Longtime — Restaurant in Kerala

{Long post alert} Longtime is the place to go to have amazing continental fare in Tvm. Well we(my family and friends) really have enjoyed our dining experiences here from it's inception.. so yes..this isn't my 1st or 2nd review on social media vouching for the food here.

However I had a not-so-great experience yesterday 20th Feb 21, (hence I actually didn't even feel like clicking my food pic...which otherwise I always do for my reviews), for 2 reasons:

1. the experience from one of the person assisting us at our table was well..sadly not the best. Probably he was having a bad day hence was slightly not concerned about customer delight. For example, we were compelled to sit in a space that I didn't want to, though this was the 1st time I ever experienced this compulsion here. Also not just us, but even the table next to us had to repeatedly ask for hot water to be served. (I understand the reason might be due to higher customer numbers..still there is a courteous manner to do so..which was amiss yesterday)
2. we order two the main course dishes out of which the fish dish (fish paprika) was served late, and the dish was not hot as expected; meaning the person assisting us at the table forgot about the dish untill I specifically asked about it And well that's still bearable, but the fish was smelling big time and I having eaten this dish here twice before, wasn't expecting this. And to add, the garlic bread served was well, smelly again...kinda stale tasting too. This kinda was a bummer cause otherwise the dish was just gr8..the sauce specially.

These above reasons did leave me with a not-so-great experience for which I was most disappointed since as a couple we generally do find this place just perfect, even barring the pricing. I mean.. well it's a fine dining restaurant in a posh location! So yea!.. we know its on the higher side but hey the food was always been worth it, so we didn't actually mind paying for quality. (Tvm does have very less such places where the ambience and food both are so worthy!) Hence the feedback to share my displeasure this time, which is a first for me! Now you may ask why I couldn't have shared this with the manager? Well I wanted to yesterday but the place was really crowded so we just had to leave, as ppl were already queued up and also we cdnt catch hold of him, as he was busy too. (We did thank them though, since we have a favorite guy here who was the saving grace yesterday too! )

Also I would like to add here that I had called up to reserve a table for which they informed me that wasn't necessary but when we got here the place actually was crowded. Given the pandemic times, I would recommend a reservation process to avoid over crowding and make the place safer too! So folks.. this is not a bad review, but yes it's an experience that we weren't so happy about which I wanted to share. Cause hey it's not just the good we should appreciate but also the improvements can be shared too!

Still I would go back here...as I do believe the management would be making efforts to have the above not repeated for another...

The new player on the block, Longtime, opened its doors to the foodies of Trivandrum this October 2022. Nestled in a quiet end of Jawahar Nagar, it provides a landscaped outdoor area for diners, as well as the indoor space. Coming firmly down on the ‘fine dining’ side of the spectrum, Longtime has an extensive menu with Continental, Oriental and Thai cuisine.

Even though the Thai menu looked delicious, we opted for Continental for this first visit. We had the bbq chicken steak, parmesan stuffed baked chicken, and an alfredo penne for the kids. I’m not a big fan of mocktails and shakes, so forgive the lapse in my reviews. I prefer plain water with my meals (if there are no cocktails around, that is.)

Bbq chicken steak (Rs. 459) – Mom ordered this thinking it’s a safe dish… grilled chicken breast, bbq sauce, veggies and starch. Can't go wrong with that combo. And boy, that bbq sauce! Fresh, homemade and exploding with flavour! Hands down, the best bbq sauce I've had in the city. The chicken was perfectly cooked, the sides were fine… nothing to complain about. 4/5 – reducing one point because I felt the quantity was less.

Parmesan stuffed baked chicken (Rs. 469) – I adore stuffed chicken. And I adore parmesan. This was a no-brainer for me. It was just as delicious as I expected. Again, the sauce was fresh and yummy, and the parmesan was of very good quality. 4/5 – again reducing one point because I felt the quantity was less.

Penne pasta in alfredo sauce (Rs. 309) – Again a very clean, fresh sauce, pasta cooked perfectly al dente, absolutely nothing to complain about. The kids wolfed it down, I didn’t even get to take a picture. 5/5

Couple more things I have to mention – the interiors were impeccable, it’s a gorgeous spot for date night. The service was great as well, the staff ready to answer questions about the dishes.

Considering it’s a fine dining restaurant, the prices are on the higher side. And while the quality of the food is unquestionable, the quantity is not satisfactory. Notch it up a little, and it...

Edit after reply from Restaurant authorities: Initially we were at a table for 6. Since more ppl were planning to join, we requested for a table for 10. There was a table available outside, and we asked if we can use that. But, the staff themselves told us to use the one available indoors instead of the one we asked for, and we were not told abt the 8:30 reservation then. This was at around 7pm. Once we shifted to the table given to us, and started having our food, by abt 7:45 the manager came and informed us abt the reservation. So we had to move to the table outdoors (which was the one we requested for in the beginning). Maybe it was a communication gap between the staff and the manager, but surely we were not informed abt the reservation beforehand.

Review: Food was tasty, but a bit too expensive for the portion size they're providing. The ambience is great for a quiet, peaceful dinner with your friends or family.

But, the service is really not upto the mark. We were a group of 10, and 7 of us reached at about 7pm, and were directed to a table indoors by the staff. Initially, we felt like the staff were really helpful and friendly. But, just as we started having our food (abt 7:45pm), the manager informed us that the table we were sitting on has a reservation from 8:30pm, and that we will have to finish by then. Even though we informed him that we are still waiting for the rest of our friends to reach, and will be taking atleast an hr more,he insisted that the reservation was made beforehand. If that's the case, shouldn't they have provided us another table? Anyway, in the end, we had to move to another table mid dinner which ruined the whole mood. Also, the table was outdoors, and noone came to take our orders after we moved there. Whenever we needed anything, we had to go inside and call someone, which again points to their bad service.

So overall, satisfied with the taste of food and ambience, but not so with the service and the portion size/...