Fat Cat Cafe

Fat Cat Cafe

Burrp page: http://mumbai.burrp.com/listing/fat-cat-cafe_andheri-w_mumbai_restaurants/1115931198
Mumbaikar page: http://www.mumbaikar.com/en/directory/listing/fat-cat-cafe-andheri-w-mumbai.html

Place: Veera Desai Road, Andheri West

Food:  - 4/10

Menu variety:  - 7/10

Service:  - 6/10

Ambiance:  - 8/10

VFM:  Can't comment

Food

Unfortunately, all we ate here was a coconut crusted fried chicken. While it was the best that fried chicken can be, decisions cannot be made based on just one fried item. Why didn’t we eat anything else, you ask? Oh I’m dying to answer that question! The chicken was ordered at 9 pm and came at 9:30 pm. The main course (1 grilled red snapper and 1 grilled chicken) was ordered at 9:40 pm and was still not prepared by 10:30 pm. At which time, we lost our patience and left the restaurant. Between 9:40 and 10:30, the only response to our “Can you please check status of our order?” was “It’s just coming, sir/ madam”. Fat Cat, are you listening? The key to management (I’m not questioning your food, but running a restaurant is a mix of great food and ever better management) is communication. As a consultant, these words of wisdom are passed on to me by my bosses all the time – communicate delays, communicate snags, and most importantly, tell the truth! If the food is not “just coming”, don’t tell me that it is. This situation would have been easily made more comfortable by the following:

1.       Before the customer complains, tell them there is going be a delay in the order. Apologize.

2.       Explain why the delay is (maybe there is only one chef)? Make the customer empathize. We are human beings, after all.

3.       Offer to bring something to the table that will pass the customer’s time…something small to munch maybe? Extra drinks? On the house.

4.       Most importantly, and I repeat this again, do all the above before the customer realizes that the order is late.

We had a couple of mocktails too and they were decent (I actually wanted a ginger ale, but they were out of that).

I might want to try this out another time when they are set. The food seems promising. If and when I do, I will update this blog post.

Menu variety

The menu is not cluttered and has limited, but interesting, options to choose from. Soups, salads, antipasti, pastas, risotto and grilled items. Steak was missing, this being an Italian joint. Also missing was alcohol other than wine or beer. But the place has just opened so they will probably take their time for hard liquor license.

Service

The staff is nice and were obviously perturbed when we walked off. They tried to make up for it by offering us free drinks after we verbally stated our disappointment. And they waived off the amount for what we had eaten too. Over and above that, they took my friend’s number to arrange for dinner another day as an apology. But it was too late for me to feel any sympathy for them. I did behave like a bitch, but I had a working Sunday and the last thing I had expected was for hunger to ruin the day further.

Ambiance

It’s a place I’d like to eat at. Nice earthy browns, classic wooden furniture. Not trying to be funky or crazy. Plain, simple, to the point.

The restaurant with it's earthy tones

Lovely wooden tables

Bar area

Ceiling view!

Value for money

Did not pay, so cannot comment. Will post if there’s an update.

Location

On Veera Desai road, next to ICICI bank. Easy to spot ICICI bank, so you know where to get off. Not too much traffic on the road. Good location.

And in conclusion…

I can’t make a conclusion yet. I really want this place to prove me wrong. I really do. I hope it does.