This Thursday night, I took my family (wife and 2 kids) to the Haagen Dazs outlet in Bandra. This was my 4th time there and I had not been too disappointed previously. At my daughter’s behest (she had had it earlier with friends) we ordered a Classic Fondue.
It looked awesome in the illustrations in the menu. A circular platter with separate ingredients. Basically 16 ice cream balls about an inch in diameter, 4 balls each of 4 flavors, a bowl of macadamia nuts, a bowl of whipped cream, a bowl of chocolate sprinkles, a section with sliced fruits(kiwi fruit, oranges and strawberries), small portions of brownies and choco chip cookies and waffle wafers. In the center, a bowl of hot chocolate heated by a lamp underneath. Cost? Rs 1595! . It arrived and looked as good as it was shown in the pics. We shared it and loved the concept and the taste. We also had a cheesecake with a scoop of mango/passion fruit ice-cream and 2 take-away scoops.
Total bill: Actually around Rs 2, 400. Fair enough, no problem.
What irked me were the additions to the actual bill. Service charge nearly Rs 200+ Service tax at 5%+ VAT at 12.5%. So final bill? Rs 3125! I paid up the additional Rs 700+ without a murmur. It did seem like daylight robbery but what to do??
Haagen Dazs after all. That’s when I knew I had arrived! .