Encounters — Restaurant in Hyderabad

If taste is a priority whenever you step outside for a meal, this restaurant would rank as one of Hyderabad’s worst. On the other hand, if you’re looking for a quiet, music free evening in a luxurious and upmarket setting, this restaurant would be a good choice. It’s that simple. You’ll spend around 2500 + taxes for the buffet. The Andhra Tawa fish starter had that pungent raw fish taste to it, badly disguised with over-masala-fied batter. The aalu tikki, quite honestly scared me. The taste reminded me of plastic and chemicals- that’s how inorganic it was to my taste buds- and no, I’m not exaggerating. The onion rings weren’t thick enough or deep fried enough- I suppose that’s not exactly a bad thing. The chicken kebab was the highlight of the evening and perhaps the only thing on the menu that had any recognisable taste and culinary finesse. In total there were exactly 2 veg and 2 non veg starters. The younger ones wanted something else and we had to order French fries and paneer tikka separately- both of which tasted fine, except for the fact that they were bland and tasteless. I mean, the French fries lacked salt. Next comes the main course, the biryani literally had no flavour. However, the veg papad curry tasted great. The chicken curry tasted kinda okay- but the gravy had this weird translucent look to it. The mutton curry tasted like no other mutton curry I’ve ever tasted anywhere else- and not in a good way. However, it was extremely well cooked- now whether that’s something the restaurant should take credit for or if it’s the always on electric plate- you decide. The hummus was either not fresh, or was cut with something else - it was tasteless and bad tasting at the same time. The Tandoori rotis were great though- thank heavens for that! The 5 spiced noodles tasted okay but were cold & hard. I waited and returned multiple times to check whether it was restocked - but no. The fish salad was quite decent. Let’s move onto the desserts. The ultra sweet banana cobbler had no taste of banana in it. The chocolate and mango cake were again, oversweet with sugar overpowering any flavour. There was an entire section of swirled cream in cups with little things on it to mark different flavours- again, tasteless. However, the litchee crème brûlée actually tasted quite nice and was the only one that won’t send your blood sugar levels into panic mode. This maybe a scathing review but it’s an honest one; to this restaurant’s credit, atleast I didn’t have a ruined stomach the night of, or the next day, which is actually quite an achievement considering everything. A 5 star hotel does not mean a 5 star restaurant or 5 star food. This was one of the worst dining experiences I’ve had in ages. Anyway,if great food in a luxury hotel is what you’re looking for, try...

Taj Krishna's stay and dinner buffet was one of the worst decisions I've made in recent times. I booked a room for two nights with a half-board package (including breakfast and dinner/lunch), and the experience was nothing short of disappointing.

I ordered eggs Benedict for breakfast and explicitly instructed the manager (the one in glasses) to exclude meat (bacon and ham). Despite multiple reminders, it was served with ham, and I inadvertently consumed some of it. When I pointed it out, instead of apologizing, the manager dismissed my concern, stating that eggs Benedict typically comes with meat. What, then, was the point of my request?

Had I been a strict vegetarian, Muslim, or someone with religious dietary restrictions, this would have been far more than just an inconvenience.

First day, the dinner buffet was poorly arranged, with a limited selection and subpar flavors. The food wasn't just lacking seasoning-it was outright bad. Second day, the starters were slightly better, though the tandoori chicken was served cold (which they replaced upon request immediately). I was offered their so-called "best pizza in town," supposedly comparable to one from Naples. To my surprise, it took them 35 minutes to serve a rock-hard, cardboard-like pizza with bland toppings. If this is their idea of a good pizza, they should consider offering dental insurance with it.

Breakfast was mostly decent, thanks to the one person who actually knew how to cook-whoever was making the eggs. The scrambled eggs with cheese were excellent, and the oat milk coffee was delicious.

Taj Krishna's buffet is overpriced, poorly executed, and managed with little regard for customer preferences.

Do yourself a favor and avoid it...

Everyone has a list of to dos which satisfies their inner desires and sense of accomplishment. One such place in our list was lunch at Taj Krishna. We had very high expectations from this place but to our utter disappointment it was so bad that a roadside eatery felt like a seven star restaurant. To begin with, spread was limited for the price charged, chicken starters were stale and burnt hence tasted dry and bitter after undergoing multiple rounds of heating. Fish was good but a bit salty. Mutton was stale and slimy and I almost puked when I put the first spoon in my mouth. Mutton biriyani was spicy beyond my threshold and probably it was done to hide the staleness. I saw racks of biriyani being steamed before serving. Found a strand of hair in the Pizza which was again tasteless due to the lack of sufficient sauce and a bit of plastic in my malpua. The pasta served was a bit raw. That probably rounded of a disastrous experience at this much rated restaurant, Encounters. Staff was courteous and offered us a cheese cake dessert with blueberry jam and my God, it was delicious. Hence I couldn't fathom why they couldn't prepare the other dishes with same sincerity. Felt like they were cutting corners to save cost and dump leftover stale food on a buffet menu, which is expected from small restaurants but not from a star restaurant. The best dishes were seemed rice and lahsuni deal, curd rice,...