I’ve been a few times to the Taj for meals and drinks in the past, but September 2001 saw my first stay. And what a place! This was colonial fun all the way. From the Fort George bar to the ’Patio Restaurant’, nothing but clichéd glitz and good manners. The Fort George bar is the first ’venue’ you pass in the lobby. They have a good selection of local and imported drinks and sometimes they torture you with a singer and band. It’s fun, but wears a little thin if you just want to have a quiet drink.
Beyond the reception desks are two ’speciality’ restaurants; the Red Dragon (Chinese) and the Seven Southern States (Southern Indian). Both off which supply super grub at pukka prices. in the Seven States they throw in a classical dancer and a karthic 3-set combo (not quite jazz baby, but just as dug by their own music). taking the winding stairs to the bottom floor, you’ll find two more fine eating establishments.... The main one (I can never remember it’s name) where you can get deafened by oriental rock bands every night of the week as you eat international food (and very good it is too), and the Patio. Now I love the Patio, it’s a French restaurant; complete with it’s own foyer and piano playing staff member in a Penguin suit (tux and bow-tie). Soufflé Camembert is a great starter, and getting your teeth into a real Entrecote Steak in India is marvellous! But they do the silver bowl over your plate thing, and time the ’revealing’ of the dish very obviously (a scenario they play-out every time). It’s all long tailed jackets and white gloves in there, thus adding to a slightly surreal comic atmosphere (one thinks of Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life’s Mr. Creosote sequence). Also the Patio offers a good selection of European wines that have been stored correctly and have not been reduced to vinegar.
There are other things I didn’t use like the Health Club, barbers or the swimming pool.
The rooms are very good too. I got twin beds, a decent 28’’ screen TV and a mini-bar as well as the much needed AC. It’s a lot quieter than the Sheraton as there isn’t a nightclub on the premises, but a getting taxi at night is no problem for the staff. There’s also a great business centre near the main entrance that has a small meeting room, fax machines, PC’s, photocopiers, book binding equipment and a reference library.
The place is located very well if you like Spencer’s Plaza as much as I do!!!
The other great thing is that they have a happy hour (that isn’t an hour but two!), which besides sampling the local stuff you get to meet other guests (if you like socialising).
All in all I give the place a big thumbs-up, but I missed Gatsby 2000.............