David Carroll's Profile

It was surprising to find a restaurant offering set lunch on Sunday in Kennedy Town. The prices were very competitive, ranging from approx. $45-65. Each set included a soup, a curry, a choice between naan and rice, and a drink. Sounds like a great deal, right? After all, it was Kennedy Town where a decent set lunch typically costs above $80. So I decided to give it a try.I was the only diner when I went in and was served immediately by a courteous young lady. The restaurant was a bit dim but comfortable. The set lunch menu covered a dozen choices from veg to meat to seafood. I went with a veg curry with naan. I didn't wait for long before my food came in a tray with:- a bowl of chicken soup,- an appetizer with two chicken tikka cubes and slices of red onion,- a disappointingly small portion of curry (around 5-6 tbsp I guess),- two pieces of naan bread, and- a freshly fried papadom that regrettably didn't look very appetizing with a glistening layer of oil.The kid's meal sized curry wasn't bad, to be fair. It had a good balance between sweet- and sourness and the taste of the spices was strong but not overpowering. The naan was hot and crispy -- too crispy for a naan. I was looking for something more fluffy. The chicken tikka was salty, so much so that I couldn't taste anything else. No taste of meat. No flavour of spices. Nothing.For the drink, they offered surprisingly limited choices: just tea or soft drink. I opted for a hot lemon tea, which I had only a sip of because it was (over-)sweetened. Perhaps I should have asked for no added sugar explicitly.The last surprise I received was from the bill. On the menu there was no mention about the 10% service charge -- yes I looked for it everywhere and I'm 100% sure it wasn't there -- but it was added to my bill. I didn't bother arguing, but I decided that it was my only visit to Taste of India. I would rather pay more for a more pleasant dining experience.…Read More

Paid a visit for buffet lunch using an OpenRice voucher.A) ServiceThe servers were polite but could have been more attentive. I noticed that other diners were served with glasses of water without asking for them, but mine came only upon request. Also, a duo who came for the buffet at the same time as I did (and didn't pay with vouchers) were asked for their choice of bread, while my preference didn't seem to be much of their concern as I was served with a garlic naan without given any option. Note that it is stated in the ad that the buffet includes assorted breads, which I wasn't offered. B) FoodGood varieties showcasing some veg and non-veg classics. Here's a list of dishes served on my day of visit.1. Veg samosa (crispy shell stuffed with well-seasoned mashed potato, peas and cashews; one of the best I've tried in HK; my 2nd fav of the day)2. Tandoori veg (nicely grilled and slightly spicy potatoes, tomatoes and broccoli florets)3. Chicken tikka (flavorful and nicely grilled to the right level of tenderness; would've loved it even more had it been just a little more tangy; my 2nd fav if the day along with the samosas)4. Fish tikka (aromatic and tender but a bit on the salty side)5. Lamb rogan josh (my fav of the day; bursting with flavor and super tender; would have been perfected with a little more heat in my opinion)6. Chicken masala (or I think it was; apologetically I didn't pay much attention to it as the exceptionally good rogan josh next to it just grasped my heart; I do remember it as a decent dish with tender meat in a mild gravy)7. Palak paneer (they used some good paneer which had a rich creamy flavour. The palak wasn't particularly spicy though.)9. Veg korma (a decent-but-not-mind-blowing veg korma)10. Veg pakora in yellow curry (the soggy fritters and the bland sauce weren't impressive at all)11. Dal makhani (too full to try it; it was a shame as it looked so creamy and yum)12. Salads (3 choices: kachumber, mixed lettuces, and chicken with chickpeas) + papadums, puris, cucumber raita and chutneys13. Desserts (2 choices I think: kheer and another yellowish dessert in cubes, both of which I didn't try because I'm no fan of sweet treats) + assorted fruits (cubed watermelon, cantaloupe melon and pineapple)14. Saffron rice (nice and dry with hints of whole spices; again nothing mind-blowing but just right to my liking)The package included one non-alcoholic drink. I had a hot masala tea without sugar, which was silky smooth and aromatic. Loved it.C) AmbienceA bit dim but cozy. Quite clean (at least no bugs were spotted).My first dining experience with Gaylord was generally positive. The food was very good for the (discounted) price whereas the service needed a bit more work. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the buffet lunch to my friends and family. May come again for their a la carte options (the LAMB ROGAN JOSH for sure!) and hopefully they won't disappoint.Keep it up Gaylord!…Read More

我哋兩條友喺灣仔氹下氹下忽然間想食印度嘢,碌下openrice就揾咗呢間餐廳.本來見冇乜人寫食評,都冇乜太大期望,結果竟然喜出望外!我哋1pm度去到,老細兼樓面叔叔好friendly咁招呼我哋坐靠窗嘅梳化位.雖然舖仔細細,但係坐得幾舒服,又好乾淨企理(<-我呢個死潔癖即刻喺心入面畀個like LOL).  我哋叫咗個咖哩角(3隻), 雞豆masala,秋葵masala, naan同埋aloo paratha(薯仔烤餅). 咖哩角熱辣辣新鮮炸出嚟,外面鬆脆,入面啲薯仔豆蓉好香香料味,點埋個chutney(沾醬,一個係羅望子醬,甜甜酸酸;一個係青醬,小小酸辣),食落惹味又唔膩.仲有佢個咖哩角比起其他印度餐廳大少少,幾抵食!雞豆masala同秋葵masala各有各精彩.雞豆masala個汁好香濃,啲豆煮得洽到好處,軟得嚟又唔會太爛,非常入味;秋葵masala就有落埋蕃茄一齊煮,香辣得嚟又有啲蕃茄嘅酸甜balance番,味道有層次! 食印度嘢又點少得naan同paratha!佢個naan整得好鬆軟,個底金黃色脆脆哋(我個人唔太鍾意啲烤到燶晒嘅naan),咬落有彈性唔會"削",正!!!成餐唯一可以挑剔嘅就係個aloo paratha. Paratha應該係薄啲酥脆啲嘅,佢呢個就似係naan多過paratha,不過味道唔錯,堅有薯仔餡,冇偷工減料.可能因為係樓上舖,樓下又冇海報/易拉架廣告,所以好少客,希望多啲人可以留意到呢間咁有誠意嘅小店啦!*****Sis and I got in at around 1pm and was warmly welcomed by the owner. I'm a bit of a clean-freak so I was immediately impressed by the clean and well-illuminated interior. The place was small but cozy with appropriately spaced seats. We ordered veg samosas (3 pc), chana (chickpea) masala, bhindi (okra) masala, plain naan and aloo (potato) paratha. The samosas were fresh and hot. The pastry was nice and crispy, but what won my heart was the (generous portion of) mashed potato and pea stuffing inside. It was sooooo aromatic with the spices! The refreshing coriander chutney and the sweet-and-slightly-tangy tamarind chutney served along with the samosas were like the icing on the cake (the coriander one was especially impressive *thumbs up*).The masalas were great too! Coated in a rich and moderately hot gravy, the chickpeas were soft but not too mushy. The okra was nice and tender in the more tomato-y sauce, which had a nice balance between the heat and the sweet-and-sourness. Both went so well with the breads. The naan was hot and fluffy and --most importantly-- not charred (I hated overcooked a.k.a. burnt naan). The only complaint I got was about the aloo paratha, which was a little too fluffy for a paratha and was more like a naan in my opinion. The flavour was nice though.My whole experience here in Utsav was brilliant. Nice environment, decent food at a reasonable price, and friendly staff. I'll definitely be back soon!…Read More