Edit – This restaurant has permanently closed down.
I’m sure everyone has visited a really hyped up restaurant, only to be thoroughly disappointed. Sometimes it’s the food, sometimes it’s the service, sometimes it’s the ambiance.
And sometime’s it’s all three.
Sadly, ‘By the Way’ on Pune’s Fergusson Road was one such eatery.
I was really looking forward to going there after reading all the fantastic reviews on Zomato. (Some people even said it had a Greek Vibe,)
Uhh.. no.
I visited it one afternoon and it was quite inconspicuous. There was a giant board at the entrance that said “Happy Hours 11 am to 7 pm.” The waiter later said that there was no happy hours that day. It’s just kept there.
The menu is pretty impressive, it has Thai, Oriental, Continental, Italian and of course, Indian cuisine. It was quite surprising to see most of the people ordering “daal-roti-sabji,” at such a place but it quickly became apparent that I should have done the same.
On asking the waiter what the house special was, he promptly said “Thaison Vietnamese Chicken.” Listed under the Oriental, this dish was described as “the Chef’s special, shredded pieces of chicken mixed with grated raw potato and deep fried. Topped with a sauce made of butter, red wine, chopped parsley and green chilies.” Sounded great.
Instead, what came to the table was cubed chicken with chopped onion and an entire packet’s worth of Everest Chili Powder. On bringing this to the waiter’s attention he laughs and says “That’s what’s given on the menu but that’s not how it’s prepared. This is the best seller.”
If there’s anything worse than bad food, it’s a bad attitude.
I should have probably left right then, but decided to give the place another shot. I ordered the Chicken Pasta in white sauce. It was decent. I mean something-you-would-expect-at-Pizza-Hut decent.
Oh, the mocktails were dismal too. Here’s my Miami Beach. Kiwi and Peach Slush. It came in a chipped glass and was so not worth the money.
The Verdict
Cost for two (excluding drinks) – Rs. 2000/-
Food – 1/10
Service – 1/10
Ambiance – 3/10
Value for money – 3/10
Hit or Miss?
Definitely a Miss!
Edit – This restaurant has been permanently closed.