Jul 06, 2007 10:25 PM
4551 Views
*If you've read any of my other reviews on food/restaurants you'll know that I take food very seriously. I am a confirmed foodie and love trying new places and different cuisines. I'm fairly experimental too. although I will draw the line at brain, ox tongue and blood pudding etc.There's just something eww about eating stuff like that. But hey - to each his/her own.
I had heard about Sunnys even before I moved to Bangalore. So when I moved here, this was one of the things on my MUST DO/ MUST EAT AT list.
Sunny's is located on the very swish and swanky Vittal Mallya Road, just a few 100 metres from UB City. But let me warn you, if you blink, you will miss it.Even though its at the corner of the street, the roundabout next to it is very busy and parking is an absolute nightmare. So, if you don't have the luxury of a driver at your disposal, be prepared to circle around for a while looking for parking.
I'll start from the beginning so you have an idea of what this place looks like. One enters through an outdoor area where there is a small bar and a few tables set up. If the weather's good, you won't get a place there. The restaurant is on two levels(although I have only seen the ground floor). As soon as you enter, the surly Manager/Head waiter will ask if you have a reservation. Now I, didn't. It was a weekday and I figured it wouldn't be an issue. The Manager looked at me, grimaced and then said he's accommodate me. The restaurant was empty other than a table that was occupied by a lone guest(who I later found out was not a guest - he was the owner) and two more tables which had about 4 people on each table, so I was quite puzzled.
Anyway, I just assumed all the tables were probably reserved so I just sat down quietly and frankly, gratefully.
The ambiance. hmn. it's pretty basic really. Tables, chairs, white table cloths. nothing out of the ordinary. Actually, quite forgettable.*
*The waiter came after about 10 minutes even though there were loads of waiters hanging around. That's one thing you notice immediately. There are just so many waiters! Anyway, I decided to have a Ceasers salad as an appetizer and a pasta as my main course. I was with two other friends and they drink so they ordered a bottle of wine to share between them. I stuck to diet coke.
One of my friends ordered a salad and jumbo pawns with tomato tarragon sauce while the other ordered a seafood bisque and a risotto with asparagus, zucchini and mushrooms.
It took 20 minutes for our salads to be served and they put a basket of freshly baked bread on the table accompanied by herb butter.The salad was very good. Just the right amount of everything - so no complaints there.
Then came our main course. The portion of pasta I got was good! I couldn't finish it! And I must admit, it was very very good. The one who ordered the risotto was also very happy with her choice but my poor friend who ordered the prawns got the shock of her life - she basically got 4 prawns on a plate with some weak sauce. it was good that my pasta was big enough to share.
The place is quite pricey and even though most guide books say that an average spend for two is about Rs 1000 - I beg to differ. We were three of us. We ordered a bottle of Indian red wine(Grovers), a diet coke, 2 salads, a soup and three main courses. No dessert or coffee. We got a bill for 3800!Now either I should have failed in math in school or we had to shell out approx 1300 rupees each!
Now the service. This place is basically an expat hangout.Loads of expat wives hang out there and the owner basically falls over himself to please them. He is not so friendly with the Indian guests unless you are very old clients. He can be very rude and his attitude rubs off on the staff. The waiters have an attitude problem the size of Asia! I was quite upset when we left.*
*A few weeks later, I had to go back again with a few friends and my husband, who happens to be Swedish. Oh! My! God! What a change! Suddenly I was treated like royalty! I was so disgusted that I vowed never to go back again - even though there are many times that the taste of the superfluous Ceaser's salad sways my resolve. But I haven't swayed yet and won't if I can help it.
I recommend the food definitely but is it worth it to feel discriminated against and pay a heavy price for it(literally)? I think not.*
