NOVU Johar Town — Restaurant in Lahore City Tehsil

Here’s a detailed review you could consider:

Disappointed with the Hotpot Experience at NovU

I recently visited NovU a popular Chinese food chain known for its authentic flavors, to try their hotpot. Given their reputation, I was excited and had high expectations, but, unfortunately, the experience left me quite disappointed.

Ambience and Service: The atmosphere was fine, and the decor had a nice aesthetic that added to the overall ambiance. However, the service was underwhelming. The staff seemed either disinterested or too busy, which made it challenging to get any recommendations on the best broth or sides. Additionally, there was a noticeable delay in bringing out the ingredients, which dampened the excitement.

The Broth: One of the most crucial elements of any hotpot is the broth, but this fell short. I ordered the spicy Broth hoping for rich, layered flavors. Instead, it tasted quite bland and lacked the depth of flavors I expected. It didn’t have the strong aroma or heat you’d usually find in a good hotpot base.

Ingredient Quality: Hotpot ingredients should be fresh and of good quality, but some of the items didn’t seem as fresh as they should have been. The vegetables appeared limp, and the meat cuts were not up to par. Also, certain seafood items had an off-taste, which made me question the quality control.

Dipping Sauces and Condiments: Typically, the array of sauces and condiments is a highlight of the hotpot experience, allowing you to customize each bite. However, the sauce station was limited and felt like an afterthought. Some sauces had even run out, and there was no refill despite notifying the staff.

Pricing: For the quality of food and service, the price was on the higher end. Given the premium rates, I expected a memorable meal, but it fell far from it.

Overall: While NOVU might be popular, my experience with their hotpot was disappointing. The combination of lackluster broth, subpar ingredients, and inattentive service did not meet my expectations, especially for the price point. I hope they improve the quality and consistency because, as a hotpot lover, I wanted to love this place but left feeling...

I visited with my family on Saturday evening. Got the table very quickly and the order was taken right away. We were told starters will arrive within 15 and main meals within 25 mins.

Table was set, but we realised the cutlery and tissues were missing. But we thought the staff would fix it before the food arrived.

But nothing was fixed and when nothing was served until 25 mins, I inquired nearby serving staff. He went to the kitchen but nobody came back with any update.

On insisting the second time to the serving staff, I saw Akash (the guy who took order). I was told it's crowded so we have to wait 5 more minutes. I told him please serve food for kids first at least and serve the rest in 3 more minutes. Kids food arrived quickly but we were still waiting for starters 35 mins since placement of order.

After running out with patience, I had to walk to the kitchen door. After waiting there, Akash came out and was visibly irritated towards me and said wait on table as he is bringing starters now. He only apologised after I told him to apologize. But he only served one of the starters, with 6 starters still remaining. 5 mins later only 2 soups came (without crackers). They served soups but didn't realise spoons were missing. Basically it took them almost one hour to serve all the starters and related things one by one.

At this stage I went to the guy (probably manager) standing at the entrance and explained the whole situation. 2 mins later they didn't realise we were still eating starters and bombarded the table with main dishes without waiting for us to finish the late served starters.

I believe they need more vigilant staff who act before customers complain. Most of the servers were just standing, doing nothing. Plus if they expect a full house on weekends, they need more people in the kitchen at least on...

I have been a loyal customer of Novu for over three years. Whenever I visit Pakistan, Novu is always a must-visit due to its good food and quality. This year also, I was very excited to visit them not knowing what awaited. My sister and I visited Novu around 6:30 PM and ordered spicy dumplings, hot pot, and beef chili dry. Notably, there were only three families dining at the time, including us. After a brief wait, our food arrived. While the beef chili dry was good, the dumplings were hard, the dough had toughened, and there was some smell. We immediately brought this to the waiter's attention. The waiter took the dumplings to the manager and then to the kitchen, informing us they would be replaced. However, when the dumplings were returned, it was clear they were the same ones, merely reheated with extra sauce. My sister tried another piece and confirmed no improvement. The waiter took them back again and, to our surprise, returned saying the chef insisted, "This is how we make dumplings. If you don't like them, you can have them removed from your order." This response was shocking. Khair, we requested the dumplings be removed from our bill. After that, we spent the next 40 minutes under constant watch, with serving staff continually looking at us and seemingly discussing our table. This made us feel extremely uncomfortable and embarrassed. Additionally, the manager, appeared completely unconcerned about the incident and the inconvenience it caused. This experience was highly disappointing and unprofessional. I will not be...