Chennai, The Great Kabab Factory - Waning Royalty

Sunday afternoon family meal and the destination of choice was to be The Great Kabab Factory at the GRT Radisson. For the uninitiated, the Kabab Factory is the undisputed standard when it comes to 5 star dining Frontier cuisine. Many years to now, it has been first choice of both locals as well as foreign tourists for the ultimate "Kebab" experience.

I am sorry to say, this love story is over.

Sunday, 06th April, 2008 - Lunch

Chennai's GRT Radisson Great Kabab Factory is one of the best examples of destinations resting on past glory. For starters, the interiors beg a facelift and seem so dated that it turns your (now critical) focus straight towards the food - straightaway raising the bar. Add to this the jacked up prices (Rs. 750/- per head for Non veg and Rs. 650/- for a vegetarian meal) and you really are looking forward to a culinary delight, as always.

The Non Veg fare started convincingly with the consistent Mutton Galouti Kabab drawing praise from all the meat eaters on the table. Remarks on the softness of the meat and how it "melts in the mouth" were to be heard. The parade that followed thereafter led to probably one of the greatest disappointments of recent times. Barring a Seekh kabab which was succulent and tasty, on offer was a Murgh Kooty Mirch and a Murgh Tikka Malai, both of which were tagged as "nothing special", a salt-less Ajwaini Murgh Tikka and Macchi Patiyala which while being innovative, was a let down since it was rather bland and lacked flavor. Further, the people serving the food and throwing their recommendations urged us to try the fish with a yoghurt dip. The bengali dominated table conveyed their sense of disapproval of this combination and suggested mustard to have been the perfect accompaniment for this style of fish preparation.

The Vegetarian fare (usually considered a right royal waste of money at the Kabab Factory) was again, a let down. The Veg Galouti kabab was as usual - excellent. Failing to live up to expectations created by the Galouti were Bhuna Paneer (ordinary - almost tasteless), Aloo Tikka Hara Dhaniya (was a shocker! Felt microwaved), an off beat Mutter Palak ki Shammi (promising in preparation but not appealing over all to the palate) and a very forgettable Subz ki Seekh. This seekh and the Aloo Tikka seemed positively microwaved for the occasion. Unbelievable. Last on this menu was Achari Baby corn which does not even deserve a mention. It was just had too strong a yoghurt base and nothing else.

The support crew:

* The paratha served as an accompaniment to the kababs was really interesting and nice. I failed to catch its name but it was sweet, flavoured with saffron and thick. However, the other variety of bread served was fennel flavoured and stuffed with nuts - however, one bite and one felt stuffed like a Thanksgiving turkey! Hmm, I wonder how and why..

* Beverages - The Badam Milk was not thick and not at all chilled. The Lassi however was very nice and flavoured with jeera. We ordered for Fresh Lime Soda which was served to us warm!

* Among the dips and accompaniments, the Tamarind Chutney deserved special praise. It really left a lasting impression on the taste buds.

Now if you felt that I was reaching the end of my review, you'd be mistaken because among every other dish offer, the one I was most eagerly awaiting was the Kali Dal. Now one of my most popular posts till date has been the War of the Dals where a lot of readers actually wanted Kabab factory's Kali dal to be accommodated in the list of Top 5 for Chennai. On first taste, the dal was surprisingly watery with a less than appealing sprinkling of lentils. Overall, there really was not anything in the dal to warrant a place in the Top 5 of Chennai. Sorry readers - its the only reason the Dal continued to stay out of the list.

Desserts - all of them impressed. Be it the Kesari Gulab Jamun, the Kulfi, Steamed Apricot, Papaya Halwa or the Coconut flavoured Payesh (Kheer), they were off beat as well as very tasty. Full marks here.

At the end of it all, none of us on the table felt that we had got value for our money. However, the experience was most soured right at the end when the over zealous waiters virtually shoved us out of the restaurant since it was 15 minutes past their kitchen's closing time. Definitely not what one expects at a 5 star restaurant, especially one with such a cult brand status.

It'll be exciting to see what the Radisson Group does to revive the past glory of their premium frontier cuisine brand. I know for a fact that it carries too much equity for the chain to ignore it. I hope to visit the place again in the month of July and will write back then.

Non Vegetarian Meal - Rs. 750/- per head
Vegetarian Meal - Rs. 650/- per head
Website: http://www.grthotels.com/radisson/restaurant.htm
Address & Phone: GRT Radisson, 531, GST Road, St. Thomas Mount, Chennai - 600 016, Ph: 22310101

Reviewed by: Harish Anand Thilakan
Date: 06th April 2008