Panchavati Gaurav – Mediocre stuff

It's hard for me to consent to eat at a thali restaurant these days, simply because I feel like a waste going out and eating the same food that you can cook (sometimes better) at home. I'd rather pick from some specialty, multi-cuisine options from which I can derive a unique experience. I was even more convinced after our experience at Panchavati Gaurav, off Bhandarkar road last week. We had to choose this place because we had people with us who don't particularly enjoy experimenting with their food, but then Marwadi seemed like a good change from the normal Maharashtrian Thali.

I tried to reserve a table in the morning, but the restaurant does not take reservations, which is disappointing because there is always the anxiety (for hyper people like me) about whether you will get a table and the likelihood of having to wait. Fortunately we got a table without a wait. The place has adequate parking and the ambience is ok.

You are of course served as soon as you choose your table. The preparation was aesthetic - no large chunks of sloppily cut vegetables or uncut coriander drooping down from your katori. In fact, the mini-puran poli which was served out of a kadai full of ghee both looked and tasted great. The undiyo and jal jeera with mint were also decent. However, the rest of the fare was run of the mill. The dhoklas were too dry, the mutter kachori was tasteless, rasmalai was rubbery and the vegetables were not even worth a mention. All in all, nothing unique about the Thali here that you would not get anywhere else – in terms of the spread as well as the taste.

Even more annoying was the service. I simply hate it when waiters messily thump food into your plate, spilling and splotching it all around (and over) you. We had to call for items like roti and rice several times before we were served. Moreover, they started gathering our plates the minute we were done and even started cleaning the table. I could not find a single reason why that could not have happened after we'd left the table, considering that in a thali restaurant that typically happens as soon as everyone has finished.

I often wonder why Thali places cannot create a nice, relaxed ambience and have to seem like low-end "khanawals" (lunch homes). Do they really need to loom over you and compel you to stuff your food, pay your bill and leave? I think 7 of us finished lunch and were out of the place within some 30 minutes. Hardly the sort of Sunday afternoon you would envisage with extended family! The price at Rs. 195 per plate too is far more than that charged by some of the better Thali places in town. I doubt I will ever go back!

My verdict: 2 out of 5 – for the total lack of differentiation and the poor service.