Dining with the Peacocks « Population One

Dining with the Peacocks

03Jan08

Mayur’s online reviews promised exceptional cuisine, the best Chicken Tikka Masala in the world, and an experience that would be worth “every penny”. The reviews painted a grand picture of the venue, and I was expecting a lavish restaurant with exceptional service. By the end of the meal it was evident that Mayur’s only grandness lay in its pricing.

The restaurant is situated in Corona del Mar off of East Pacific Coast Highway, and largely overshadowed by the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf in the plaza right beside it. It is a smaller venue without the pomp it promises and a conservative decor that alludes to the Indian exotic without straying too far from the typical American. Creamy wall-sized canvases with vibrant mayur (peacock) feathers span the length of one wall and lead to a private alcove for six; the other side of the restaurant features a few golden shutters. If it were not for the candlelit tables and the otherwise dim lighting, the venue would look about as decadent as the Coco’s across the street, with less enthusiastic service. We were especially perpelexed by the paper tablecloths.

The prices range from $4 for naan to $30 dollars per platter. All dishes come a la carte, so while the Chicken Tikka Masala was priced at $19.95, the additional cuman rice ($5.95) and garlic naan ($4.95) that we ordered to make a full meall bumped the entire price for one entree to around $30. We also ordered the Hors d’ Oeuvres ($14.95) for the sake of sampling. The appatezier featured a variety of samosas and Chicken Tikka, which was well-spiced but very dry. The Chicken Tikka Masala, though well spiced, was not very tender. The sauce was of a creamy consistency and flavored the otherwise dry chicken well, and the rice with cuman spices and sesame oil added good texture to the platter. The size of the portions is my greatest complaint, because for $30 a “platter”, I expected to get much more than a shallow bowl of chicken and an equally small bowl of rice. My cereal bowl could hold twice the amount of chicken that we were served. I am not unused to paying high prices for a good meal, but this is by far the smallest portion I’ve ever received for an a la carte meal.

The service also left something to be desired, especially since by the end of our meal, my boyfriend and I were the only patrons in the restaurant and had to wait several minutes between draining our waters for any kind of refill. We were not asked how our meal was, we were not even asked if we wanted dessert. Our host disappeared into the back of the restaurant after seating us and did not reemerge for the duration of our stay, and our waiter, while courteous and knowledgeable about the entrees’ ingredients (though unfortunately not about the levels of spiciness), also spent a considerable amount of time in the back.

If you’re looking to spend big and eat small, Mayur will not disappoint. The venue is private enough when relatively empty, though it is known to get noisy, and the tables are spaced close enough to each other to make for a very lively dining experience. Do not expect exotic.