Only one dish we ordered was v good.2 were positively bad-the paneer was hard and the chicken tikka in curry was chewy.overall the experience was disappointing. The prices added to the disappointment. Apology for an Indian meal.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 4
john L.
I didn't expect to find Indian food here at Ritz. I asked staff for nice quiet spot where I could eat and work. It turned out to be an elegant spot with superb food. The menu offers both gringo Indian and authentic. Choose the authentic at the bottom of the menu. Superb!!!
Anant P.
We have been to this place a couple of times at this point. The first time was an above average experience. The second time our experience extremely ordinary. We ended up taking our friends the second time around, and they were just as disappointed as we were. The food seemed stale and the servers were extremely pushy about getting more stuff on the menu. The ambiance was really average and they placed us close to entrance while the entire restaurant was empty, they said that they had full reservations and we ended up not seeing many people show up. The food was so expensive and the flavor was so average. We spent $450 on a dinner for 4!!! This is not a true Indian food experience, and please don't go here. It is a straight disrespect to Indian cuisine and flavors. The naan was soggy with butter instead of having a nice crisp and softness that a traditional naan does. Secondly the curries were oily/butter which overpowered the flavor. The head chef needs to really understand the flavor profile of Indian food before marketing Indian food at such a high end hotel establishment. Ritz Carlton needs to get a new restaurant or a better chef to represent Indian culture. I hope they can change my mind in the future.
DeepM
Kahani is a welcome addition to the collection of Indian restaurants in Orange County. All food items were artistically plated to give the vibe of a high-end restaurant. The chef was innovative with his menu. The Chilean Sea Bass was excellent. The red kidney bean sauce gave the dish a unique flavor. I would definitely go back again.
Amy Barth Sommerlatt
The food was tasty, especially the apps (specifically the pakora fritter). But unfortunately the shrimp was undercooked and gave my stomach issues for 2days. Tuna app was also disappointing as it was cold. Nice ambiance but you don’t want to get sick after a $500 dinner.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Honestly a great meal. I was so full by the end of it. The laccha paratha was yummy. The vegetarian curry sampler can feed 4 even though they say 2 lol. The daal, kadhai paneer, and paneer tikka were perfect. The chicken tikka masala was solid. The rasmalai was delicious!
IMHO
I was very excited about going to this restaurant. We made reservations way in advance. I enjoyed my smoky cocktail, which came out of a glass birdcage and engulfed the table in some exotic smoke for a few minutes. The food, although beautifully plated, was primarily too spicy for me. Shortly after I began to eat, I realized my mouth was on fire, and I needed some Indian raita -refreshing yogurt usually served within Indian food – or some sparkling water. But our waitress named Sommer was nowhere around, nor was there any other service person in the restaurant, including any busboys or wait people. I finally got up and walked out and asked a man who I'm guessing to be a manager because he was dressed in a jacket and tie to help me out. Still, my beverage request must've taken 5 to 10 minutes which is a long time when you're feeling like your mouth is super uncomfortable, and even after then Sommer was barely seen for most of our meal. For the prices at this restaurant, I expected excellent service and received mediocre service.
Jeanine Case
Food and service were excellent. We were happy to hear the restaurant pop-up, originally intended to be open only a few months, will be there at least another year due to its success. Highly recommend the short rib - slow cooked for 48 hours. We will definitely return.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
MeganDunn
SO GOOD! I wish it wouldn't leave by the end of the year. It is excellent. Food is fabulous, lovely service there, and love the small intimate setting. Highly recommend all around!
Janki Merai
This beautiful pop-up offers a modern take on some Indian classics. Table favorites included the Corn and Cardomom Bisque, the Masala Paneer en Croute, and the Cardamom Cheesecake. I appreciated the concept of the Spiced Burrata, but found the cheese to be overpowered by the other strong flavors on the plate. Nice drinks, as well.Incredible ambiance and hospitality; Chef Sanjay Rawat was kind enough to stop by our table as well. Would love for this pop-up to take residence with rotating menus!
Amazing upscale Indian restaurant in the LA area. Everything was great but the paneer gulgula, spiced burrata and masala paneer en crute were the highlights.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Alexandra Kurland
It was just ok, overall underwhelming. You can tell they didn’t take pride in the aesthetic work for the pop up restaurant. Not what I expected inside the Ritz. Food was also ok. I ordered the sea bass and it was so fishy. My husband ordered short ribs. I think the welcoming tea was yummy.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 4
Bhakti P.
This is not Indian food- which as an Indian, growing up eating home cooked Indian food, I knew it wouldn't be but for those expecting this to be Indian food, it's not. The food wasn't good or worth the price. 1. The cocktails were like warm- I ordered an extra glass of ice to add to my cocktail 2. The burrata was ice cold (usually it's served too temp) 3. The beets were over marinated- beets are tough to work with and hardly anyone likes beets... kahini's beets didn't help the case. 4. The lamb and short rib were good but heavy/ dense. Indian food can be heavy but it doesn't have to be. Fine dining usually makes basic food elevated and sophisticated but Kahani didn't do that. 5. Service was super slow- but the staff was nice and average (they were trying but for some reason they were slow) 6. It's impossible to get a reservation but 30% of the tables were empty? 7. Price did not match quality of the food. The presentation was good but we didn't enjoy eating it (the food itself was not good) The few things that were good: the chai before the meal and the fennel tea at the end were amazing! If kahani could be a permanent chai/ tea Cafe I'd go but there's no way I'd eat there again.
DSAII
Up from La Jolla to meet friends from Newport Beach, so a great mid-point location with impeccable service, authentic food and a quiet, yet friendly and vibrant atmosphere! Thanks to CJ for her great service, attitude and humor!
Ferzin C.
To the Management Team, The main reason we came to try Kahani is because we had tasted the head chefs cooking as a guest at 2 Indian events that was catered at the Ritz and just loved the food. When we heard about this pop-up we just had to come try it. The menu at Kahani was very different from what we had eaten at the events. The chefs creativity to the Kahani menu definitely showcased elevated Indian cuisine and the presentation of every dish was just exquisite but maybe we had high expectations and towards the end it did not meet our standards. Maybe because we were vegetarian and the dishes we ordered were not as incredible as the non-veg dish that our guest had ordered who loved their meal. The only veg dish we loved was the Paneer Croquette. That was definitely innovative and different and tasted amazing!! The malai kofta on the other hand was overall salty, the sag paneer was not that thick and it was bland. The appetizer paneer gula had a weird taste but the yogurt and fruit that came with it was delicious. The cheesecake and rasmalai were also bland but the ladoo crumbs used as garnish was probably the better part of both desserts. Overall we just felt that all dishes were a bit off in taste and eventhough they were some of the traditional Indian dishes with a twist, they were definitely overpriced. Seems like we just paid for the art of the dish as they did look amazing. Sorry for the mixed review as I just wanted to be honest and give my true feedback so it could be shared with the kitchen staff and maybe at the end of the day only slight adjustments are needed to enhance the veg dishes. Our waitress was also a bit slow. I guess since she had other tables she could not service us faster. Hope this review does not put a dent into anything and as the Chef truly is amazing but may his team was just having a bad night when we went. Hopefully we get to attend another event at Ritz where the chef can cater his amazing Indian street food menu or maybe even add from items from the catering menu to the actual Kahani menu :-).
Only one dish we ordered was v good.2 were positively bad-the paneer was hard and the chicken tikka in curry was chewy.overall the experience was disappointing. The prices added to the disappointment. Apology for an Indian meal.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 4
I didn't expect to find Indian food here at Ritz. I asked staff for nice quiet spot where I could eat and work. It turned out to be an elegant spot with superb food. The menu offers both gringo Indian and authentic. Choose the authentic at the bottom of the menu. Superb!!!
We have been to this place a couple of times at this point. The first time was an above average experience. The second time our experience extremely ordinary. We ended up taking our friends the second time around, and they were just as disappointed as we were. The food seemed stale and the servers were extremely pushy about getting more stuff on the menu. The ambiance was really average and they placed us close to entrance while the entire restaurant was empty, they said that they had full reservations and we ended up not seeing many people show up. The food was so expensive and the flavor was so average. We spent $450 on a dinner for 4!!! This is not a true Indian food experience, and please don't go here. It is a straight disrespect to Indian cuisine and flavors. The naan was soggy with butter instead of having a nice crisp and softness that a traditional naan does. Secondly the curries were oily/butter which overpowered the flavor. The head chef needs to really understand the flavor profile of Indian food before marketing Indian food at such a high end hotel establishment. Ritz Carlton needs to get a new restaurant or a better chef to represent Indian culture. I hope they can change my mind in the future.
Kahani is a welcome addition to the collection of Indian restaurants in Orange County. All food items were artistically plated to give the vibe of a high-end restaurant. The chef was innovative with his menu. The Chilean Sea Bass was excellent. The red kidney bean sauce gave the dish a unique flavor. I would definitely go back again.
The food was tasty, especially the apps (specifically the pakora fritter). But unfortunately the shrimp was undercooked and gave my stomach issues for 2days. Tuna app was also disappointing as it was cold. Nice ambiance but you don’t want to get sick after a $500 dinner.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Honestly a great meal. I was so full by the end of it. The laccha paratha was yummy. The vegetarian curry sampler can feed 4 even though they say 2 lol. The daal, kadhai paneer, and paneer tikka were perfect. The chicken tikka masala was solid. The rasmalai was delicious!
I was very excited about going to this restaurant. We made reservations way in advance. I enjoyed my smoky cocktail, which came out of a glass birdcage and engulfed the table in some exotic smoke for a few minutes. The food, although beautifully plated, was primarily too spicy for me. Shortly after I began to eat, I realized my mouth was on fire, and I needed some Indian raita -refreshing yogurt usually served within Indian food – or some sparkling water. But our waitress named Sommer was nowhere around, nor was there any other service person in the restaurant, including any busboys or wait people. I finally got up and walked out and asked a man who I'm guessing to be a manager because he was dressed in a jacket and tie to help me out. Still, my beverage request must've taken 5 to 10 minutes which is a long time when you're feeling like your mouth is super uncomfortable, and even after then Sommer was barely seen for most of our meal. For the prices at this restaurant, I expected excellent service and received mediocre service.
Food and service were excellent. We were happy to hear the restaurant pop-up, originally intended to be open only a few months, will be there at least another year due to its success. Highly recommend the short rib - slow cooked for 48 hours. We will definitely return.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
SO GOOD! I wish it wouldn't leave by the end of the year. It is excellent. Food is fabulous, lovely service there, and love the small intimate setting. Highly recommend all around!
This beautiful pop-up offers a modern take on some Indian classics. Table favorites included the Corn and Cardomom Bisque, the Masala Paneer en Croute, and the Cardamom Cheesecake. I appreciated the concept of the Spiced Burrata, but found the cheese to be overpowered by the other strong flavors on the plate. Nice drinks, as well.Incredible ambiance and hospitality; Chef Sanjay Rawat was kind enough to stop by our table as well. Would love for this pop-up to take residence with rotating menus!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Amazing upscale Indian restaurant in the LA area. Everything was great but the paneer gulgula, spiced burrata and masala paneer en crute were the highlights.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
It was just ok, overall underwhelming. You can tell they didn’t take pride in the aesthetic work for the pop up restaurant. Not what I expected inside the Ritz. Food was also ok. I ordered the sea bass and it was so fishy. My husband ordered short ribs. I think the welcoming tea was yummy.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 4
This is not Indian food- which as an Indian, growing up eating home cooked Indian food, I knew it wouldn't be but for those expecting this to be Indian food, it's not. The food wasn't good or worth the price. 1. The cocktails were like warm- I ordered an extra glass of ice to add to my cocktail 2. The burrata was ice cold (usually it's served too temp) 3. The beets were over marinated- beets are tough to work with and hardly anyone likes beets... kahini's beets didn't help the case. 4. The lamb and short rib were good but heavy/ dense. Indian food can be heavy but it doesn't have to be. Fine dining usually makes basic food elevated and sophisticated but Kahani didn't do that. 5. Service was super slow- but the staff was nice and average (they were trying but for some reason they were slow) 6. It's impossible to get a reservation but 30% of the tables were empty? 7. Price did not match quality of the food. The presentation was good but we didn't enjoy eating it (the food itself was not good) The few things that were good: the chai before the meal and the fennel tea at the end were amazing! If kahani could be a permanent chai/ tea Cafe I'd go but there's no way I'd eat there again.
Up from La Jolla to meet friends from Newport Beach, so a great mid-point location with impeccable service, authentic food and a quiet, yet friendly and vibrant atmosphere! Thanks to CJ for her great service, attitude and humor!
To the Management Team, The main reason we came to try Kahani is because we had tasted the head chefs cooking as a guest at 2 Indian events that was catered at the Ritz and just loved the food. When we heard about this pop-up we just had to come try it. The menu at Kahani was very different from what we had eaten at the events. The chefs creativity to the Kahani menu definitely showcased elevated Indian cuisine and the presentation of every dish was just exquisite but maybe we had high expectations and towards the end it did not meet our standards. Maybe because we were vegetarian and the dishes we ordered were not as incredible as the non-veg dish that our guest had ordered who loved their meal. The only veg dish we loved was the Paneer Croquette. That was definitely innovative and different and tasted amazing!! The malai kofta on the other hand was overall salty, the sag paneer was not that thick and it was bland. The appetizer paneer gula had a weird taste but the yogurt and fruit that came with it was delicious. The cheesecake and rasmalai were also bland but the ladoo crumbs used as garnish was probably the better part of both desserts. Overall we just felt that all dishes were a bit off in taste and eventhough they were some of the traditional Indian dishes with a twist, they were definitely overpriced. Seems like we just paid for the art of the dish as they did look amazing. Sorry for the mixed review as I just wanted to be honest and give my true feedback so it could be shared with the kitchen staff and maybe at the end of the day only slight adjustments are needed to enhance the veg dishes. Our waitress was also a bit slow. I guess since she had other tables she could not service us faster. Hope this review does not put a dent into anything and as the Chef truly is amazing but may his team was just having a bad night when we went. Hopefully we get to attend another event at Ritz where the chef can cater his amazing Indian street food menu or maybe even add from items from the catering menu to the actual Kahani menu :-).