Rest : Ruby Tuesday*
Time : Lunch
Date : August 2005
Location : Cross Roads 2, Nariman Point.
Company : Gautam
Experience: Got in around 2 pm the place was half full or half empty depending on your line of thinking. We were seated after a few mins but it took many minutes for the waiter to turn up and take in our order.
Order : Bomay platter, Salad, Veg. Burger with mushrooms, onions, cheese, cole slaw, Fries.
Drinks : Diet Coke, Water
Food: The Bombay platter was the single most boringly prepared, pointless thing i have had the dubious honor of consuming. I didnt even know why they bothered. It was dry, randomly spiced and contained uninteresting bits of cauliflower, cottage cheese. The fries were greasy, crunchy and just not enjoyable. The cole slaw seemed to have been prepared in hate, was dry, and unchewable. There was no ranch dressing for the salad, thus defeating the purpose. The Burger, well i think it was a good burger but then compared to the rest of the selection it was manna from heaven.
Overall : I would give the food a 3/10 while Service 3/10.
Damage : 850 INR ($180)
* There was also an interesing argument where the staff added a gratuity to the bill without asking me or mentioning it clearly on the menu. They also priced the Diet coke in a weird manner. The menu says INR 75 ($1.50) but the billing said INR 35 (.8ocents) and it added a tax amount for the rest of it. How the tax is calculated and how tax is taxed again is quite an intestesting read.
I got in touch with Ruby Tuesday, USA and they were good enough to forward my complaint to a gentlemen employed with them here. He was nice enough to call me, assured me of a better quality meal and explained the coke situation (which i dont agree with). However all this still hasnt made me want to go back there for my supposed free meal.
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
FAQ's
Why did you start Blogging?
Back in the day, i used to go out even more than i do now, ever so often i would end up having a bad meal/service and would bemoan the lack of a ready, regularly updated review and rating resource. Since no one seemed to be doing it i thought why not keep a record of my experiences so they could help others.
Can i use pictures from your blog
Only with permission please.
Can i use your reviews on my site/blog
Yes but only on a non-commercial site/blog and only with permission. For use on commercial sites or for publishing email me (gauravgjain @ gmail.com)
What is your favorite cuisine?
My favorites keep changing with time, i used to love Indian Chinese but my stomach cant handle it anymore. I would pick Mediterranean, even though its its a bit of a cheat to pick it as it covers a really wide area. It encompasses a wide range of my personal favorites from mezzes to pastas.
What is or are your favorite restaurant(s)
I have quite a few - Thai Pavilion (Bombay), Swati Snacks (Bombay) Santosh Sagar (Bombay) Indigo Deli (Bombay) Wasabi (Bombay) Aladdins Natural Eatery (across upstate New York) Tortilla (London) Texas Embassy (London)
What do you drink ?
Beer is something i enjoy, Hoegarden, Stella Artois but my fav is Strongbow cider which is not available in India. I also love Gin n Tonic, Red Bull Vodka, Riesling and would like to drink more Bollinger than i do now. I am also a fan of Indian butter milk and can go through copious quantities. Diet Coke, Thums Up which is an Indian cola drink is a preference since child hood. Malta orange juice, Bloody Mary's are an all round fav and Mojitos in the summer.
I disagree with your reviews
I dont find that surprising at all, most of my views are my own and come from personal experience. There is bound to be a difference of opinion and i welcome a difference of opinion. So drop me a line, always open to the discussion.
What do you do other than blogging?
I am professionally in the media space. I head an animation and media production studio www.illusion-i.com where we created animated content for film, tv, web and mobile. Ashoka the Hero (www.ashokathehero.in.com) was our first theatrical release and can be seen on Cartoon Network in India at present. We are also working on a slew of live action projects in various capacities.
I am coming to Bombay where should i eat ?
Briefly i recommend Thai Pavilion, Swati Snacks, Amadeus, Indigo Deli, Kebabs n Kurries, Wasabi, Dakshin, Peshawri, Dum Pukth, A thali restaurant. Bombay is a fairly large city with loads of restaurants and cuisines. Its best you go through the blog, it will give you a fair idea. Feel free to email me for specifics an recommendations on gauravgjain AT gmail.com
How much should i budget for a trip to Bombay/India?
Bombay being a metro is about 30-50% more expensive than smaller cities/towns. I would reckon for three meals a day one would need a bare minimum of INR 300-500 ($7-$11) to dine in relatively decent places. If you stick to street food you could perhaps do it for 200 ($4) spend A meal at a five star restaurant would run you anything between INR 2500-6000 ($55-$150) without alcohol.
What is a Thali?
A thali is a prix -fixe, pre-plated, set meal. It can be all you can eat refered to as the unlimited thali or the limited thalis where dishes are served once. It is like a buffet except the dishes are brought out to your table. A thali meal can be from any part of India though Gujarati, Punjabi, Maharashtrian, South Indian are the popular variations.
A thali usually consists of 1-2 appetizers, a dal, a kadhi (not curry, but a sweet or spicy yoghurt preparation) a dry vegetable, 1-2 gravy vegetables, buttermilk or curd, poppadums, 1-3 kinds of of rice, 1-3 kinds of breads, 1-2 desserts. A thali can be had at a small hole in the wall restaurant for as little as INR 50 ($1.10) or at five stars for 1500 ($35) and in between. The greater the variety, the higher the price. Read for more.
I want to start blogging what should i do?
Be patient and find your voice. It may or may not come easy to you but just try and update at least once a week and you will figure things out for yourself. Avoid typos and grammatical mistakes and try and present your point of view in as short a space as possible. Use pictures if relevant and be open to criticism. Most of all respect your readers and by that i mean offer them an easily readable, navigable page with relevant, interesting non plagiarized information.
Do you pay for all your meals
99% of the time i do pay for my meals. A few restaurant owners are old friends of mine from school and sometimes they will refuse to accept money despite insistance. I also get invited to some launches, re-launches or tastings and every so often i end up going. Such instances are clearly mentioned on relevant posts.
Do you really go out this often?
oh you better believe it! many a time i go out to restaurants i have reviewed often and don't write about them unless something worth mentioning happened.
How do you pick where you go?
Well, it depends really on who is in the dining party, sometimes its about going for old fav's or trying something new or just finding a place close by. There really isnt a method, its fairly random.
Do you travel often?
I travel a little bit, over the last few years the formula really has been a 2-3 week trip to Europe, a week somewhere in Asia and a few visits across India. I always try and sneak in some work in a vacation so its a mixed bag.
Are you a vegetarian?
yes for the most part. i am def not a hard core meat eater, i also dine with a large group of vegetarians. However i am def someone who will try anything (except drugs and organs) once.
Do you make money off this blog
Nope. The blog is for the most part ad free and i dont accept, money or gifts for writing about places or things. I do however receive payment for commissioned pieces i do for blogs and magazines.
How much have you spent on eating out ?
too much
Back in the day, i used to go out even more than i do now, ever so often i would end up having a bad meal/service and would bemoan the lack of a ready, regularly updated review and rating resource. Since no one seemed to be doing it i thought why not keep a record of my experiences so they could help others.
Can i use pictures from your blog
Only with permission please.
Can i use your reviews on my site/blog
Yes but only on a non-commercial site/blog and only with permission. For use on commercial sites or for publishing email me (gauravgjain @ gmail.com)
What is your favorite cuisine?
My favorites keep changing with time, i used to love Indian Chinese but my stomach cant handle it anymore. I would pick Mediterranean, even though its its a bit of a cheat to pick it as it covers a really wide area. It encompasses a wide range of my personal favorites from mezzes to pastas.
What is or are your favorite restaurant(s)
I have quite a few - Thai Pavilion (Bombay), Swati Snacks (Bombay) Santosh Sagar (Bombay) Indigo Deli (Bombay) Wasabi (Bombay) Aladdins Natural Eatery (across upstate New York) Tortilla (London) Texas Embassy (London)
What do you drink ?
Beer is something i enjoy, Hoegarden, Stella Artois but my fav is Strongbow cider which is not available in India. I also love Gin n Tonic, Red Bull Vodka, Riesling and would like to drink more Bollinger than i do now. I am also a fan of Indian butter milk and can go through copious quantities. Diet Coke, Thums Up which is an Indian cola drink is a preference since child hood. Malta orange juice, Bloody Mary's are an all round fav and Mojitos in the summer.
I disagree with your reviews
I dont find that surprising at all, most of my views are my own and come from personal experience. There is bound to be a difference of opinion and i welcome a difference of opinion. So drop me a line, always open to the discussion.
What do you do other than blogging?
I am professionally in the media space. I head an animation and media production studio www.illusion-i.com where we created animated content for film, tv, web and mobile. Ashoka the Hero (www.ashokathehero.in.com) was our first theatrical release and can be seen on Cartoon Network in India at present. We are also working on a slew of live action projects in various capacities.
I am coming to Bombay where should i eat ?
Briefly i recommend Thai Pavilion, Swati Snacks, Amadeus, Indigo Deli, Kebabs n Kurries, Wasabi, Dakshin, Peshawri, Dum Pukth, A thali restaurant. Bombay is a fairly large city with loads of restaurants and cuisines. Its best you go through the blog, it will give you a fair idea. Feel free to email me for specifics an recommendations on gauravgjain AT gmail.com
How much should i budget for a trip to Bombay/India?
Bombay being a metro is about 30-50% more expensive than smaller cities/towns. I would reckon for three meals a day one would need a bare minimum of INR 300-500 ($7-$11) to dine in relatively decent places. If you stick to street food you could perhaps do it for 200 ($4) spend A meal at a five star restaurant would run you anything between INR 2500-6000 ($55-$150) without alcohol.
What is a Thali?
A thali is a prix -fixe, pre-plated, set meal. It can be all you can eat refered to as the unlimited thali or the limited thalis where dishes are served once. It is like a buffet except the dishes are brought out to your table. A thali meal can be from any part of India though Gujarati, Punjabi, Maharashtrian, South Indian are the popular variations.
A thali usually consists of 1-2 appetizers, a dal, a kadhi (not curry, but a sweet or spicy yoghurt preparation) a dry vegetable, 1-2 gravy vegetables, buttermilk or curd, poppadums, 1-3 kinds of of rice, 1-3 kinds of breads, 1-2 desserts. A thali can be had at a small hole in the wall restaurant for as little as INR 50 ($1.10) or at five stars for 1500 ($35) and in between. The greater the variety, the higher the price. Read for more.
I want to start blogging what should i do?
Be patient and find your voice. It may or may not come easy to you but just try and update at least once a week and you will figure things out for yourself. Avoid typos and grammatical mistakes and try and present your point of view in as short a space as possible. Use pictures if relevant and be open to criticism. Most of all respect your readers and by that i mean offer them an easily readable, navigable page with relevant, interesting non plagiarized information.
Do you pay for all your meals
99% of the time i do pay for my meals. A few restaurant owners are old friends of mine from school and sometimes they will refuse to accept money despite insistance. I also get invited to some launches, re-launches or tastings and every so often i end up going. Such instances are clearly mentioned on relevant posts.
Do you really go out this often?
oh you better believe it! many a time i go out to restaurants i have reviewed often and don't write about them unless something worth mentioning happened.
How do you pick where you go?
Well, it depends really on who is in the dining party, sometimes its about going for old fav's or trying something new or just finding a place close by. There really isnt a method, its fairly random.
Do you travel often?
I travel a little bit, over the last few years the formula really has been a 2-3 week trip to Europe, a week somewhere in Asia and a few visits across India. I always try and sneak in some work in a vacation so its a mixed bag.
Are you a vegetarian?
yes for the most part. i am def not a hard core meat eater, i also dine with a large group of vegetarians. However i am def someone who will try anything (except drugs and organs) once.
Do you make money off this blog
Nope. The blog is for the most part ad free and i dont accept, money or gifts for writing about places or things. I do however receive payment for commissioned pieces i do for blogs and magazines.
How much have you spent on eating out ?
too much
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