kids from the local BPO, college goers, young couples and Hyderabadis who come down to Vizag for a weekend.
The food is slightly expensive here, and the quantity not too much, though the quality of the food makes up for the cost.
Overall, this is a good place to drop by for drinks and dinner. However, order your snacks in advance as the kitchen closes by 11:00 pm. That's not supposed to happen, considering its a pub/ discotheque.
Overall Rating:
Ambience - * * * * *
Service - * * * * *
Presentation of food & drinks - * * * * *
Quantity of food served - * * *
Quality of food - * * * * * *
Price - * * *
Location:
Rosso,
Fame Restrobar
Waltair Uplands,
Visakhapatnam - 3
Visakhapatnam Restaurant Guide> Bamboo Bay, The Park
Image 1: Soft lighting at Bamboo Bay
Image 2: Candle light dinnerImages by: Tanya Munshi
Text by: Tanya Munshi
If there's one place in Vizag, that you're looking to celebrate a special occasion like a birthday or an anniversary, then Bamboo Bay, at The Park is an ideal spot. Sit outdoors facing the beach for a beautiful breezy candle lit dinner...wow, this is the perfect romantic set up that is difficult to find in a noisy town of Vizag.
The food is excellent, surprisingly, as compared to the Aqua and Vista the Park’s in house restaurants. The Hyderabadi Dum Biryani is divine, with a beautiful hint of saffron. The mutton in the biryani was perfect, simply melting in the mouth. For starters, we tried skewered lamb which was done in Peshawari style and was brilliant.
This is an ideal venue to make a first impression on a business client or a would-belife-partner. How can I forget, this is also a perfect honeymooners paradise for a quite dinner under the star lit night, facing the beach.
On the flip side, I found this restaurant slightly short staffed, so be a little patient as the cheque may take some time to come to your desk. Interestingly, the staff here is less snobbish than in Vista. So feel at home at Bamboo Bay and enjoy a luxurious meal in a romantic setting.
Price wise, the food is value for money, considering the quantity of food served. A meal for two at Bamboo Bay will cost around Rs. 1,000/-.
Overall Rating:
Ambience - * * * * *
Service - * * * *
Presentation of food & drinks - * * * * *
Quantity of food served - * * * * *
Quality of food - * * * * * *
Price - * * * * *
Location:
The Park Hotel,
Beach Road,
Vizag – 530 203
Phone: 0891 – 2754488
Fax: 91- 891 – 2754181
Email: fb.iviz@theparkhotels.com
Website: www.theparkhotels.com
And http://visakhapatnam.theparkhotels.com/
If there's one place in Vizag, that you're looking to celebrate a special occasion like a birthday or an anniversary, then Bamboo Bay, at The Park is an ideal spot. Sit outdoors facing the beach for a beautiful breezy candle lit dinner...wow, this is the perfect romantic set up that is difficult to find in a noisy town of Vizag.
The food is excellent, surprisingly, as compared to the Aqua and Vista the Park’s in house restaurants. The Hyderabadi Dum Biryani is divine, with a beautiful hint of saffron. The mutton in the biryani was perfect, simply melting in the mouth. For starters, we tried skewered lamb which was done in Peshawari style and was brilliant.
This is an ideal venue to make a first impression on a business client or a would-belife-partner. How can I forget, this is also a perfect honeymooners paradise for a quite dinner under the star lit night, facing the beach.
On the flip side, I found this restaurant slightly short staffed, so be a little patient as the cheque may take some time to come to your desk. Interestingly, the staff here is less snobbish than in Vista. So feel at home at Bamboo Bay and enjoy a luxurious meal in a romantic setting.
Price wise, the food is value for money, considering the quantity of food served. A meal for two at Bamboo Bay will cost around Rs. 1,000/-.
Overall Rating:
Ambience - * * * * *
Service - * * * *
Presentation of food & drinks - * * * * *
Quantity of food served - * * * * *
Quality of food - * * * * * *
Price - * * * * *
Location:
The Park Hotel,
Beach Road,
Vizag – 530 203
Phone: 0891 – 2754488
Fax: 91- 891 – 2754181
Email: fb.iviz@theparkhotels.com
Website: www.theparkhotels.com
And http://visakhapatnam.theparkhotels.com/
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Visakhapatnam Restaurant Guide> Chrome
Text by: Tanya Munshi
One of the most popular places for teeny boppers and wannabes in Vizag would be Chrome. The neon lights with red and blue hues with mostly boring music that drills into your head makes you want to walk up to the DJ to tell him to change the music to something better.
The staff at Chrome is a slightly haughty and don't easily offer you a place to sit. If you're a couple they'll ensure you get the corner most table with bar stools that is quite dark and dingy and frankly speaking that's not our cup of tea.
Going to a pub is an experience where you hang out with your friend/s over drinks and titbits. My husband and I are the kind who like to listen to good music and we enjoy trying out new dishes. This wasn't our first trip to Chrome, to be honest; it was our third visit in two years. The saving grace in Chrome is that the food is good and the drinks are well prepared.
We tried Barbeque Chilli Mushrooms and Butterfly Prawns as starters and for dinner Non-Veg Oriental Combo that consisted of noodles, chilli chicken and fried rice and salad was strictly okay. The Non-Veg Continental Combo with buttered rice, chicken, salad and pasta was great. A meal for two should be within Rs. 900/-.
The crowd is okay, but I don't think this is a hotspot for matured grown ups to go. It is a popular pub/ disco in Vizag that attracts people who like very dark and dingy ambience with grating monotonous dhinchak music.
Overall Rating:
Ambience - *** (dark and dingy)
Service - * * * *
Presentation of food & drinks - * * * *
Quantity of food served - * * * *
Quality of food - * *
Price - * * * * *
Location:
Chrome,
Varun Towers
Siripuram
Visakhapatnam
Phone: 0891-2529000/ 2733000
One of the most popular places for teeny boppers and wannabes in Vizag would be Chrome. The neon lights with red and blue hues with mostly boring music that drills into your head makes you want to walk up to the DJ to tell him to change the music to something better.
The staff at Chrome is a slightly haughty and don't easily offer you a place to sit. If you're a couple they'll ensure you get the corner most table with bar stools that is quite dark and dingy and frankly speaking that's not our cup of tea.
Going to a pub is an experience where you hang out with your friend/s over drinks and titbits. My husband and I are the kind who like to listen to good music and we enjoy trying out new dishes. This wasn't our first trip to Chrome, to be honest; it was our third visit in two years. The saving grace in Chrome is that the food is good and the drinks are well prepared.
We tried Barbeque Chilli Mushrooms and Butterfly Prawns as starters and for dinner Non-Veg Oriental Combo that consisted of noodles, chilli chicken and fried rice and salad was strictly okay. The Non-Veg Continental Combo with buttered rice, chicken, salad and pasta was great. A meal for two should be within Rs. 900/-.
The crowd is okay, but I don't think this is a hotspot for matured grown ups to go. It is a popular pub/ disco in Vizag that attracts people who like very dark and dingy ambience with grating monotonous dhinchak music.
Overall Rating:
Ambience - *** (dark and dingy)
Service - * * * *
Presentation of food & drinks - * * * *
Quantity of food served - * * * *
Quality of food - * *
Price - * * * * *
Location:
Chrome,
Varun Towers
Siripuram
Visakhapatnam
Phone: 0891-2529000/ 2733000
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