Review of Moon Under Water restaurant in St. Petersburg, Florida
Moon Under Water is a British Colonial Indian restaurant in St. Pete, Florida. It has terrific atmosphere, evoking a sort of clubby Englishness in 19th century India. Gin and tonics all around, what? It has a great reputation. We have had lunch there several times over the past three years. However...
I used to consider going there a Treat Yourself kind of experience, a place one would take guests because after all, they deserve something special that we wouldn't allow ourselves just every day of the week. No more. It is now more a 50% positive experience.
The food is still good, very good, in fact. But it feels like a cost accountant is now running the place. Portions have become smaller. And the menu has become confusing, with base prices for dishes and then additional charges for all sorts of add-ons that had formerly been part of the original dish. For instance, curried chicken $x. Add Tikka Masala sauce, $(x+2). Add naan bread, $2 more. Add chutney, $2 more. It would be far clearer to list two versions of the dish - one plain and one with all the trimmings - at two prices. Period. As it is now, the patron feels like s/he has to ask just exactly what would such and such a combination cost, just to have a sense of what to expect. To mitigate these (quasi-hidden) price increases, the restaurant now offers unlimited servings of rice. That is definitely welcome but does not sufficiently counterbalance the rest.
ALSO, the naan is terrible, which is unforgivable in an Indian restaurant. It tastes like grocery store bought average quality pita - thick, dry and stale. And IT costs $2.75 for a side order of two pieces! (Of course, that is plenty, since you can't eat it anyway.)
If any of you readers has been to Moon Under Water recently, please tell me what you think.
I used to consider going there a Treat Yourself kind of experience, a place one would take guests because after all, they deserve something special that we wouldn't allow ourselves just every day of the week. No more. It is now more a 50% positive experience.
The food is still good, very good, in fact. But it feels like a cost accountant is now running the place. Portions have become smaller. And the menu has become confusing, with base prices for dishes and then additional charges for all sorts of add-ons that had formerly been part of the original dish. For instance, curried chicken $x. Add Tikka Masala sauce, $(x+2). Add naan bread, $2 more. Add chutney, $2 more. It would be far clearer to list two versions of the dish - one plain and one with all the trimmings - at two prices. Period. As it is now, the patron feels like s/he has to ask just exactly what would such and such a combination cost, just to have a sense of what to expect. To mitigate these (quasi-hidden) price increases, the restaurant now offers unlimited servings of rice. That is definitely welcome but does not sufficiently counterbalance the rest.
ALSO, the naan is terrible, which is unforgivable in an Indian restaurant. It tastes like grocery store bought average quality pita - thick, dry and stale. And IT costs $2.75 for a side order of two pieces! (Of course, that is plenty, since you can't eat it anyway.)
If any of you readers has been to Moon Under Water recently, please tell me what you think.
posted by alison @ 4:13 PM
1 Comments:
At 2:23 PM,
Hope said…
I think you hit the nail on the head. Prices are odd and confusing, combined with a mixed-quality feel. And it's too bad because you can see the potential (fun atmosphere, certain dishes are still v. good).
I also second you on the naan. I was so disappointed since it's half the reason I go for Indian food in the first place.
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