The restaurant (in Kolkata), not the Italian merchant traveller.
Caroline received some (not a lot) of money recently, and decided to use some of that to treat herself and me to a nice dinner at Marco Polo (apparently officially named as Marco Polo in China). She had been there several years ago, and fondly remembered having a pork meal along with a drink.
The evening we went, it was raining. It rained throughout the night and, the next morning, we woke up to the worst floods that I have ever seen (and recounted in my recent News: Other post). We opened the door to the restaurant, went in, and I saw that it was indeed a 5-star restaurant. I was fearful that our wet shoes might track a lot of water, but the granite(?) floor seemed to make the water almost invisible.
Caroline headed for the "downstairs" or lower section (where she had eaten before), but we were led to the "upstairs" or upper section, which had a wide stairway. We were also led to a table for two, but Caroline likes to have a lot of room so she went to a table for six. We were the only customers there at that time so there was no real objection. Moreover, the seats along the wall were far more comfortable.
Again, it was raining outside and yet the AC was on, making it chilly even for me (and I am more used to cooler temperatures, having lived in San Francisco). She asked a waiter to turn it off and he complied.
She commented that there were no table cloths. I mentioned that there were place-mats, and that it seemed to be part of its professional ambiance. However, the wood did seem to be somewhat damaged, although that may have been some imperfections in the paint or glaze used.
Even before that, she bemoaned the dim lighting. I mentioned that all 5-star restaurants have dim lighting, to promote an ambiance and to encourage conversation (rather than reading). However, it did make it difficult to read the menu so it may have been counter-productive.
The evening we went, it was raining. It rained throughout the night and, the next morning, we woke up to the worst floods that I have ever seen (and recounted in my recent News: Other post). We opened the door to the restaurant, went in, and I saw that it was indeed a 5-star restaurant. I was fearful that our wet shoes might track a lot of water, but the granite(?) floor seemed to make the water almost invisible.
Caroline headed for the "downstairs" or lower section (where she had eaten before), but we were led to the "upstairs" or upper section, which had a wide stairway. We were also led to a table for two, but Caroline likes to have a lot of room so she went to a table for six. We were the only customers there at that time so there was no real objection. Moreover, the seats along the wall were far more comfortable.
Again, it was raining outside and yet the AC was on, making it chilly even for me (and I am more used to cooler temperatures, having lived in San Francisco). She asked a waiter to turn it off and he complied.
She commented that there were no table cloths. I mentioned that there were place-mats, and that it seemed to be part of its professional ambiance. However, the wood did seem to be somewhat damaged, although that may have been some imperfections in the paint or glaze used.
Even before that, she bemoaned the dim lighting. I mentioned that all 5-star restaurants have dim lighting, to promote an ambiance and to encourage conversation (rather than reading). However, it did make it difficult to read the menu so it may have been counter-productive.
We were given the menu which was almost like a thick coffee-table book, bound in leather(?) (although, this being India, it was more likely vinyl). At about the same time, we learned of two things:
1) They offer a buffet for 750 rupees. She is fond of having a buffet, as she had it twice at a nice (vegetarian) restaurant in Hyderabad, and she finds it practical as she can eat a lot and she likes to have a variety of dishes. However, I do not eat a lot and when I go to a restaurant, I usually have a type of meal in mind. However, they offer the buffet at 7:00pm, and it was still about ten minutes before that, so she had to wait a little bit more.
2) When she decided to go to Marco Polo, she encouraged me to have a pork dish, as she had that several years ago there. However, they no longer offer pork dishes. Moreover, I felt that I wanted spaghetti or another pasta dish and, especially with a name like Marco Polo, I assumed that they would have it. I decided to have the Spaghetti alla Carbonara for 425, partly because it had bacon. Other than two or three times at the Changi (Singapore) Airport and perhaps once or twice in Cebu, I have not had bacon since my arrival in India--and certainly never had bacon here in India. I could have ordered the Spaghetti alla Amatriciana which was also 425 and also had bacon, but it also had chili flakes, and I did not want anything spicy. Of course, I could have asked them to not make it with chili flakes, but it did not seem to be worth the effort.
They do offer a large variety of dishes (as evidenced by the large-sized menu), almost all of which are under 500, including pasta, noodles, Chinese, Tandoori, grilled and seafood. However, the dishes with prawn, lobster or crab are usually 550.
For drinks, I examined the menu. As I mentioned in my Sick of India? post, we stayed at the Taj Bengal about thirteen years ago. At one of the restaurants, she ordered a duck (or perhaps it was lobster or crab) dish without looking at the menu. I did not want to have anything because I was feeling unwell, but one of the waiters brought out a few bottles of wine, one of which was from Sonoma County, not far from San Francisco! I hoped and expected to have just a glass, but he gave us the entire bottle. When I got the bill, the meal was an astronomical INR11,000 (if I remember correctly; in any case it was the equivalent of USD240.00, at that time) of which USD125.00 was for the wine! When I returned home, I found the vintage for just USD8.00 at Safeway (a grocery store)! Since then, I have been leery of prices of drinks in nice restaurants.
At Marco Polo, they do have sparkling wine for 1800 and overseas wine "as per brand". Needless to say, we did not have the wine. However, most of the cocktails were under 400. She had the brandy for 375 because, especially during the older months, it helps to warm her up. However, when she was given the brandy, it was so little that she felt cheated. When I have a drink, it is often Kingfisher beer. However, I decided to have a Long Island Iced Tea, also for 375. In San Francisco, someone introduced the drink to me and I have been fond of it ever since. I am somewhat leery of ordering it at new places because I once ordered it at a bar and restaurant in San Francisco and it was so strong that I did not like it. However, I now realize that that was the only place that made it not to my liking. At Marco Polo, they served it in a wide and very tall glass.
The service was professional and, at the same time, delivered the Wow! that Wells Fargo strives to achieve in every interaction with customers. Again, Caroline had the buffet so it was understood that she would get the food. However, for her second dish, she asked one of the waiters to get her some food and he did! A slight damper was that they would not pack up the food for her. This, of course is understandable because otherwise people would order enormous amounts of food and have it for the next few days at home. However, she genuinely wanted to give it to the poor people so it was a shame that the food went to waste instead.
My overall impression is that Marco Polo is very professional, both in appearance and in service, and may appeal more to business people along with their colleagues whereas Mocambo may appeal more to couples and to families. It certainly is more expensive than Mocambo and may be commensurate with the restaurants of the Taj Bengal. However, if you can afford it then it is worth going to.
1) They offer a buffet for 750 rupees. She is fond of having a buffet, as she had it twice at a nice (vegetarian) restaurant in Hyderabad, and she finds it practical as she can eat a lot and she likes to have a variety of dishes. However, I do not eat a lot and when I go to a restaurant, I usually have a type of meal in mind. However, they offer the buffet at 7:00pm, and it was still about ten minutes before that, so she had to wait a little bit more.
2) When she decided to go to Marco Polo, she encouraged me to have a pork dish, as she had that several years ago there. However, they no longer offer pork dishes. Moreover, I felt that I wanted spaghetti or another pasta dish and, especially with a name like Marco Polo, I assumed that they would have it. I decided to have the Spaghetti alla Carbonara for 425, partly because it had bacon. Other than two or three times at the Changi (Singapore) Airport and perhaps once or twice in Cebu, I have not had bacon since my arrival in India--and certainly never had bacon here in India. I could have ordered the Spaghetti alla Amatriciana which was also 425 and also had bacon, but it also had chili flakes, and I did not want anything spicy. Of course, I could have asked them to not make it with chili flakes, but it did not seem to be worth the effort.
They do offer a large variety of dishes (as evidenced by the large-sized menu), almost all of which are under 500, including pasta, noodles, Chinese, Tandoori, grilled and seafood. However, the dishes with prawn, lobster or crab are usually 550.
For drinks, I examined the menu. As I mentioned in my Sick of India? post, we stayed at the Taj Bengal about thirteen years ago. At one of the restaurants, she ordered a duck (or perhaps it was lobster or crab) dish without looking at the menu. I did not want to have anything because I was feeling unwell, but one of the waiters brought out a few bottles of wine, one of which was from Sonoma County, not far from San Francisco! I hoped and expected to have just a glass, but he gave us the entire bottle. When I got the bill, the meal was an astronomical INR11,000 (if I remember correctly; in any case it was the equivalent of USD240.00, at that time) of which USD125.00 was for the wine! When I returned home, I found the vintage for just USD8.00 at Safeway (a grocery store)! Since then, I have been leery of prices of drinks in nice restaurants.
At Marco Polo, they do have sparkling wine for 1800 and overseas wine "as per brand". Needless to say, we did not have the wine. However, most of the cocktails were under 400. She had the brandy for 375 because, especially during the older months, it helps to warm her up. However, when she was given the brandy, it was so little that she felt cheated. When I have a drink, it is often Kingfisher beer. However, I decided to have a Long Island Iced Tea, also for 375. In San Francisco, someone introduced the drink to me and I have been fond of it ever since. I am somewhat leery of ordering it at new places because I once ordered it at a bar and restaurant in San Francisco and it was so strong that I did not like it. However, I now realize that that was the only place that made it not to my liking. At Marco Polo, they served it in a wide and very tall glass.
The service was professional and, at the same time, delivered the Wow! that Wells Fargo strives to achieve in every interaction with customers. Again, Caroline had the buffet so it was understood that she would get the food. However, for her second dish, she asked one of the waiters to get her some food and he did! A slight damper was that they would not pack up the food for her. This, of course is understandable because otherwise people would order enormous amounts of food and have it for the next few days at home. However, she genuinely wanted to give it to the poor people so it was a shame that the food went to waste instead.
My overall impression is that Marco Polo is very professional, both in appearance and in service, and may appeal more to business people along with their colleagues whereas Mocambo may appeal more to couples and to families. It certainly is more expensive than Mocambo and may be commensurate with the restaurants of the Taj Bengal. However, if you can afford it then it is worth going to.