The Tanjore Tiffin Room - Nesco — Restaurant in Mumbai

“When the Restaurant is the KING”

Maybe it was just our luck—or maybe I caught them on the wrong day.

Encouraged by glowing reviews on Zomato, Google, and some slick Instagram promos, I managed to drag my family out of our lazy evening comfort by 8:15 PM for dinner at Tanjore in Nesco. The name alone evoked rich images of Tamil Nadu’s culture and warmth.

As expected, the place was packed. ✅ Stylish decor, check. But the first hiccup hit us right at the entrance—we were asked to share a table with another family despite having a reservation. The host, smiling through the chaos, explained that a CM’s visit nearby had caused delays for the 7:30 PM seating, resulting in a backlog for ours at 9:30. We were “lucky” to have even gotten that spot, he said, and others would now be turned away

Lucky us indeed!

Once seated—though no waiter in sight—I noticed a table for six being vacated nearby. I asked if we could move there. The host, now juggling other guests at the welcome desk, gave a quick and curt “No! I’ve already given you the best possible seats,” his earlier smile disappearing in a flash. Okay, fine—you are the king of this little Tanjore at Nesco. We made peace with our “lucky” seats

The live music wafting in from Butterfly High next door calmed us a bit. And so began the Hunger Games—ten tables, two visible waiters, and a silent contest to catch their attention

When we finally succeeded (thanks to my homework on tasting menus, which weren’t mentioned on the menu or by the staff), we were served paniyarams and tasting plate of curries. Ignoring the minor mishap of my water glass being mixed with the neighboring family’s, we dug in. The taste was good, and our hunger surged with hope

More waiting. More signaling. Finally managed to place our main order—again relying on online reviews because I didn’t want to test the waiter’s patience by asking too many questions.

Meanwhile, chaos continued. The family opposite us left. Another large group was squeezed in next to a poor corner table already occupied, their shoulders practically touching. Comfort clearly wasn’t the priority tonight—after all, aren’t we all lucky to get a seat?

As my family hunger mounting waited for over 30 minutes for the main course, I wondered: why do we men pull our families out of cozy homes with promises of great food and good times, and get them to these social media star restaurants

Eventually, our food arrived—beautifully presented: dosa with sambar, Madras Railway Curry with paneer, Malabar parottas, and appams. We eagerly dug in, only to be met with disappointment. Everything was cold, except the sambar.

Next, two ladies were seated opposite us. I overheard them complain that indoor seating was stuffy and loud. Lucky us again, right? When one of them asked for tissues, a waiter promptly took our tissue plate and cutlery , put them nicely in a stand to give to them. To his credit, he realized his mistake promptly and gave us tissues back in a plate, no luck with stand for us or did they infer we somehow prefer plates like in a northern dhaba.

By now, my kid—who didn’t like anything—was restless. We quickly asked for the bill. That came with three small bananas, which thankfully soothed him a bit. Wet tissues? Not unless you asked. We did. They came. Barely

The staff, like us, was in a hurry to turn the...

A perfect example of -'Hype doesn't always guarantee a good experience'.

Two of my friends and I decided to randomly show up at this restaurant for dinner. This in the premises of Nesco and you can enter via gate no 3 for quick access. It's just next to Sante and Butterfly Kitchen.

The outer area is their smoking lounge which has roughly 6-7 tables and their reception as well and the inner area is the closed seating section with about 15-20 tables and a bar. The lady at the reception asked us if we have a reservation which we didn't. She said she can accomodate us for a certain amount time as at 9 she had a booking-we entered at 730pm so we accepted the table as we thought we'd by done by 9.

We were seated in one of the outer tables first. It took them a good 20mins to attend us and take our order for starters-and this was done by a bald guy. He was enthusiastic and cheerful and offered recommendations-so we went ahead with mutton cutlets and bonda. This took forever to arrive-and we noticed the place had started bustling and by 815 every seat inside and outside was occupied. There were three people taking orders-the bald guy,the receptionist and a young girl and there were two guys serving-THATS IT!!The starters were alright,portion sizes were laughable. We then very hastily decided to give the main course order as the clock was ticking-thats when the receptionist came to us hurriedly saying we have a tasting menu and it's a part of the "immersive" experience. She got that to us after another 10mins delay(she was managing the reception as well)and she explained everything to us in detail. We decided to go for a coconut based mushroom gravy,ghee roast chicken and some dosas. This took ages again to arrive. Meanwhile the bald guy very animatedly came to us and asked us to change our seats and move indoors,which we obliged. The table next to us was expecting another group of people and they apparently had reserved the table we were seated at and all through our meal kept staring at us,pushing our table with their chairs and passing snide remarks loudly first us at and then the servers. Our main course was served after a considerable delay and we tried to eat it as hurriedly as possible. The neighbouring table had enough when their guests showed up and had no where to sit-and they started having a heated argument with the bald guy and some other guy had to intervene-all this while we were eating and having people pass snide remarks about us getting 'their' table.The inside area was jam packed and everyone was talking on top of their voices and it seemed so chaotic and unhinged. And their service was utterly slow. The guys at the next table stormed outside the restaurant (and again pushed our table)-when they left,the bald guy came to us,stared into our eyes and sighed the loudest sigh ever and yelled HOWS THE JOSHHH? and the three of us just chuckled at the absurdity of this whole experience. We quickly called for the bill and the young girl came and apologized for everything and offered us a banana(??) with the bill and while leaving the bald guy again apologized and we out of guilt apologized back in return to him. For two starters,3 dosa and two curries the bill came upto 2.6k which is not remotely worth it. And in the name of an immersive experience this was the most chaotic and...

My favorite restaurant recently opened in NESCO Goregaon and I had to visit them!

Went for a weekday lunch and the indoor section was totally packed while the outdoor section was vacant!

We decided to occupy the outdoor section amidst the greenery that covers the outdoor section!

Menu remains the same across all outlets and we were already a fan of the food offerings from the other outlets!

We tried few on their Inhouse cocktails :

Chellamma was spicy concoction with Chilli, mint & kokum with Tequilla & Triple sec forming the alcohol content! Had a good kick to it!

Garden Galata again Gin based mixed with tonic water and garnished with passion fruit, was good!

Gin Sour was one of my favorite; loved the crystal clear cocktail topped with a thick vegan foam! Hit the right notes!

Tamil Sunrise was a bit of a disappointment; didn’t really have a kick to it neither was a fancy presentation.

Coming to the Food, this is where all the Magic happens :

Paneer Pepper Fry was made chettinad style fried to a crunchy exterior with black spots yet had a gooeyness in each bite. Go for it!

Karaikudi Fried Prawns was batter fried to a crisp with king sized prawns served along with onions & leaves tossed in spices. Recommended!

Pomfret Rawa Fry was our star appetizer, loved the portion size, a whole Pomfret fried to a crisp with soft meat inside. Must Try!

Paneer in Chettinad curry made with onion & black pepper (dark gravy) paired well with dosa (Set Dosa consisting of 2 portions)

Opted for Surmai in tamarind curry which was very flavorful, and we loved the giant slice of surmai that came along with it. Paired perfectly with rice! Must Try!

For Desserts we relished the “Seviya” & “Ada Pradhaman” which was the authentic South Indian touch we need to complete our meal!

Overall, we came back impressed knowing the expected experience while visiting Tanjore Tiffin Room is still preserved and well maintained! We will be back...