Eat India Company- is located on the first floor of a building that also houses popular restaurants- Via Milano and Urban Asia. Once you walk in through the darbar-like door, the first thing that you notice is the scintillating interior décor. We visited Eat India Company (heron will refer to as EIC) for dinner- after hearing about the visually arresting ambiance (not to mention the food also) from fellow foodies and their reviews on Zomato.
First of, an interesting name- Eat India Company ? I couldn’t help thinking about the inconspicuous British Conglomerate, East India Company which was located in East Bengal to promote the trade of Indian spices to their colonies abroad. But, when I searched on Google with the keywords ‘Eat India Company‘- the logo of the latter has an almost striking resemblance to the one at Eat India Company- interesting eh? Maybe its just ambiguous, lets talk more on the ambiance.
As I mentioned earlier, the interior décor is brilliant- I recommend visiting during the late evening hours (when the sun goes down) or for dinner. That’s when you will truly notice the efficacy of the unorthodox lights that compliment the restaurant space. Personally, I would also prefer visiting EIC for a candle-light dinner (minus the candle)- this is because the entire restaurant space is lit just enough that there are no dark spaces; at the same time you don’t get noticed easily, especially if your dating without consent (loads of laughter). There is a decent bar counter and a see-through glass section that doubles as the area where the chefs cook the Tandoori dishes. I also liked how their unfinished concrete wall appeared (far end)- amply lit- its like the interior designer really visualised the whole thing before he/she could execute it- top notch work- whoever he or she is!
We were seated at a table for two, right next to the glass-window that spans from the floor to the ceiling and gives us a panoramic view of Road no 36, Jubilee Hills. Our server promptly came to our table and handed us the menu- he was courteous and over the course of our stint at the restaurant, did make some interesting recommendations. At the same time constantly asked us for feedback about the food, in terms of the taste etc. I did mention in my other reviews as well, that this is the kind of service that one expects from any restaurant.
For drinks, I ordered my regular Cuba Libre, which is not on the menu- but a 30/60 ml of dark rum, 1 lime, cola and topped with a little soda to offset the overwhelming sweetness. Herwin was happy with the Jal-jeera served as a complimentary or welcome drink. These were the starters we ordered-
Chicken Sholay- very appealing to the eyes and very flavourful too.
Dahi ka Kebab- personally, not the best I have had till date. Although the Dahi element was fresh, the outer crust was a
little thin and not crunchy (the kebabs were falling apart). I also experienced a sweet taste which was something I did not like.
In my opinion (provided they are not supposed to be cooked that way), cook as such the outer crust is slightly more harder and
crispier and can do without the Mawa (or Khoa).
Banjara Mutton- nailed it, the best of all the starters served today. The mutton was cooked perfectly, soft, succulent and the
level of spice was just right- We both, thoroughly enjoyed it.
Main Course
Murgh Lababdaar with Garlic Naan– this was the first time I tried such a dish- cant say it was the best but it was something different
from the regulars- special mention that that chicken was cooked perfectly. The Garlic Naan was aromatic and at the same time delicious.
For Dessert,
Phirni Kesaria- Although I liked it, I’ve had better experiences of this dessert at Tolichowki during the holy month of Ramadan.
What is my take on Eat India Company? I deeply recommend doing justice to the range of cutlery used. The existing cutlery to me, is a little out of place and does not compliment the overall décor of the restaurant. We found- few of the plates used to serve food had patches of wearing off (the best way I could put it). Frankly, I cook during the weekends and post pictures of my food after trying my best to plate it beautifully – so as to make the food look very appealing and of course the taste should be as per my expectation. If I spot any sign of wearing-off on the plate, I myself choose a different plate. When it comes to a restaurant, the room for such a slip is quite narrow and I feel that is where you may have lost a 0.5 increment from me. But in contrast to that, keep up the amazing service and on a pleasant note, I am inclined to give another 0.5 for that. Also, I adore that small gadget of yours, wherein, we customers don’t have to call out- by pushing one of the 4 buttons (button each for a drink, service, bill and one to cancel either) we could get your attention, that is soo cool! Over and above all, I love the work you guys have put into the interior décor, really amazing.
