NSoJ Restaurant Review: Tiki Village: Beautiful place, not-so-beautiful food

Situated away from the hustle and bustle of the city, Tiki Village is a rather large open-air restaurant which offers a variety of cuisine to the people who like long drives on weekends. The place has a very natural feel to it with huge trees and thick shrubbery adorning the huge premises. Tiki Village is a café and restaurant based in the extreme north part of Bengaluru, Hessarghatta. Today, we evaluate them on three fronts, ambience, food and taste, service and affordability..

The food was highly underwhelming. The menu was limited and unavailability of menu items was detrimental to the whole experience of the place. The only cuisine that was readily available was Indian, and the roti was very ordinary and a little bit on the harder side. The curries, Kadhai Paneer and Chicken Tikka Masala looked quite unappetizing from the very beginning. The taste and flavor was masked by the huge amounts of chilli, which led to the hot and spicy taste of the dishes. The chicken and paneer didn’t feel fresh and felt quite stale. The distance from the main city was quite visible as there was limited choice in the dessert section, with only vanilla cone, casatta and kulfi finding its way to the fridge.

Service

The service was as abysmal as the food itself with waiters balancing several plates of food on their arms instead of trays. They don’t serve the food to the plate unless you ask them for it. The time it takes for someone to take your order is also quite high and prompt service is further away than the nearest Ola/Uber cab. The price on the other hand, is a little steep if you consider the under-average food and service. A normal meal would cost you anything between Rs. 500 for two. Parking is not a problem and they are well equipped to handle a large number of people coming in. Tiki Village is a great place to be if you want an escape from the hustle and bustle of the city, but the food has to get a lot better if it wants to establish its place as one of ‘the’ joints on the outskirts of the city. But, until it happens it is a great place to stay away from.

Ambience

The whole restaurant has a very informal vibe to it with rectangular wooden tables in the main dining area. There are also several private huts available, if you want the little privacy that they can offer. The huts are spacious enough for a small group of six, but the single makeshift table is a little small and difficult to eat off. There are no air-conditioned rooms but the fresh air was quite refreshing. The place was quite packed and rabbits and parrots had many young kids as it’s audience. The custom bike resembling the one in ‘Ghostrider’ turned a lot of eyes and people were flocking towards the magnificent beast for a photo.

Food – 2/10

Service – 3/10

Ambience – 8/10

Parking - Available

Average Cost- Rs 600 (meal for two)

Cards accepted

Ankush Bandyopadhyay reviewed this place and paid for the meals