As soon as I entered the place, I thought of an episode of a crime series, most probably CSI, where the patrons are expected to dine in the dark because that supposedly enhances your sense of taste. :-)
The Kurla mall spoils you for choice when it comes to eating places. Apart from the usual fast food suspects - Subway, Pizza Hut, McDonald's, KFC- they have Kailash Parbat, Shiv Sagar, Funjabi Tadaka, Kebabs & Grills, Poush (this one boasts of Kashmiri food!) and a host of other options. We had almost made up our minds to walk into Golden Chariot because everyone was in mood for some Chinese food. But at the last moment, we chose Rainforest instead - mainly because of the decor, I must confess.
A cave-like structure with clear gurgling water greets you at the entrance. And then you better watch your step because it is very dark inside - even when your eyes get adjusted to it after a while. They have provided little overhead lamps to help you read the menu but the light is not enough and some of the corner tables don't have that lamp even. I saw people trying to decipher the menu using their cell phones. I myself felt my wrists go numb from having to hold onto the lamp for dear life.
The menu doesn't make things easier. At first I thought the Chinese section (they serve Indian and Italian food as well) doesn't have Rice/Noodles. How can that be? A couple of minutes of hectic page-turning later I realized that the menu was arranged first course-wise and then cuisine-wise. Oh Boy! That means I will have to keep flipping the pages back and forth a number of times to make the final selection. My sincere sympathies with those who walk in with the intention of deciding which cuisine to go for after going through the menu!
We finally zeroed in on 3 Mushroom Fried Rice and Crispy Chicken - only to be informed by the server that the fried rice will have only one type of mushroom. Whatever! Just add some chicken and bring it. I remember waiting for good 20-25 minutes before we were served. An unsolicited advice - don't go to this place if you are very hungry and expect your food to be served in minutes. Another confession is in order - I was waiting for food and dreading it at the same time because by now I was not sure what was going to land on my plate.
I am happy to report though that I have never been proven more wrong in my life - at least as far as food is concerned. The food completely redeemed the place. It was no use trying to take photos so you will have to take my word for it. The rice was piping hot, full of flavors and huge chunks of meat, neatly cooked - I simply couldn't get enough of it. Thank God it was dark or else the diners at the other tables would have cringed at the way I was stuffing myself :-) The Crispy Chicken was delicious though it would have tasted better with a little bit of more spice. If they had served Fortune Cookies, mine would have come with the message 'You Will Have A Delicious Lunch Today' :-)
A bit of an unsolicited advice for the management: improve the lighting (but please don't take away the lanterns!), tone down the music (I am sure the rainforests don't have it!) and make it easy for the diners to sift through the menu.
The Kurla mall spoils you for choice when it comes to eating places. Apart from the usual fast food suspects - Subway, Pizza Hut, McDonald's, KFC- they have Kailash Parbat, Shiv Sagar, Funjabi Tadaka, Kebabs & Grills, Poush (this one boasts of Kashmiri food!) and a host of other options. We had almost made up our minds to walk into Golden Chariot because everyone was in mood for some Chinese food. But at the last moment, we chose Rainforest instead - mainly because of the decor, I must confess.
A cave-like structure with clear gurgling water greets you at the entrance. And then you better watch your step because it is very dark inside - even when your eyes get adjusted to it after a while. They have provided little overhead lamps to help you read the menu but the light is not enough and some of the corner tables don't have that lamp even. I saw people trying to decipher the menu using their cell phones. I myself felt my wrists go numb from having to hold onto the lamp for dear life.
The menu doesn't make things easier. At first I thought the Chinese section (they serve Indian and Italian food as well) doesn't have Rice/Noodles. How can that be? A couple of minutes of hectic page-turning later I realized that the menu was arranged first course-wise and then cuisine-wise. Oh Boy! That means I will have to keep flipping the pages back and forth a number of times to make the final selection. My sincere sympathies with those who walk in with the intention of deciding which cuisine to go for after going through the menu!
We finally zeroed in on 3 Mushroom Fried Rice and Crispy Chicken - only to be informed by the server that the fried rice will have only one type of mushroom. Whatever! Just add some chicken and bring it. I remember waiting for good 20-25 minutes before we were served. An unsolicited advice - don't go to this place if you are very hungry and expect your food to be served in minutes. Another confession is in order - I was waiting for food and dreading it at the same time because by now I was not sure what was going to land on my plate.
I am happy to report though that I have never been proven more wrong in my life - at least as far as food is concerned. The food completely redeemed the place. It was no use trying to take photos so you will have to take my word for it. The rice was piping hot, full of flavors and huge chunks of meat, neatly cooked - I simply couldn't get enough of it. Thank God it was dark or else the diners at the other tables would have cringed at the way I was stuffing myself :-) The Crispy Chicken was delicious though it would have tasted better with a little bit of more spice. If they had served Fortune Cookies, mine would have come with the message 'You Will Have A Delicious Lunch Today' :-)
A bit of an unsolicited advice for the management: improve the lighting (but please don't take away the lanterns!), tone down the music (I am sure the rainforests don't have it!) and make it easy for the diners to sift through the menu.
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