The Factory Outlet : What did we eat and how did we eat?

The Factory Outlet Camac Street Kolkata| Food in Kolkata

I eat a lot. No pun intended. I enjoy food. Not only that, I love uninterrupted pleasure which results in that, the moment food arrives, I pounce in and once it's gone, I realize that I have not taken a single photo. Nah! I always enjoy my food. Now, I have a friend who shares my love for food. We had gone out shopping at B.K. Market on a sultry noon and we both were famished. Since, we were close to 22 Camac Street, I suggested The Factory Outlet because I had heard much about the place.

You have to take the left block and go to the 5th Floor which means, it's on top of Westside. Ivory and another place shares the floor. So, don't confuse.

Me, happily nestled inside a cage. Don't judge my look!

The moment I entered the place I felt like jumping up and down! The decor is just quirky! The yellow light, the chandeliers with pink bulbs and bird- themed decor is so different from the regular themes we meet. Each table on the left was structured like half a cage with huge dining tables.

Non-Veg Arabian Mix Charcoal Grill Platter

The water served has holy basils. Some may not like it, but, I love the faint scent. I
wanted a beer only to realize that it was a dry day.  We started off with a Non-Veg Arabian Mix Charcoal Grill Platter .It had various kebabs served on tiny toasted pitas. There was lamb, chicken and fish served with three dips one of which includes a dip made from dates.

Non-Veg Arabian Mix Charcoal Grill Platter

We quickly popped the fish into our mouth only to remember that I should have taken photos. :D

 While, the kebabs may look a bit tacky, they were of excellent quality!! The fish was a bit crumbly, but it definitely was Bhetki. The lamb had minced herbs in it which added to its superior flavor.

Burgered

Next came the Piri Piri Fries. They were nothing to write home about.

Burgured

And then the Burgured was served. Each plate contains 3 mini burgers and comes with fries. The lamb pattes were done right and the buns were soft.

We also ordered a Tiramisu. It's Mascarpone with white chocolates and dustings of coffee on top. It was huge and three of us had difficulty in scraping it off.

The rickshaw in which my bill took a ride!

The last surprise: Our bills arrived in a rickshaw! Look at that!

The walls of paper birds are beyond cute. The fluttery feel invoked all the happiness!

For the Mixed Meat Platter, a plate of Piri Piri Fries, Burgered and Tiramisu, the bill came at around 1300 INR.

What let me down: The service. Whenever I am eating out, even if it is a self-service, I might sometimes ask for suggestions or specialties. Here, there were quite a few things which were wet blankets to my initial excitement.

I expect to be given drinking water. Somehow, we had to keep asking for refills. If my friend asked to refill her glass, only her glass would be refilled, not my empty one standing next to her's. On a hot day, well, that is exhausting and annoying.

I asked if I could have add-ons on the burgers. The waiter kept on saying it's a lamb patte and that is what they make without even trying to comprehend what I meant.
We had ordered the fries and also discovered that our burgers came with fries. It has so happened in many other places, in situations like this, the waiter would point that out, or suggest something. We ended up with tons of fries which we did not want. Not as a means of complaint, but because I genuinely wanted to go back, I politely suggested that the waiter should have mentioned that the burgers do come with fries and we might not need to order fries again. Instead, we were explained that piri piri French fries were different from regular French Fries because they contain Piri Piri sprinkles!


To sum up
Food is good. The Non vegetarian Arabian Platter was great. But the rest was nothing phenomenal. Portion-size of the non-dessert items are small.

The decor is beautiful. It lifts the mood.
But the service mars the overall experience.

Rating ( out of 5).
Decor   4.5
Food     4
Service  3

Overall rating 3.8