i have been to lotd 5 times since march 2021, and i hereby am making a very informed review. the restaurant thrives on a few things- brand value, paid promotion, strategic location and hype. there is absolutely nothing wrong with that, each and every one of these aspects are hard to acquire. however, these will make you successful, not a legendary outlet.
they have lost me with their constant unavailability of drinks, irritating newstaffand refusal to innovate.
let's start with the positives:
#decor: goes without saying one of the best decorated places in kolkata. it's a really small dining hall, but the light, the bottle wall and open bar makes it very attractive. the chairs are extremely uncomfortable, but it is a small price to pay for the amazing dps that can be clicked in this place.
#customer service- they have very well trained, polite yet crisp servers, hosts and maitre d. they will go out of their way to accommodate the customer. and being a regular does come with the advantage of familiarity. overall, i have had amazing servers, and am very satisfied on this front.
#food - expensive, but worth the price. the food is enjoyable, i mostly stuck to the appetizers and finger foods as they pair well with alcohol. they have one killer blueberry cheesecake, and i vouch for the spicy peri peri wings.
pros: blueberry cheesecake, wings.
cons: platters, as they are not worth the price.
no some negatives:
#cocktails: now this is a commentary on the recent condition of the bar. the drinks menu has around 30 cocktails listed (including wine), and half of the menu is unavailable. the reason? they don't have vermouth, a certain bitter and cognac. they have been out of these since reopening in june, and have not bothered to restock. they also could not be bothered to update the menu or add different cocktail recipes. so when you try to order, it's a game of minesweeper, and one has to maneuver a lot. one cannot stick to one alcohol base, and experiment with different drinks, you have to, absolutely have to either mix the alcohol bases, or stick to only one kind of cocktail.
i got so fed up with the unavailability of cocktails, my sweet sweet server got the bartender to talk. he came to me, promised to make me something with kaffir lime, and had the audacity of serving me margarita. literally the easiest drink to blend, which i have consciously avoided on the menu, was his big surprise. needless to say it was horrible, and i was pissed af. they couldn't serve peach and apricot sangria, anything with vermouth, anything with cognac, and not even a mojito.
#beer: for the first time anywhere, i heard someone say, they do not have kingfisher. they have 1 brand- budweiser, and you are to have that if you want beer. they don't have draught, they don't have any other brand.
#servers: new servers and trainees are flooding the place, and i don't mind a quiet person, or someone unclear of the menu. however, for the first time in last 8 months, i experienced a sort of constant monitoring, someone hovering over the table. that is very rude - one can never be comfortable in such situations.
pro: they use a lot of colours and fancy glasses to make drinks instagramable.
cons: unavailability of drinks, no innovation from bartenders.
lotd has become very complacent with a lackluster barishh and unpopular café mezzuna as competition. i sincerely hope south city gets some better pubs, and kicks lotd to it's senses. i for one, have been a regular, but after being forced fed margarita tonight.