10/01/2012 @ Country Inn & Suites By Carlson Sahibabad

They say "I love this Country" right below their logo. They have branded it as a 5 star. Right from the entrance to the exit, it is indeed a unique experience.

Here is just one glimpse of their restaurant:

Welcome to Tatva @ Country Inn & Suites by Carlson Sahibabad! There is no planned lighting. It looks like someone decided to build a restaurant next to the lobby. Okay, let's choose a table. There is no one to pull your chair. The glass of water on the unbalanced table keeps shaking left-right just like a ship at sea. The glasses have a deposit of a fine amorphous powder. No, it is not for flavor. It is easier to see it after they proudly pour the in-house processed drinking water the taste of which is not as pleasing as one would expect. Of course, an inspection of the bottle did not reveal a bottling or a best before date. The lighting is quite low in the area so you will have to look carefully for some Brownian action in your glass of water. Next, the waiter will come w/ fewer menus than the number of guests. Further ahead, an easy glance at the white plates will reveal some more black powder. No it is not black-pepper. An uncourteous exchange of plate will reveal another plate w/ some black powder and an old stale rice grain which survived their dish washing system. Further ahead, the coriander (cilantro) chutney they serve is not fresh. It is hard to believe how can they even think of serving it that way. It is one of the easiest things to make out if fresh or not. We asked the waiter to taste, he got another bowl full of the same chutney! As for the starters, they don't know how to serve them. They put them in a plate and it is delivered to the table. Their chef howsoever proud s/he may be of her/his creations needs training at a fine-dining restaurant. For the main course, you can expect the dish containing the same to have oily dirty fingerprints around the corners in four places on average. It is awful and unhygienic to look at. The forks and knives are the most scratched you would have seen. Well, it is a five-star after all, it is hard to find it elsewhere. However, there is one good part about it. The waiter wanted to hurry up the feedback form as I decided to take a snapshot. He showed it to the manager who asked us about the food not being fresh. He insisted that they make it fresh. It doesn't help if you are using stale ingredients. I suggested him not to make a basic mistake like that in the chutney. It is obvious to make out. I looked at him expecting two more questions about cleaning the plates and glasses and about training the staff but he did not ask. Embarrassment or displeasure, I do not know. It was an opportunity for feedback and improvement but he decided to miss. Rest, there was no one at the exit door! No comments about the menu, formatting, color, fonts, etc. Thanks.