Hotel Heiga VNS, Shillong — Hotel in Meghalaya

Murgh Musallam -Rs.777 Mutton Kothu Kari -Rs.430 Bullet Fish -Rs.368 Navratan Pulao -Rs.284 Tokri Assorted Breads -Rs.273 Kabuli Naan -Rs.142

Red Rock Restaurant, Hotel Heiga VNS, Lachumiere, Shillong

Indian & Chinese

$$$$

15.05.2025

Today I'm out for lunch after many days & I have my Food Group buddies @iceshira @mick_is_precious & @human_serial__001 & we are visiting @hotel_heiga_vns_shillong today. It's been more than 2 years since I've visited this place. It's also been about 2-3 months since we all met to eat together.

We reached the place & took the lift up to the Red Rock Restaurant. Earlier there was only a small restuarant & a bar next to it. Now they have converted the entire terrace into a covered dining space. We took a table here but I still prefer the ambience of the smaller restaurant.

I've been eating from here a few times & I prefer their Indian food. Infact it's one of the better ones in town. My go to dishes are the Murgh Musallam & Laal Maas Mutton, rare dishes to find in Shillong.

So I had a look at the menu & the Murgh Musallam which is a whole roasted chicken with minced meat & eggs filling & simmered in a rich regal & hearty Mughlai sauce was my first order. I was about to order the Laal Maas but then I saw a dish having a name similar to this page, it was called Mutton Kothu Kari. My love for Kothu Parotta is no secret plus the dish being south indian would balance out the rich North Indian gravy. For starters I decided on a Fish Bullet. I've never had it, so I thought I should give it a try. Its basically Fish chop with cheese & potato. I also ordered a Tokri Bread Basket with Butter Naan, Lacchedar Paratha, Tandoori Roti & Masala Kulcha. I added a Kabuli naan, which I thought had chickpeas, & also a Navrattan Pulao. The food took about 20mins to come. First came the Murgh Musallam. Now this is my 3rd time having this dish & all from this place. But the difference is that the other two times were home delivery. The plate of whole chicken, though chopped into large pieces, drenched in a thick rich red gravy & touched with shredded egg on top & encircled by slices of red tomato did look as Regal as I can imagine. The Murgh Musallam originated from the middle east & appeared in Ibn Battuta, the Moroccan explorer who travelled to the courts of the Tughlak Dynasty ruled by Muhammad Bin Tughlak, exactly 800 years ago. A few hundred years before the Mughals came to India. It was the main attraction in the Royal Feasts. The Mughals then refined it further before the Nawabs of Awadh added their persian touch with saffron & dry nuts which made it sophisticated. I imagined what this dish would be like in the kitchens of Lucknow. Anyway coming back to to Shillong, I actually wanted to see the whole chicken, but this had 14 large pieces & it was tender & very soft. I took a bite & the spices in the gravy played a symphony that Bethovan himself would have appreciated. Next I moved on to the Mutton.

Now this dish originated from Sri Lanka in the eastern Tamilian part of the island & became famous from the 1970s as a quick dish. Kothu basically means 'to chop' or chopped sol expected this to be a mutton mince in a light south indian gravy. Kothu is also synonymous with the city of Madurai in India. The Murgh Musallam was bang in your face while this mutton dish had milder & subtle flavors with the curry leaf being the most predominant flavor. The gravy was very nice & though the meat was not minced it was chopped into 8 small tender pieces. This went so well with the sweet Navrattan Pulao. Infact even the Kabuli Naan was sweet from the shredded sultanas on top. So no chickpea flavor. All the breads were perfect conduits for the chicken & each stood out on its own. We were 4 grown men but we could not finish 1 piece of the kulcha & a quarter of the pulao. The dish that didn't live up to my expectation was the Bullet Fish. It was prepared well but I got only the taste of cheese & potato. Perhaps it was prepared with Basa fish, the easiest but most boring fish to cook with.

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My wife and I stayed at Hotel Heiga Shillong for 10 nights - October 8 to 18, 2021. In all of my global travels and after staying in every kind of hotel from low-budget to super luxury hotels. This definitely ranks as the WORST STAY EVER.

Considering I booked their most expensive room - The Suite room, I was treated in the most horrible manner on several occasions, during my stay.

Here are the major issues I faced: No internet for two day and sketchy internet thereafter. Constant disturbance and movement of furniture for 3 days, till I insisted on a room change and was finally moved from Room No. 306 to Room No. 206. The air-conditioner would constantly trip and would be off almost the whole night. I believe the switch it off from their panel/control room. As one time I followed their staff to the panel room till he switched it on. I faced this problem every night during my stay and despite written complains in their register and verbal complains and text messages to their manager Ms. Angelina. All complaints always fell on deaf ears - They just don't care. The hot water geyser didn't work for two days.

I was promised by Mr. Iban or Mr. Ivan that they will reduce 15% on the daily room rate I was being charged, due the on the on-going inconvenience I was facing, but that commitment was not honoured and I was just curtly told the management didn't approve and know one knows, who the management is, because you have no name you can talk to.

The so called in-charge Ms. Angelina was never visible for all the 10 days I stayed there, despite me requesting several times to meet. She never even bothered to call once. And when I finally managed to talk to her only once was shocked at the rudeness as if these problems were my issues.

You will never know who runs this hotel. They cheat you on every opportunity they get.

I realized they even cheat on food portions when you are a large group at their restaurant, I noticed the food portions when ordering for two and again when we were 8 or 10 people.

I had confirmed a lunch for 30 people for October 17, and after confirmation by Mr. Kamal Chettri, was informed two days before, that I would be charged Rs.8000 extra for use of the space where they would seat the guests in their one and only open restaurant on the 4th floor - It was the most unimaginable and ridiculous thing I have even heard. I hope Meghalaya tourism or some authorities in Shillong would look into this money extortion racket.

My suggestion and advise to any traveller considering Hotel Heiga - please think 10 times before booking at this hotel and spare yourself a nightmare. Everything I have experienced and stated is 100% true, it was even worse, I have put it...

Located on the 4th floor of Hotel Heiga VNS in Laitumkhrah, Red Rock Restaurant offers an excellent dining experience with a calm, well-maintained ambiance and a vast, well-curated menu. This restaurant is ideal for both locals and tourists looking for flavorful North Indian cuisine in Shillong.

What We Ordered:

Chicken Bharta (₹360): Rich, creamy, and perfectly spiced shredded chicken topped with egg. The flavors were well-balanced, and the portion size was generous.

Chicken Tikka Masala (₹350): Served in a thick, buttery tomato-based gravy with tender pieces of chicken tikka. It arrived hot and well-garnished.

Chicken Keema (₹220): Finely minced chicken cooked in traditional spices, excellent with tandoori roti.

Tandoori Roti (5 pcs – ₹300): Soft yet crisp with a smoky flavor. A great companion to the curries.

Tawa Roti (2 pcs – ₹80): Simple, homely, and well-prepared.

Onion Kulcha (not itemized separately on bill): Flaky, mildly spiced, and filled with chopped onions. Well-executed and flavorful.

Dining Experience: The presentation was neat and appealing. The curries were served in brass-bottomed dishes, and the breads came in stylish metal baskets. The table was neatly set with clean plates, cutlery, and garnishes like lemon wedges, onion rings, and green chilies.

Pricing & Transparency: Our total bill came to ₹1,396, inclusive of GST (2.5% CGST + 2.5% SGST). The itemized bill was clear and transparent, with all charges, including ₹19 for packaged water, clearly mentioned.

Service & Hygiene: Service was prompt, courteous, and helpful. The restaurant maintained excellent hygiene standards and the staff ensured a smooth dining experience from start to finish.

Final Verdict: Red Rock Restaurant is a great place to enjoy authentic Indian dishes in Shillong. The food is flavorful, well-portioned, and reasonably priced. Highly recommended for families, friends, and anyone looking for a satisfying North Indian meal in a...