Orchids (Fortune Park Vallabha)

Orchids is a multi-cuisine restaurant. That means the chefs will whip up anything - from Continental to Indian to Oriental. That, however, does not mean the chefs can whip up anything. In fact, it'd do you good to leave the authenticity to the Littles Italys, the Dakshins and the Mainland Chinas, and get here for other pleasures of eating out.

The Scene

However, Orchids is backed by the venerable ITC tag, so there is a visible effort to keep up scrubbed-clean standards of service and tidiness. The neat and trim lobby is a harbinger of what lies inside. Well-ventilated interiors, brown-themed décor, respectable stretching space between tables, and generic-sounding instrumental music make for an uncluttered ambience.

The Food

Expect a menu eager to please, with the cuisine spanning across Mexican, Italian, Hyderabadi Andhra and Chinese. There are the regular names, and the ambitiously exotic ones as well.

Breakfast is a basic yet cosmopolitan spread, right from French toast and pancakes, to the quintessential Indian idlis and poori-bhajis.

The rest of the menu begins with a generic collection of starters, soups and salads - with a continental touch. Then, there's the Andhra section populated mostly with non-vegetarian favourites, including Chapa Pulusu, Gongura Mamsam and Royyala Iguru. The basics are here, too - Tomato Pappu, rasam, sambar and curd rice.

The Nawabi menu, ambitious in intent, is filled with meat specialties. The Bagare Baingan and the Khatti Dal seem to sit ever so meekly in a list laden with the Dum Ka Murgh, Lagan Ki Boti and Nawabi Jhinga. Plans are afoot to infuse a heavy Lucknowi flavour into the menu.

Then, there's the Chinese list of choices, with the regulars. Features not found in other restaurants are the sandwiches and burgers section; a lean menu for fitness buffs, with clear soups and salads; and a “Nostalgia Sixties" segment consisting of stews, bakes, grills and pies.

The pricing is skewed towards those who rarely get hurt spending. With rasam costing Rs. 115, a cup of tea bleeding you by Rs. 70 and a plate of upma priced at Rs. 50, this isn't the place to analyze personal cash flow.

Possibly, a wiser option is to partake of the buffets - for breakfast, lunch or dinner. We tried out lunch, and it consists of the standard outlay - the salads, starters, a soup or two, main course dishes picked from each section of the menu, and an elaborate dessert spread.

The Verdict

Orchids may not really compel you to take a detour to get here. However, if you hang out in the locality a lot, it makes for an experience you don't have to shy away from, especially if you're well equipped monetarily.