AMBROSIA

by Unknown 3/14/2015 09:54:00 pm 0 comments Experience. food Kimchi-Ahoy! Korea Korean Korean food Spot my Korea

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A food and travel review section.

DISCLAIMER: this is only a personal review of the place. We were not asked or paid to write a review of the place mentioned today.

AMBROSIA

               

                This time the SMK team decided to visit a Korean bakery and get some unique experience. The place we chose was ‘AMBROSIA’, located in Cenetoph road, Chennai-18.

                

                The café/bakery opens at ten in the morning and closes at nine. Ambrosia being a café and a bakery in one successfully delivers both. The menu varies from drinks to bakery, pastry and even savoury dishes both vegan and non-vegan. We ordered a Choco chip muffin and a café latte which totally summed up to 271 rupees. The Choco chip muffin was hard on the outside and soft and moist on the inside which added dimensions to texture and in terms of flavour, it was exceptional. Not your average Choco chip muffin .The downside to this muffin is its quick-to-crumb nature which makes it a bit of a hassle to eat. Otherwise, the Choco chip muffin was worth it.

               The café latte was presented in a different way. The tall glass of latte was accompanied with a small gravy bowl filled with sugar syrup like consistency. Since the latte did not contain sugar, one could add as much of it as one prefers. There isn’t much to say about the latte as it delivered to the norm.

                To finish it off, we ordered a double cheese sandwich. Unfortunately, this proved to be a disappointment. The name of the dish is misleading; we did not expect a pizza like oozing cheese but at least enough to for us to see the difference between the two layers of cheese and the bread. There was no lingering taste of cheese and quite frankly the dish was a let-down.

              

               Now, I am going to break down the review and grade them in points of 5.

Infrastructure- 5 out of 5. 

                 
                  The infrastructure and ambience of the place is outstanding. The lighting and the not-so-hidden ventilation system give it a raw yet classy appeal. Although the place was small, each corner echoed the café/bakery’s best works.

Food – 3 out of 5.

                Perhaps it was our early arrival at the cafe/bakery (we visited the place at eleven), because some of the products were still in the making, and the ones that did arrive was not warm (double cheese sandwich)

Presentation- 2 out of 5.

         

      Continuing with the above point, we would like to add that there were also some bakery products that were for sale but the name tag was not placed on them yet leading to hesitation and confusion on our side. Now, we cannot put the reason for this as us coming too early, as placing name cards on the bakery item is not a burdening or time consuming task.

Hospitality and customer service- 0 out of 5.

               

                Quite frankly, we feel bad for doing it, but it is for the best. From the time we made our order till the time we left, we felt as though something was amiss. When asked for the menu, the cashier pointed at a wall which had nothing but drinks and yogurt items and nothing about the actually bakery items. The cashier explained that Americano was black coffee when I ordered for it. I do not know what it was that made her think that I did not know what I was ordering.

                Aside from that, there was miscommunication taking place. The cashier stated that the meat filling in their bakery product is all pork. Yet, after waiting long enough, (one hour) chicken filled products were brought to the display table.

                Also, something which a customer must never feel is invisible or even unnecessary which is what we felt. The entry of the owner and her kin suddenly changed the ambience of the café. Public display of affection between the employer and the employee or in this case between the child of the employer and the employee is not something which the customer would feel comfortable watching. What was meant to be a public space had turned into a private circle. The employees’ sudden jovial attitude and even willingness to walk the child out when the customer was still present in the café/bakery was something I had never before experienced.

                On a different tone, I had wanted to interview the owner to ask her certain things about the café, which I was unable to do for the employee insisted on knowing what ‘company’ I was from and also stated that the owner would not answer personal questions. I doubt asking ‘why a Korean bakery has a Greek name?’ would be called a personal question. What was even irritating was that when asked for the owner’s name, ‘Kim’ was the response. I believe there is nothing more to say after this.

                In short, Ambrosia is a unique place which seems to add to its reclusive nature. The interior design adds space and depth to the place giving it clear and multiple dimensions. If you are looking for a quiet place to study or to just unplug yourself from the world, then this place is meant for you. If not, I suggest you at least go there for the muffins.

                Once again, this is a personal opinion/experience and if you do not agree with it that is all good, do let us know what you feel. Our intention is not to hurt anyone.