[Rating:3.5/5]
Kiranjit was feeling usually generous a week or so back, with the outcome, we found ourselves having lunch at Rare Eastern Dining (R.E.D), in the Radisson MBD Hotel in Sector 18, NOIDA.
For some reason, I’ve never really liked *any* of the Radisson hotels in India. Perhaps it was the surly waiter who decided to dump noodles into my plate every few minutes at I’Ching, or perhaps the manager who went on a yelling spree (in the kitchen) when I reported a hair, but didn’t even speak to me, or was it the maitre’d in the Great Kebab Factory who tried his best to glare me down after spreading out his legs with his hands on his hips after I requested faster service. I’m not really sure, but I have tried to avoid Radisson whenever possible. Not so with Kiranjit – he eats, swims and works out at the Radisson MBD, and would even live there if he could… I think. A big fan of the Radisson MBD, Kiranjit persuaded me to try Rare Eastern Dining, assuring me that he’s only had good experiences at the Radisson MBD.
Located on the first floor, Rare Eastern Dining is an elegant place with low key lighting, on table grills and an open kitchen, all done in very woody tones. Run by Chef Raymond Sim Poak, it offers a fairly interesting menu and prompt service. There was a slight hiccup when I was told I couldn’t take photos, but that resolved itself fairly quickly when I promised not to take photos of the guests or surroundings, and only of the food and my own table.
Some items on the menu looked quite tempting, like their ‘spare ribs tossed in coffee sauce’ an the like. However, the Rare Eastern Dining menu could be made far more authentic and interesting, given the capabilities of their Singaporean Chef and the wide range of options oriental food offers.
We opted for the Non Vegetarian Bento Box, which came with Lohan Vegetables in Soya Garlic Sauce, Poached Chicken with Soya Sauce, Spicy Sauteed Fish, Vegetable Fried Rice, Cantonese Clear Soup, Green Bean Salad and Fresh Fruits. In one word – brilliant!
According to Chef Raymond, the objective is to serve quick and healthy meals to visitors at lunch time. The vegetables were well flavored and crunchy, the chicken was incredibly tender and came topped with a load of shredded ginger, the spicy sauteed fish was delicious and the green bean salad, which was flavored with garlic and sesame, was crisp and full of flavor. The soup was very delicately flavored and had a load of crisp vegetables. Even though it was a filling meal, I just had to have a little more of the green bean salad, while Kiranjit asked for another portion of the poached chicken.
Only one complaint – the pickled carrots served to us were quite old, with the result that the centres were uneatable and quite fibrous. I’ve noticed this quality issue with the vegetables at the Great Kebab Factory too – yellowing cucumbers among others.
I loved the meal and am certainly going back to try it again. It wasn’t exactly cheap, what with the bill coming uncomfortably close to 2,500 for a meal for two, but then, life is short… and Kiranjit was paying.
- Sid
Awadhi Andaaz Ka Kya Kehna
Contributed by Rati TripathiIt’s 7:30am in New Okhla Industrial Development Authority (Area). You’re hungry. You want to catch up with a loved one. You have to head out to the international airport in 2 hours. Where’re you gonna go? Radisson, of course!
With due nods to Sagar and McDonald, I believe it is safe to say The Radisson Blu Hotel in Sector 18 enjoys a near monopoly in the early breakfast market. I’m sure they were not unaware of their powerful bargaining position when they decided to price the breakfast buffet at Rs. 950 per head excluding tax and service charges. Sure, there’s fruit and pastries and eggs and dosas and hash browns and bacon and cold cuts and corn and soup and cappuccino. Almost everything you could want at that hour. Almost.
But whatever the food may lack in local variety to satisfy curious foreign travelers or nostalgic Indian visitors, the hospitality of the staff makes up in spades.
Out of habit, I looked up the hotel on the Internet before heading out and stumbled upon a breakfast offer from the good people at Snap Deal. 30 small ones for 30 percent off is too easy to pass up. Or so I thought. After calling the hotel to check if the deal was legit, we spent the next 15 minutes struggling to get the website to accept a credit card. With one eye on the clock, we decided to make our way to the buffet and let the hotel wi-fi help us out in between courses.
Luckily, the service manager on duty was the same person I’d spoken with on the phone. He was sympathetic, helpful and innovative. When the wi-fi failed, he offered to use his own phone to procure the coupon for us. When tedious security logistics with our credit cards stumped us not once but three times, he offered to use his own debit card to make the purchase.
He chuckled when I apologized profusely for all the trouble and asked him to see this experience as a good learning for the hotel. It is not so easy for some of your customers to use SnapDeal for the first time and wouldn’t it be better to switch to khojguru so that all financial transactions stay strictly between the customer and the vendor?
90 minutes, three cups of coffee and several e-commerce battles later, we bid a grateful farewell to Mr. Ashish Joshi. And reimbursed him the 30 small ones with a smile.
