The Fig Tree Place — Restaurant in Tamil Nadu

Kongu Nadu Kozhi Kuzhambu (a traditional chicken curry from Tamil Nadu's Kongu Nadu region, which includes Salem) and Mutton Chettinadu were the highlights of our lavish spread at lunch today. For folks who began by saying that light meals are preferable, meaning the buffet would be wasted on us, we certainly did justice to the array of dishes we were persuaded to taste by the erudite general manager, S. Ravisundar. The standouts of our visit to The Fig Tree Place, which is the restaurant operated by Shambala Plantation Stay, were the 2 aforementioned dishes; we also enjoyed the fish fry, parpu-ghee-steamed rice-fried papad, sambar rice, a typical Chettinadu brinjal curry (Ennai Kathirikai), freshly made chapatis... Oh, mustn't forget the buttermilk with which we began the feast and the semiya paysam with which we ended it. PS: We couldn't resist checking out the Samaya Gift Shop attached to the restaurant. And we couldn't resist splurging on the home-grown pure, not chicory-added, filter coffee (₹500 for 500 gm) and black pepper (₹800 for 1 kg). PPS: If you want to know why it's called The Fig Tree Place, take a look at 1 of the 4 photos...

Review based on personal experience Date: 14 Aug 2022 Meal : lunch Pax : 4 adults 2 kids

This Restaurant is located inside the shambala resorts. Unlike the regular restaurants, the fig tree place will not be too crowded. When we called them for an inquiry, they were too open to set the expectation ans told us that it is not a crowded restaurant and it may take 30 to 45 mins to serve the food after the order. This is definitely a place for nature lovers, who loves to eat good food and enjoy the nature around. And NOT a place for people who are in a hurry.

Plus: wonderful location. Ambience was fantastic Not too crowded Service was too good. Mr. Ravi's food suggestion was a very big plus Rice Portion was enough for 2 people (moderate eaters) Food gets prepared only after the order. So it was fresh Fantastically cooked food. The spices were cooked well as it must be. The south indian style mushroom biriyani was top notch.

Minus: On my experience, I Couldn't think...

The ambience of the place is genuinely impressive — it sets high expectations the moment you walk in. Interestingly, the parking staff do an excellent job of welcoming guests with warmth and a smile, which makes the first impression even better.

Unfortunately, the experience took a turn when interacting with the manager. His communication was abrupt and dismissive, to the point of saying, “I don’t want to engage in a conversation with you,” when asked a fair and valid question. This kind of response is extremely disappointing, especially coming from someone in a leadership position.

Great ambience and front-line staff are important, but the overall experience is defined by how customers are treated. I sincerely hope the management addresses this, because the place has a lot of potential — it just needs leadership that respects and values...