360 degrees
Tremendous value for money
Serves Indian, grills, western, oriental
Atmospherics: In a mall that has seen better days, Pirates of Grill is the lone outlet that is crowded during operating hours. The reason is not hard to seek. One person can eat to their heart’s content, consuming up to 50 dishes (soup, salads, appetizers, kebabs, main courses, desserts) and pay Rs 630-1015 for a vegetarian meal or Rs 895-1075 for a non-vegetarian meal, depending on the day of the week and the time of the day. At the end of the lunch or dinner, you will, if you have played your cards well, be so full that you will probably not have to eat for the next 10 or so hours! It is value for money; the chances of your getting a table without booking are slim indeed. You will be made to wait at the benches outside the door, placed there for just that purpose. Once inside, service is brisk (they want to turn tables as fast as they can) and efficient, but though you will be served each and every grill on the printed menu (that changes periodically), you will have to help yourself to the main courses that are arranged buffet-style on a counter.
Table talk: Nobody would be able to eat 60 dishes at one sitting, no matter how small the portions are. Meat eaters are welcome to help themselves to the vegetarian section, which means that your appetite has to be gargantuan. Here is a cheat-sheet: the finest of all the starters is the grilled pineapple. Small pineapples are chosen, which are normally intensely sweet and juicy. They are rubbed with cinnamon powder and grilled. A close second is the tender, succulent seekh kebab that is not over-spiced. It is not to be missed. The third was the tandoori chicken that was juicy and flavourful. Order as many helpings as you can handle. As for the main courses, there is something for every taste and I enjoyed the Punjabi kadhi pakodi and the chhole. Not that the meat and chicken selection was not good, but I was a bit overwhelmed by the noise and crowds by then and the home-style vegetarian selection hit the spot. The biryani was better than one could have expected in a buffet restaurant that caters to 1,000+ covers a day.
Plus and minus: The desserts – western, Indian, frozen, sugar-free, eggless – are endless. So are the crowds!
Food: 3.50; Service: 3.50; Décor: 3.25
Mega City Mall, MG Road
Tel: 0124-4013333, 0124-4083333
Open from 12 noon to 3 pm; 6.30 pm to 11 pm
Alcohol served; credit cards accepted
Meal for two: Rs 2,100
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