Dastaan — Restaurant in Chandigarh

An exceedingly average lunch experience at Dastaan. Our first impressions were somewhat sullied by the fact that there was no one to recieve or seat us and we had to wander around for a few minutes in order to gain the attention of the hostess, who seemed dazed and confused. Maybe the bartender is sneaking free drinks to certain members of staff? This was somewhat offset by the manager receiving the news of his hostesses inadequacy politely, although only time will tell if he took any action beyond nodding and smiling.

The menu is straightforward and rather limited, but loses points for several typos and some items lacking a proper description. Typos in a menu of a restaurant at this level is unexpected and shabby, casting a bad light on their quality control practices, which likely extend beyond the menu and into the kitchen.

We ordered the "Artichoke Stuffed Mushroom Tikka", "Wasabi Broccoli Tikka", "Sloppy Galauti Joe Sliders" and some other items on which I cannot comment since I didn't consume them. I also attempted to order a drink but was initially somehow served the wrong liquor, which was corrected upon discovery, but nevertheless a hassle I didn't have to face.

The Artichoke Stuffed Mushroom Tikka was the worst dish I sampled, being a rebranded mushroom duplex with shallow and uninteresting flavors, as well as being devoid of any real texture. The artichoke was lost in the overpowering masala copiously used in preparation of this dish.

The Wasabi Broccoli was enjoyable, although there was absolutely no Wasabi flavor and the broccoli was slightly overcooked. Ginger broccoli would have been a more appropriate name for this dish.

The Sliders were the saving grace and were excellent, even though the menu states it contains caramelised onions but the dish had raw onion instead.

At the end of the day, it was a neutral experience leaning towards disappointing, especially in terms of service. Slow staff, a manager that failed to make his presence known unless summoned and unnecessary hogwash in the menu attempting to mask generic dishes with buzzwords and "fusion" all contribute towards the 2 stars this establishment recieved.

To be fair, by Chandigarh standards Dastaan might have received 3.5 to even 4 stars but falling slightly above the extremely pathetic standards of the city is not something to be rewarded. Instead I hope someone with actual control reads this review and makes my next visit more...

The ambiance of the place is fantastic—stylish, comfortable, and well-designed. It creates a relaxing environment, making it an enjoyable dining experience.

We tried a variety of non-veg starters, and they were exceptional! The chicken and prawns, in particular, stood out for their flavor and quality. These are definitely a highlight and something I would recommend. However, the non-veg main course didn’t meet the same standards. While the presentation was appealing, the taste was average and didn’t live up to expectations for a place like Dastaan. Perhaps more emphasis on seasoning and freshness could elevate the main course options.

The vegetarian menu, both starters and main courses, was underwhelming. The flavors felt bland, and there wasn’t anything particularly memorable. Offering more vibrant and creative vegetarian options could significantly improve the experience for veg customers. This is something I hope the restaurant addresses soon, as it might alienate a key customer base.

Mocktails were another area of disappointment. They were overly sweet, and the flavors felt unbalanced, making them difficult to enjoy. For example, a fresher approach with less sugar and more innovative combinations could transform the mocktail menu. A revamp in this section is highly recommended.

Overall, I’d give this place 3 stars. The ambiance and non-veg starters are undoubtedly the strengths of the restaurant. However, the average main courses, lackluster vegetarian dishes, and subpar mocktails leave significant room for improvement. If these aspects are addressed, this could easily become a top-tier dining...

I am giving this restaurant 1 star because I can't give less than that. My real rating for this restaurant would be -5. I have been to many restaurants over multiple countries and cities and this is easily one of the top three worst restaurants I have been to in terms of quality of food.

I went to Dastaan on 24th April 2022 with my family to celebrate my 35th birthday. We wanted to try something new and based on the cuisine and reviews we thought dastaan would be a good idea.

We ordered some starters and main course. The first dish was chicken soup. It tasted like watered down butter chicken curry. Tacky but palatable. The second starter was chicken 65. It was decent and we enjoyed it. Third dish was mushroom tikka masala and forth dish was tangri chicken. What a nightmare those two dishes were. By the time we reached the inner part of tangri chicken we could smell the rottenness of the chicken. The texture was horrible and clearly chicken that had been used was old and rotten. Same with mushrooms, the texture and the taste was bad. We talked to the wait staff and the manager called the chef. The chef ACCEPTED that most of the ingredients were NOT fresh but frozen. While that in itself should be a major red flag, the thing that irks me the most is that there is NO way the chef didn't know that the chicken is rotten. It smelled bad despite being marinated and cooked when we ate it, that it should have been stinking when the chef started using it for cooking. The fact that the chef deliberately put my family at the risk of food poisoning is absolutely unacceptable and unforgivable.

HIGHLY...