Apr 01, 2006 11:18 AM
3817 Views
(Updated Apr 01, 2006 11:20 AM)
This restaurant at the Taj is certainly up to the mark.
Having relocated to Nashik from Mumbai a few years ago, I initially made trial visits
to several restaurants, only to meet with disappointment.
This is one restaurant which is most certainly an exception.
The ambience is there all right.
It is a multi-cuisine restaurant.
It is one of our favourite haunts when our extended family is visiting.
They do go that extra mile for their guests.
I have asked for Chinese dishes minus MSG (aji-no-moto) and they have complied.
They have also served 'Chapati' (Maharashtrian style) and even 'varan-bhaat' on
request.
The food has always been upto my expectations.
The quality, standard of hygiene is upto the mark.
The cooking is authentic (eg. Tom Yum soup tastes just like it's supposed to.)
An abundance of chillies and oil is the hallmark of all restaurants in Nashik,in
deference to the taste of the Nashik-kars. But not at the Panchratna.
They regularly have food festivals to entice the locals.
Recently they had a Chinese festival. Earlier they have held Italian, Chettinad,
Rajasthani,Punjabi and several other 'desi' and 'pardesi' fests.
Unfortunately, this restaurant is not very popular with the locals out here. It is
usually packed with Mumbai-kars on the way to/from Shirdi.
One reason may be the slightly higher pricing compared to the other star hotels.
Nashik certainly is a very price-sensitive market.
Another reason is the location.
It is very accessible from the Mumbai-Agra Highway,
but slightly outside the city ( to be exact - it is 6 km from Mumbai Naka).
Getting there on a two-wheeler is not exactly safe. If one doesn't have a car then
transport is a problem. THERE ARE NO METER TAXIS IN NASHIK.
Scooter rickshaws are a bane. Even if one gets a rickshaw to get there, getting a
rickshaw to get back home, late at night is next to impossible.
