Maybe its human nature but what everyone is touting as amazing, everyone continues to call amazing unless punched on the nose.
Going by the rave reviews and being so close to where I stay, I was oh so excited about a swanky new fine dining restaurant in town. So I made my way there one balmy Friday evening, only to be rudely dismissed as I did not have a prior booking for the most coveted out-door dining area. I was miffed, was annoyed enough to give the place a miss, but I figured, the management must be so snooty because they must be really good and know it too. And I'm not one to give a good dining experience a miss just because the manager or the waiters are not courteous.
So early Saturday morning, determined not to be rebuffed again, I booked a table (on the rooftop mind), and was again annoyed when they advised me to take a table inside as it might be sunny. I insisted and got the table I wanted. I was in high spirits all morning in the expectation of a fabulous lunch, and was effervescence overflowing when I made my way to Aroy with my beloved in tow.
I must say I was pleasantly surprised with the menu. It was laid out very nicely but that's where my pleasant surprises ended.
We ordered the Tom Kha soup. When the journey into the world of intense lemon grass flavored food began. One ignores the warning signs, even when they are screaming at you. The soup, thankfully was only mildly flavored with the said lemon grass.
After being told the starter I wanted was not available that day (then maybe they should have a timetable for the starters, so diners are not mislead), and being told rice parcels stuffed with vegetables will take more than half hour to prepare (are they trying to put off people entirely), we settled for the tofu marinated in a red chilli paste and grilled in banana leaves, and...well... one bite is all I managed to take out of a generous serving of the worst flavored tofu I have tasted. It was ghastly, it looked pretty, but I could not even stand the smell of it. The waiter, instead of inquiring if something was amiss, smiles at me choking on the food. I am in awe of my sweetheart who managed to down 4 or 5 pieces of the ghastly dish, and very effectively ruined his appetite.
The main course was baby corn and mushroom stir fry and flat noodles in yellow bean sauce. The waiter nodded his approval, and I figured maybe I just got off on the wrong foot here. Patience and a positive attitude was called for here.
Phaw!! The stir fry reeked of more lemon grass and the noodles was bland. Another bite of the stir fry is again all I could manage, again the waiter smiling, seeing two diners having extraordinary difficulty eating what is on their plates. The noodles was thankfully lemon grass free. It left me wondering maybe people can be fooled into thinking lemon grass is the hallmark of all Pan-Asian cuisine, and rave about it. I could not pretend any more and nor could I subject my other half to such cruelties, so we asked for the check and ran, scared to order anything else.
I am confident, I will not be visiting the restaurant ever again, and will especially request dishes to be made without lemon grass anywhere else I go.
anitha1915
