Sad if you’ve already been to an Annachi before reading this review. If you havnt, dont even venture a mile close to one. Eat this- It was the second day since the restaurants high decibel launch in Bangalore and we decided to hit the joint after a rather long drawn client meeting. The ambience was decent with a serious effort going into giving the place a quaint feel. But hey the ambience is not what we were here to eat. We were soon attended upon by a waiter with a constipated smile. For some strange reason he kept looking behind his back while jotting down the orders. We started off on crab soup, served piping hot in with a generous helping of this and that and two portions of decayed crab per bowl. Believe me, it took me whole two weeks to get over the nausea.
The moment the soups were served, even the least-seafood-initiated amongst us figured out that something was seriously wrong. Called in the waiter, who called in another waiter who called in the Manager who picks up one of the bowls sniffs deeply and declares "saaar thats how crab is smells". Serving spoilt food is obnoxious enough. Justifying it just blows the lid. We told him to drink up a bowl and munch down those ’succulent’ crab legs. One sip gone and he recalls the order with a sheepish apology. Remember-this is just a day after they opened. Next came the appetizer-spicy mutton kheema balls-slightly larger than marbles we used to play with, full of garam masala, a pinch of mutton and deep fried to the point of indestructibility. Next came the main course- White rice with vathal kolambu , undercooked overaged chiken curry and papad. Way too short on quantity. The kolambu was perhaps a saving grace. A rasam struggling to find its identity rounded off our rendezvous. Burrp. I promised never to set foot here again.
Second visit a couple of months back, after a lot of deliberation and cajoling from peers. This time we stuck to veg. Nothing had changed. The crabs were probably replaced by fresh decayed crabs.The waiters seemed a tad dumber and the fare pathetic as expected.
Overall Ratings:
Ambience: Average
Food: Pathetic, unless you can find a a better defining adjective.
Wallet factor: Close to 500 for a reasonably hungry twosome
Service: Lethargic but amusing, where else would you find Nepalese serving Chettinaad food?