Lodhi - The Garden Restaurant

Having moved to Lodhi Estate recently, it was but natural that we decided to go into the famed Lodhi - The Garden Restaurant when we had a good reason to celebrate. It serves European and Mediterranean cuisines, for those who may not already know.

So we stop our car right in front of the restaurant, submit the key for valet parking and take a token---an unnecessary exercise, really, because when we came out after the dinner, the car was right where we had left it---at the curb of the main road right outside the restaurant gate. Valet parking, my foot!

Moving to more pleasant things, as soon as you enter through the restaurant gate, one automatically relaxes and it is very easy to forget that the busy main road runs right outside. To be blunt, I thought I was entering a garden of my dreams. It might have seemed spectacular because it was nighttime, the lighting was just perfect, and there was just the right amount of chill to make one want to enjoy their meal outside. We were then informed that no alcohol would be served outside so if we were planing to order drinks, we had no option but to sit indoors. Buzz kill! We tried to salvage our moods by ordering drinks first.

A little wait later the drinks arrived --- Gooseberry Margarita, Apple Mojito, Apple Sangria, and a Whiskey (that's my dad's usual at any restaurant. Boooooring!).

(Left to right and back to front) Gooseberry Margarita, Apple Mojito, Apple Sangria, and Whiskey

Ok! So the cocktails are so-so and not memorable. The menu card was very limiting and so we ended up ordering a Mezze platter for appetizer, which will not be discussed any further since it certainly does not deserve any attention.

For dinner, our order consisted of 2 Seafood Paella, 1 Chicken Paella, and 1 New Zealand Lamb Chops.  Each dish was more than adequate for 1 person and the food was good too. It would be right to mention here that I did think that the Seafood Paella was a tad more interesting in flavors than my Chicken Paella and the Lamb Chops were succulent and mildly flavored making it quite likeable.

For desserts, we were shown an array of desserts of which we chose a Strawberry mousse and a chocolate mousse. Our server returned to our table after 5-6 minutes to tell us that the chef refused to serve the Strawberry mousse because he was not happy with the way the latest batch had turned out and so could we please order something else? The strawberry mousse was promptly replaced by my ever favorite Blueberry Cheesecake. The desserts were good but I have had better.

When the bill arrived, I did blink blankly at the receipt a few times because I could not wrap total bill figure round my head. It was ludicrous! The food was good, I admit , but I have had much, much better food at a fraction of the bill I was staring at. And I do go often to so called "expensive" places to eat so I know that the 5-figure bill was grossly disproportionate to our satisfaction of having what we just had. I was almost tempted to ask them if they would take my kidney (or two) instead of cash. I was also in a mood to slap all those who wrote in their reviews that the average cost was "Rs.2000 to 2,500 for two." Sniffing food does not count in a food review! Hmmmph.

Next time, I plan on just walking in, ordering a glass of water, and leave. The location is fabulous but I know better places to eat. :)

Avg. cost:  Rs.3000 per person
Rating: 3/5 (the "3" is SOLELY for the location and ambiance).