The Vista at Hotel Lerida

Tandoor Tarkari

I didn't have very high expectations out of this restaurants as in general restaurants attached to hotels tend to have dubious food. And I'm not talking about the uber classy Taj or JW Marriot.. They have a  reputation for excellent service and hospitality and, for them, that extends to the food they serve as well.
But as a rule of thumb, I avoid the ubiquitous ' AC/multi-cuisine' restaurants that are part of a hotel establishment. They all seem to serve the same kind of food. Palatable but nothing memorable.


Unfortunately Vista restaurant located  in Hotel Lerida fell squarely in that category.

We had gone there for lunch on Sunday afternoon and were seated in a small square room with barely 7-8 tables. It was warmly lit with Egyptian papyrus prints on the walls. The tables had the signature purple Lerida tableware. 
Although the restaurant claims to be multicuisine, there were just two sections on their menu. Indian and Chinese. Though in all fairness, the Chinese menu did feature some Thai dishes as well.

Vegetable Tom Kha Soup

We decided on the  veg Tom Kha soup. It was a chef special soup with a Thai chilis, coconut, lemongrass, and cut vegetables. The soup was thick but with only a hint of coconut. I'm assuming they used cornflour to thicken the soup instead of just coconut milk as was claimed in the menu. But the soup was spicy and creamy at the same time. It was garnished with bits of fried garlic which really added a pleasant taste and crunch to the soup. All in all , it was definitely the highlight of the meal.
Along we the soup, we decided to order the Tandoori Tarkari, from the Indian menu, as a starter.  It came out perfectly timed, as we were just finishing up the soup. Sadly, it turned out to be soggy batter fried vegetables with a green chutney. The tarkari vegetables looked like they had been fried a while ago and were soft and greasy. Not something I would ever order again.
For the mains, we decided to go with the Indian menu. We ordered a Paneer Nawabi, which was described to us by the waiter as a mild curry with a cashew base. What we got instead was a flavorless yellow curry with barely 3 pieces of paneer in it. It was bland and none of the aromatic nawabi spice we were hoping for.
As there were very few options in the chicken category, I asked for the server's recommendation for the main course. He recommended the Chicken Matka (which is not served in a matka, btw). It's a brown, tomato based curry with chunks of chicken in it. The gravy was OK, nothing special. Like the paneer dish, the curry was lacking in flavor but the tenderness of the chicken saved the dish.

Paneer Nawabi with plain roti (bottom) and laccha paratha (top)

 We ordered three different kinds of breads along with the main course. There was a plain roti, laccha paratha and roomali roti. The plain roti was just that. Plain, slightly chewy but nicely blistered in the tandoor. Laccha paratha was a slightly better version of the roti with flaky (albeit oily) layers and a nice charred crust. 
Roomali Roti, though, was the worst of the lot.  A well made roomali roti is soft, thin, almost translucent roti that is made with a blend with of all purpose (white) flour and whole wheat flour. That blend is what gives the roti its flavor and pliability. The one at Vista was  probably made with just white flour, it was thick at the edges and stiffened up at the table. I'm not one to throw food away but I could barely finish half of it.


Overall I can safely say that we will  not be returning to this restaurant again. The food wasn't bad. But it just wasn't good either. Fairly generous quantity and prompt service though. 
They have another rooftop restaurant which is open only for dinner service. I'm assuming, the ambience there would be much better than the room in which we were seated.
But we could have the same quality of food at much cheaper prices elsewhere.


Rating:
Ambience: 2/5
Food: 2/5
Service: 3.5/5


Meal for 4 (without alcohol): Approximately Rs 1500/-


The Vista at Hotel Lerida
Opp: Jupiter Hospital
Next to Flower Valley Complex
Thane (W) 400601
+(91)-(22)-21722626, 21722627, 21722628
http://www.nivalink.com/lerida/index.html