Lost Value

In my head there is a little black book. In it, a list of things I won't do, people i avoid and brands or businesses that I never deal with. The reasons for this mental boycott may vary (character, service, quality, price, value…), result is one: stay away.

Today, Pars @ Mall of the Emirates was added to this list.

My wife and I felt like having Iranian food today. I told her that I know this place that has a branch in Mall of the Emirates. Pricey, for an Iranian restaurant, but food is great.

PARS is a relatively well established Iranian Restaurant in Dubai. It is positioned for the upper class Iranian food loves. Its almost double the price, but food is great. And though my all-time favorite is Kabab Ostadi Alkhaas, I used to frequent PARS (the one behind Bur Dubai Police Station) quite regularly.

So, back to our lunch today...

We ordered the mixed grill platter for 2. It was for about 120 Dirhams. It came with 4 skewers of kabab. The rice portion surprisingly little and was almost equal to the one they serve in a single platter for 1.

Mind you, the average price for a single platter in PARS ranges between Dhs 30 and Dhs 45 and they all come with TWO kabab skewers.

So, if we ordered 3 single platters instead, we would’ve ended up with more kabab, more rice, and may even cost us less then Dhs 120. Another strange thing i found was the price of a glass of youghurt drink (Laban Ayran). It is a common beverage that is basically made out of plain yoghurt and infused with bit of salt and garlic. Nothing fancy, yet at PARS, it was going away whooping Dhs 30 a pop.

Oh, and the food wasn't exceptional.

Many many restaurants in Dubai need to revisit their understanding of “value”. I admit that service and attention-to-detail has slightly got better across the board, due to crunching economic times I guess; but “value” around here is still missing in action, misguided and more businesses needs to bring it home.