Pondicheri

Reviews 6

KA

Kanishk Goel

Not only inauthentic, but not good at all. Unlike many others, I had no problems with the staff. The ambience is beautiful (though the quality and the appropriateness of the music is debatable). The food is either overly spiced or underly spiced. My family and I tried many different items from the menu due to our initial optimism, but found little optimism left at the end of our meal. It felt as if somebody had just discovered Indian spices and indulged their food with them in excitement, resulting in dishes many would say were inevitably inedible. Mrs. Hogue on this post justifies the "unique" taste of the restaurant as innovative and portrays the food to be good on the basis that it isnt what a traditional Indian or admirer of Indian cuisine would come to expect. Im sorry but this is not the case. If you want to try a restaurant which successfully fuses American and Indian cuisine, try Kirans. Avoid this place at any cost, because otherwise, it will cost a lot, and you will most certainly be left unsatisfied. I just want to clarify, this food is not bad because it isnt authentic, it is bad because it is poorly executed and incredibly overrated. This place is a prefect embodiment of the hipster movement in America. Sorry about the rambling, but I just needed to assure all of you that actually read this that you should spend your hard earned dollars at another place which actually deserves them. If you would like to visit the restaurant for the experience itself, by all means go ahead. But if you visit the venue for food instead of their outstanding ornaments, I feel bad for you.

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JO

Jonathan Nassar

Ive been here twice now, and Ive enjoyed both times. My first time, I tried the slightly more traditional stuff. The saag paneer samosas had a good flavor but were a little spicier than I expected. The thali (like a sampler plate) let me try a variety of stuff at once, and I enjoyed just about all of it. Even the more-normal roasted veggies were delicious. Their specialty drinks are also very good. The second time, I tried a chicken burger thing - also excellent, and their fries have a really good interesting spice mix on them (a little heavily caked on toward the bottom, though). For appetizer, we tried the chicken wings (a good level of kick, I though) and the goat samosas. Both were great, and you could consider the samosas for a small meal. I tried a local cider this time around - and I have to say their drink selection has a pretty good variety to it. We ended with a couple of desserts to share for the table. The ice cream sandwiches are really great - the ice cream is a malted chocolate, which adds an interesting depth to the chocolate. Theyre easy to share between four people, too. The pie was more interesting at first, but as you try it a bit more you really appreciate the balance of chai spices in a not-too-sweet style dessert. We the pie was gone, I appreciated how well balanced it was. The coffees also good here, and the service is just outstanding. It makes for a satisfying experience.

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BO

Bob Smith

Good: Original decor, aesthetics are very pleasing--stainless steel plates, food looks very pretty and colorful, lovely map of India made out of fabric, very chic Indian couch to sit on (hence the 1 star) Bad: Food. No aroma, no taste at all. Saffron soup did not smell of any saffron at all (maybe because its expensive). The dumplings in the soup were overcooked--I assume they were okra but too burnt for me to recognize the taste. Yogi thali was awful--the saag (spinach) was under-cooked (looked pretty with the circular bright red radish pieces in it though!) and it tasted of the sodium bicarbonate that was used to cook it--so it was the worst of both worlds!! I commend them for being the only restaurant I know of that provides khandvi, but the khandvi had no taste at all (I dont mind that it was not hot) and it was a thick layer (the best chefs can make it very thin and roll it very artfully) and you could not taste the chick pea ingredient that well-made khandvi is usually made of; they stuffed it with carrots and other pretty stuff that was different, but not in a particularly imaginative way. The carrot roti was hard as leather--I was thinking of taking it home and using it as a dartboard. I could write about the barley salad but am too tired. You get the point. I give them points for trying to be different but not being able to cook well and lacking imagination is limiting

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IN

Inga Berryman

My husband and I are from Trinidad, my grandmother is from India and we can tell you that the food served here is not authentic Indian food. When we got here the waiters werent serving tables so we ordered at the counter, sat at a booth and waited for our food to be brought to us. While waiting a few other people came in and they were seated by the lady who took our order. All the other tables were served water and we werent given any. Our appetizers and entrees all came out together and we had to ask for water. The food was not the tastiest and definitely not authentic Indian. The samosas were not tasty. The outside texture was good not too crispy but the filling inside had a particular spice that just seemed to overwhelm the palate. I ordered the Vegetable Frankie with desi fries and my husband got the Tandoori Lamb Kebab. The naan and lamb were both burnt and not well seasoned. My dish was just mediocre, the dahl lacked the taste of curry and the fries were completely cold- The staff here is very unattentive- no one came over to ask if everything was ok with our food and they all stood around for most of our meal talking and laughing with each other. Overall an overpriced place with poor service and far from tasty so called Indian food. #LocalGuides

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AN

AnaMaria Garcia

I dont enjoy writing bad reviews for restaurants and this has taken me a while to write, but I have to share that my experience here was one of the most memorable ones for all the wrong reasons. The food: The restaurant lacked most of all basic traditional foods. They didnt even have mango lassi on a Friday night at 6 pm. When I asked for a recommendation I got directed towards a flavored bar that was over seasoned to the point it was not edible. When my party and I order the food, we all noticed the flavor of the food was mediocre at best, unlike its sister restaurant, Indika, that is amazing in flavor profile and service. Service: I have never been treated as poorly in a restaurant as I have in this one. Our waiter took an extremely long time to serve us our food or pay attention to our table until everyone was fully seated. We all tipped according to his service and towards the end of the meal the waiter came up and asked my table to tip him more as he was not satisfied. The only positive thing about this restaurant was the decor and ambiance but the mood was easily killed by the bad service.

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JO

John Newsom

Fresh baked goodies with a twist of culture and spice, friendly knowledgeable staff. Its a hip, modern cafe with a wonderful sensory pleasing industrial design surrounded with large windows that include a great view of Houstons skyline. Want to try something new, unique and delicious? How about their award winning "Chai Pie"? It literally is the legendary spiced tea that has been turned into a delicate creamy slice of heaven. How about the "chocolate chili (yes chili powder) oatmeal cookie? Be warned, after having one its difficult to resist planning your daily schedule around a visit to the pastry shop. It is a little tricky to find though. The restaurant is on the ground floor, the bakery is on the second floor right above the restaurant. They also serve delicious sandwiches, farmers market salads, Indian soups and unique breakfast dishes too. They have it all. They also sell a variety of fresh ground masala blends INCLUDING THEIR CHAI TEA BLEND!! They have nifty stainless steel wear like the tiffins that you see everywhere in India. Go check it out, theres nothing like it in Houston!!

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