2 /5 Ernesto: I went to Al Zayt on New Year’s Eve and unfortunately it was not a very pleasant experience. The issues started right from the entrance. It was freezing cold outside and when we went in, we decided to be polite and wait instead of occupying a seat on our own. None of the restaurant staff bothered to greet us or even acknowledge our presence. A waitress was busy taking orders from another group and there were other staff members nearby, yet no one looked at us. We were genuinely confused about whether we were supposed to wait or choose an empty table ourselves. After moving a little closer to the empty tables, a waiter suddenly appeared from inside and seated us.
We placed our orders quickly, but some of the chicken dishes we wanted were out of stock. This was understandable considering it was New Year’s Eve. We finally ordered porotta, tawa pomfret masala, chicken kondattam and a jug of lime juice.
From this point on, the experience was a combination of poor service and unpleasant ambience. We went to wash our hands and the toilet area did not look good for a dining restaurant. The door to the staff room was open and I could see shoes and clothes piled up in that tiny room right next to the dining area, giving off a pungent smell. On top of that, the heating was terrible. Cold air was blowing from several places and we felt cold throughout our time there.
When it came to service, it took at least thirty minutes for the food to arrive. As someone who has worked in hospitality, I understand that delays can happen, especially on busy days. However, communication is important. We were sitting there freezing, waiting and wondering when our food would arrive. I had taken a picture of the menu when I returned it to the staff, and when I checked the time I realized it had been thirty minutes since we placed the order. Only after we asked about the delay were we told that the food would be coming next.
After the long wait, we finally received the jug of lime juice, which was good. It was refreshing, enough for three people to share, and we finished it quickly.
The main dishes, chicken kondattam and tawa pomfret fry, were actually good. I am not a big fan of fish, but I genuinely liked the pomfret. I only wish we had a gravy dish to go with it, but unfortunately those were out of stock.
Now coming to the most disappointing part. The porotta was a complete letdown. I go to a restaurant instead of buying frozen porotta from a supermarket and paying many times more because I expect fresh porotta. Serving frozen porotta in a restaurant is unacceptable. For any restaurant that serves Kerala food, porotta is extremely important. If you cannot serve it well, then you should not be serving Kerala food at all. The disappointment was so strong that we genuinely felt like leaving the restaurant. We had even thought about buying porotta rolls to take away, but we were very glad that we did not.
Overall, while some of the food was good, the experience was overshadowed by poor service, bad ambience and extremely disappointing porotta. The absence of good management was evident, the service staff clearly need proper training in greeting, seating and communicating with customers, and the heating and overall upkeep of the place seriously need improvement.
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