January 22, 2009

When driving past Sea View Township, you are bound to be struck by the sight of a huge restaurant that looks like a ship, a part of it actually protruding into the sea. Its façade, posing as ‘terminals,’ boast buffet menus available for dinners, high-teas and parties, while valets stand at the entrance ready to steer your car into the sprawling parking space available. Welcome to the Floating Ship.

We decided to try their high-tea menu and ventured there on a Sunday evening. As we entered the foyer though, some of our enthusiasm dissipated, as we were immediately confronted with a reception desk behind which was seated a cahier who insisted that customers pay up-front before entering the dining hall. Perhaps, the management should try and discover how other buffet establishments of their ilk (one just down the road from them) manage without having to resort to such desperate measures, as the practice is somewhat unpleasant.

Once the formalities were over, we made our way into a huge room with windows in the shape of port-holes, and lots of tables and chairs, although they were all vacant, and there was no sign of food being served. The play area boasts an inflated jumping castle where kids were having a field day frolicking about, and overlooks the top deck of the ship, where private parties can be held. Stairs, both from the play area and the inside hall, lead to the basement which houses the dining facilities.

The inside hall is another spacious area with port-holes, huge coloured spot lights and small fans on the ceiling, and plasma television screens, which every now and then come to life depicting a ship at sea with sirens blaring and an air attack taking place. It attempts to create the ambience of a dining hall on board a ship, but falls far short of the grandeur normally associated with it.

Evidently, the management doesn’t really want to cater to a clientele that is looking for a classy theme restaurant. At the nominal price it is charging for the buffet — dinner is for Rs595 (plus tax) per head, and high-tea for Rs295 plus tax — the focus seems to be more on drawing in numbers to the eatery than bothering about increasing overheads. The buffet spread also speaks a similar story, for although there is a reasonable variety available, the items on offer are basically the same as that on the dinner menu, only fewer, and there is no item that is exclusively served at the high-tea. So, for those who want to avail an early dinner at half the price, the high-tea would be a good option, for they will wind up partaking of more dinner items than tea items, anyway!

Among the items on offer are four kinds of soups, a few salads, aloo tarkari and parathas, chicken wings, samosas, rolls, pizzas, burgers, haleem, Chinese fried rice, chicken patties, chicken with chillies, chowmein, pani puri, and an assortment of desserts. Chaat items are however sorely missing from the menu; pani puri being the only chaat available, and that too, nothing to write home about.

The hot-and-sour soup should be avoided, though the others were reasonably palatable. The salads seemed limp, so we decided to skip them. The samosas and rolls were tasty, though on the spicy side. The pizzas, with no meat topping, were average while the haleem was appetising, as was the chowmein. But, by far the most delicious item on the menu was the ‘crazy burger’. A cross between a bun kebab and a burger, it had the best of both worlds and, served fresh, was delectable. The chicken wings too were dished out fresh, but they lacked the usual tangy flavour that makes them so appealing.

One irksome element about the eatery is its service. Admittedly, it was a busy day the evening our party decided to explore it but that is no excuse for sloppy service. From leading us to our table, to cleaning it — eventually, they just removed the dirty plates, but didn’t wipe the table clean — to refilling the chafing dishes, the waiters failed on all counts. In fact, the only time they showed any speed was when they came to chase us for their tip!

So, if you want a fancy meal with all the trappings of an elegant restaurant, head for a posh joint on Zamzama; if however you’re looking at getting your money’s worth at least in terms of the fare available, head for the Floating Ship and take your appetite along.