Besa Bistro — Restaurant in Meghalaya

Besa Bistro. Lovely name, really. Unfortunately, I really can't say the same for its food and the experience we had.

We were seated in the "smoking room", reason being the main restaurant space was almost fully occupied( but in fact it was still viable for us to be seated at an 8 seated table, which was questioningly fully enjoyed by only 2 people sitting at its corner).

The smoking room was less than ideal for dining. The seats and tables were too compactly arranged and had little room for adjustment. The table was so short that you'll properly have a back ache due to excessive leaning forward if you are to dine like you do at a normal table. The plates has these dark streak lines on them and we received clean ones only on the 3rd request.

But all of this could have been forgiven if the food was worth it. Regrettably, this bubble was swiftly bursted when we took our first bites: Flavour fatigue set in way too quickly. From the pulao to the chicken and aloo gobi, it tasted like they used the same spices for all of them. They were almost indistinguishable flavour-wise. The aloo was soft and delicate, but the gobi was slightly raw and tough. The chicken was tender and well done. And finally, the garlic naan was the definition of mediocre.

Lastly, the pricing. The various rice items are well priced but the non veg and veg items are slightly at the higher end for the quantity served.

Maybe their non-Indian dishes are better? Who knows. Will we visit again? Definitely not in the...

My one star is just for the ambiance as it was really beautiful. The interior, the location the service was good but the food did not match the price they charged. Supper expensive for the quantity and quality they served. Most of the items where not available so have to keep changing orders. Do not order for beverage you will regret paying for the price they charge and the quantity they serve. If you love Italian food then this is not the place for it as to me it was not good especially when am paying high price.. It's OK to charge high for the standard and service provided but quality and quantity of the food should worth the price. This is base on my personal experience but I would still recommend people to check it out once for themself. Being a food lover I was really disappointed. Over all not a good...

Getting there for lunch on a working day was tedious due the traffic. The bistro is on the second floor with nice views of the road below & the playground across.

The ambience is decent and the place has provisions for live music and also for playing sporting events et al on a big screen. The Bar appeared well stocked though we abstained from drinks. The service was good and reasonably fast.

We tried the tomato soup, mushroom risotto & pasta. The soup was good, the risotto okay & the pasta with pink sauce was good. We also tried the blueberry cheesecake which was hard and the chocolate mousse which was good.

The toilet is clean. Parking is an issue, which can be surmounted with the help of the staff, who will direct you to the basement, through the gate on the side of the building. A decent outlet...