November 09, 2006

The latest eatery on the Karachi scene, Hollywood Grill comes as a welcome change in more ways than one. For one thing, it is a spacious joint, a far cry from the cooped up cafes that have become exceedingly popular of late. For another, instead of being a foreign franchise –– there seems to be one opening up in every commercial area –– it is the first of a local chain that promises to have outlets all over the country.

As the name suggests, the restaurant, located on the first floor of a building overlooking a beach front, boasts a Hollywood theme with photographs and posters of Hollywood stars all over the walls, à la Planet Hollywood. The longish interior is well-lit and equipped with comfortable seating ranging from leatherette-cum-upholstered sofas placed close to the walls to rust coloured upholstered chairs towards the centre. Stone pillars, wooden paneling and a central salad bar area all help to enhance the pleasant ambiance of the restaurant.

The menu offers a sizeable variety and forms an interesting read, with the names of dishes alternating between popular film titles –– or their knock-offs –– and names of celebrity stars. Thus, among others, you can take your pick of the Big, Fat Greek Salad –– inspired no doubt, by ‘My Big, Fat Greek Wedding’ –– or John Travolta.

For appetisers, our party of four decided to go for the Greek salad, Mexican and Shrimp Tales. We didn’t regret our choice for all three turned out to be a delight. The Big, Fat Greek Salad had just the right amount of dressing to allow the greens to remain crisp, and the feta cheese and other veggies moist and tangy.

Mexican, although quite an uninspiring name considering the other glitzy titles of dishes, was a great concoction of nachos, sour cream, salsa and melted cheese. Those with a penchant for Mexican grub must definitely make a bee-line for this appetiser. Similarly, the Shrimp Tales, good for serving one person, is a scrumptious shrimp cocktail.

For entrees, we decided to call for Joy Luck Club; Angelina Jolie; White Chicks and Pirates of the Caribbean. The first is a club sandwich which is wonderfully succulent – it is amazing how many restaurants can’t get this simple platter right. Angelina Jolie should most definitely be given a miss for it turned out to be the only disaster of the day. A combination of beef tenderloin and jumbo prawns, the platter was a major disappointment mainly because of the beef. Most unappetising-looking and neither lean nor tenderloin, the beef was rubbery in texture.

Although the waiter took it back at our complaint and replaced it with another platter, the substitution was no better than the original. Although the grilled prawns in the dish were tasty, as was the mashed potato accompaniment, they didn’t manage to atone for the tastelessness of the ‘tenderloin’.

On the other hand, Pirates of the Caribbean was a treat to partake of. Consisting of deep fried fish and chips prepared English style with a thin batter, the only thing missing that prevented it from becoming a truly perfect dish was the tartar sauce, although it was mentioned in the description in the menu.

White Chicks is also worth a try. Comprising grilled chicken breast served in a delicious balsamic sauce, the only grouse we had with the dish was that it arrived too late, when we had almost completed our meal. In fact, overall, the one aspect we felt the restaurant really needs to look into is its service. Although it has a bevy of waiters and hosts that are eager to serve, they seemed untrained and had to be requested for services that are normally received unsought. For instance, there were no glasses on our table, and even when we asked for mineral water, the glasses weren’t proffered until we asked for them.

At our arrival, although a reservation had been made – there was no need for it, though, as there is plenty of space – the maitre d’ seemed to have no clue about it, and instead of just leading us to one of the vacant tables, made us wait as they entered our booking.

The desserts, like most of the other food items, were up to the mark. We ordered Marilyn Monroe, which is a cheese cake that is supposed to be served with a choice of toppings. Although we were not asked our choice, and no topping arrived on the cheese cake, it was nonetheless sumptuous and was both creamy and chilled. The other dessert we opted for was Denzel Washington – a chocolate cake, as one may guess – which proved worthy of its name and didn’t disappoint.

Hollywood Grill has most of the necessary ingredients to make it a success story. Its prices are at par with most of the upscale restaurants, so doesn’t create a bigger whole in the diner’s pocket than any other eatery of its calibre. All it needs to do now is concentrate on training its staff and ensuring that all the items on the menu match with their descriptions.

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