MKC - Madras Kitchen Company — Restaurant in Tamil Nadu

Want to experience feeling discriminated in your own city? Highly recommend this place!

This is the 2nd time I am eating here. I had a good experience the first time (during pandemic) and hence I had been trying to eat there again for quite sometime. But everytime I go there, they kept saying that all tables are already reserved. As it’s usually peak hours, I didn’t mind.

But today me and my friend went there around 5:15pm.. Almost the whole restaurant was empty! There were two white people in a table and a North Indian couple in another! When we asked for a table, they said that we could take only the high chair table(which was very uncomfortable to sit on). I asked them whether We could take a normal table but they said that they have to check whether the table is already reserved. They said ‘sit here for sometime while we check’.

No one gave us any update even after 20mins. So i called and asked then again. We were told that they are still checking. Really? They want more than 30mins to find out whether a table is free? The whole restaurant was literally empty! We had coffee (which was gud) and paneer makhani maggi(which tasted like sambar rice) while still sitting in the uncomfortable table!

Just before we got the bill I casually checked the ‘easy diner’ app to find that there are empty tables with confirmed seating for the next 2hrs! I was furious and realised that it was pure discrimination! Looks like localities could get good tables only if we reserve in advance without revealing our identity while white people and Other outsiders could just walk-in whenever they want! Not a single new person entered the restaurant even until we left around 6:15pm!! I have collected the proofs and am now considering raising this with the consumer forum! Never...

2.5/5 - So-So.

If you're looking to bring your date, this place is not for you. The main attraction of this restaurant is a massive air cooler that will rumble away anything you try to speak to anybody at all, waiters included. Why? Their HVAC unit was not working. Big turnoff.

The ambiance is okay, the lighting is dim at best and you will struggle to read the menu. The menu is hipster-like with its newspaper-esque appearance and is hard to navigate through. Good thing is that they use a new leaflet every time.

The staff is friendly. Orders can take a while to arrive. Limited selection of alcohol. You get toffee as a mouth freshener. You will have to use the washroom housed in the hotel than one inside the restaurant, and honestly, that's understandable.

The food is good, but not mind-blowingly delicious. It is overpriced for what it's worth. My favourite part of the course were the Nethili Fish Fry (I must admit this was really good) and the Mutton Biryani (not my cup of tea, I prefer different types of Mutton Biryani). Curd Rice, Chole Kulche, a moniker of some take on Thai Green Curry felt more like a bed and breakfast food prepared for the hotel guests rather than the focus being on the food itself. Ghee Roast Mutton was nice and tastefully spicy. The beer was cold, like it should have been.

Plating was a massive disappointment. Some items were served on disposable paper placed on top of the plate. This is absolutely not expected, nor is it acceptable in a restaurant housed in a 5-star hotel. The Chicken Biryani was cramped up with the Appalam and the Raita. You will not be provided with new bigger plates apart from the smaller one. Quality seems to be lacking in this department.

Good food, poor ambiance and concept...

It was a special day for us, meeting this bunch (10 people) after a year and it's one of our friend's birthday too. I recommended the place (MCK) and felt guilty because, they fell short in everything - service, the availability of the food, time taken to prepare and time taken to attend the table.

Ambience - The place is nicely done, has a warm feeling too. Midway we felt a little warm and I asked if the AC was still on, and the staff replied that it was. But we were profusely sweating for 30 minutes.

Food & Service - half of what we asked for, from the menu given, was not available. Not explained why? Not likely of any fine dining restaurant that I have visited recently.

The drinks and the small plates took time, I understand that it's cooked only after we ordered. The large plates took a ridiculous amount of 70 minutes, and I had to call him and remind him that we were starving. And, they had forgotten 2 portions out of what we'd ordered.

For every course, we had to ask the staff to clear the table, remove the platesplates and fill some water in. Nothing seemed organic and asking them repeatedly felt a bit taxing for us too.

We wanted to order more, given that it was taking so long, everyone lost interest and appetite too.

I don't know if they were understaffed in the kitchen or the service area, it was embarrassing, as I had recommended this place and half of them lost appetite even before we could order a repeat of the main course. It was a disappointing affair.

11K paid (Money isn't the constraint) and all of us went home hungry.

P. S: I'd normally click a lot of pictures, and if I have only 3 pictures of a place, that says it all.

#TheMadrasKitchen #TheWestinHotels...