Jamavar - Crazy expensive kebabs, anyone?

Jamavar @ The Leela Kempenski
Burrp page: http://mumbai.burrp.com/listing/the-leela-kempinski-_andheri-e_mumbai_hotels/1364997673

Place: Near Sahar Airport, Andheri (E)

Food:  - 7/10

Menu variety:  - 8/10

Service:  - 6/10

Ambiance:  - 9/10

VFM:  - 3/10

Food
I went to Jamavar for a kebab festival that is on until the 30th of April (so you can still catch it if you read this on time!) and had some mixed opinions about the food served. We started with a lamb dish called Tabak Maaz which was fried lamb chops infused with very subtle but delicious flavor. This was followed by this chicken dish (I forget the name) that was marinated with yogurt, sandalwood and some other mild spices. This was quite good actually, but having it after the Tabak Maaz, it seemed too regular. You will get similar starters at Lucky's for less than one fourth the price! I couldn't really taste the sandalwood, so it simply seemed like a yogurt based white kebab. This was followed by Mutton Dum Biryani, which tasted fine, but had a few flaws according to my biryani expert friend who I had taken along. The rice looked a little overcooked and wet. We've never really had wet rice in biryani before. Plus, the mutton, although tasted fine, looked very colorless. It wasn't the most visually appealing dish.

Oh but how can I forget, my Long Island Iced Tea was beautiful!

Menu Variety
There were a lot of interesting items to choose from here. Starting with sandalwood in food (I haven't seen that before), it was really a tough choice to decide what to eat coz of so many options!

Service
Nothing spectacular in the service. It was fine. It took us a lot of time to get the waiter's attention a lot of times. It shouldn't be so hard. Plus they were not serving regular water. Only mineral water - and that was charged in the bill! How can you deny free water to your customer? I fail to see the point.

Ambiance
The ambiance was really nice and the music was wonderful. Classical music with a modern twist. Lots of tablas...and I love tablas! The music was crisp and clear even though it wasn't loud.

Value for Money
No. Leela is by far the most expensive place I've eaten at. Each dish costs a minimum of Rs. 750-800. Unless you have so much money that you don't know what to spend it on, give this place a miss. The food is not really "to die for" types, so why spend a bomb on it?

Location
It's right next to the international airport. Go on weekends or you'll get stuck in traffic!

And in conclusion...
Only for the uber rich. I'm not there yet....will skip such expensive joints in the future!