Mekong Restaurant — Restaurant in Andhra Pradesh

First things first.

I really felt good when It comes to ambience, lighting and temperature, seating is also fine.

The food here is good. I am downgrading it from Exceptional to Good because of certain things which I will discuss here itself.

I tried Crab Waffers, In house Sauces, Wasabi, Wontons, Crab Sushi, Pork Ribs, Mojito Cocktail 🍹 which I find good on a scale on 1-10; I can give an 8.

Let's come to the most important part the "SERVICE"

A) When we ordered teriyaki chicken and a combo box the concerned restaurant executive came to us and he took the order blindly without even suggesting that teriyaki is also available in the box we ordered. If they had told teriyaki is in the box; we wouldn't have ordered Teriyaki separately. That's where I find them really submissive.

B) Employees are not focusing on serving the food onto plates properly. I felt like am sitting in a hotel where they serve everything in one plate. I guess your hotel has some reputation ND Try to keep up with it. Not every food item can be served only on one plate. Clearly your employees are not getting proper training in that area- Please revisit and review your employees on training aspects but not yelling or chucking the issues.

C) Pork Ribs were good to an extent where I felt them extremely Saucy, Sweet and Uncomfortable. This is like a pattern I have observed the standard sweet barbecue sauce your restaurant is using has been predominant in teriyaki, pork ribs. Totally Understandable but it was too Saucy. It would have been better if the chef had gone easy on Sauces in the dishes we have ordered especially the Pork Ribs.

D) When I called a restaurant executive to give my feedback.

a) He was so defensive and used a statement "Sir yaha pe this is the Standard"...He didn't even let me finish my 5 minute feedback that I was supposed to give and he was just so defensive. Anyways I have my own way to deal with such employees. I gave my feedback to the Chef and he was accommodating my grievances.

If I am giving a feedback first thing it doesn't help me, it helps you so that it helps me when I visit next time or when any of my friends visit your restaurant. So feedback is valuable. When someone is giving that, listen to it and reciprocate at the end.

Having said that I have had good time except for the part you guys were allowing families with kids and kids using that space like a park and making huge noises which is very annoying for anyone who wants to come there and fine dine. I hope yours is a fine dining or an absolute barbecue kinda thing ?!?!...Be clear on that so that I can make up my mind before coming. I love children but that was very annoying for someone who wants to...

Appearance/ Ambiance: A school of silverfish along the wall as you climb the stairs up to Mekong, giving you a glimpse of what’s to come. Step into the restaurant and you are cocooned by warm light filtering in through layers of textured cream cloth hung from the ceiling. These are reminiscent of frothy waves or fish gills. The nautical theme carries through the rest of Mekong with one wall covered only by waves of bright blue and another with silver fish swimming on the wall. White framed pictures of Koi fish hang in between shelves lined with ornate jars. Blue sofas and chairs accompany dark cocoa coloured wooden tables. Jade coloured saké cups and cutlery find their place on the tables, flanked by chopsticks. A private dining room stands in a corner.

The Staff: After repeat recurring visits by myself & FAMILY, Mr. Pradeep (incharge staff) help us in sorting out very good food.

Food: Flavourful jasmine green tea is served in the saké cups as soon as one enters the restaurant. The menu boasts of delicacies from wherever, the river Mekong, charts through. Such as Thai, Cambodian, Laos, Chinese, Vietnamese and Myanmar cuisine is served at the restaurant along with Japanese.

Starters like Crispy wasabi prawn - served in golden basket with flying fish roe, XIANG SU XIANGGU - Crispy mouth watering shitake mushrooms tossed with spices rich tangy sauce, DOUFU JIAOZI - Tender soft button mushrooms fried with dry chilli and tossed with cashew nuts

SOM TAM - The green papaya salad suddenly takes your breath away, as soon as a plate of this colourful food is placed in front of you. You eye the tender slices of papaya, the sliced carrot and green capsicum entice your eyes with their crunchiness & make you have lingual luring. You look closer, and notice the whole dish glistening with a simple vinaigrette dressing.

SOUP STATION - TOM YUM NAM KHON, a creamy coconut blend soup which has tender chicken pieces is impeccably delicious

SINGAPOREAN CURRIED CRAB - Crab meat cooked in singaporean style in Spicy curry paste; PAD THAI - Noodles, a traditional Thai curry and Wok Tossed Lobster with spicy sauce make the menu special. Mekong also has a selection of wines that suit the extensive menu but we didn't taste.

Tthe Coconut Jaggery or Thap Thim Krawp is the perfect sweet ending to the...

Like most things in life Mekong Restaurant was a mixed bag of experiences for me. Let's start off with the positives. I appreciated the fact that the menu was somewhat compact and yet had options. The staff was cordial. Food was served promptly and the prawn crackers were great to snack on while the order was being prepared. Jasmine tea at the end of the meal was an excellent pallet cleanser especially for someone such as myself who prefers their tea without milk. The devil of course lies in the details. I ordered stir fried pork with basil, veg haka style noodles and a lemongrass lychee martini. I loved the flavour profile of my meal and the pork was simply melting in my mouth but it was seasoned so heavily that it overpowered the subtle restrained flavour of the basil. The noodles while tasting good left a large amount of oil on the plate and the pallet after I was finished. The martini was not sufficiently chilled or aerated for a shaken cocktail. Overall I felt like having missed the opportunity to have had a much better meal with the same components that were present on my plate. On somewhat of a side note, the interior of the restaurant did not even feel like it was trying to impress. The ambience, in my humble opinion, is part of the dining experience and must not be sidelined. Overall I would be happy to visit the Mekong Restaurant again if the situation arises but I might just temper my...