63 replies to this topic

[dimeracer]

I've eaten there twice and both times my wife and I were very satisfied with the food quality, service, and atmosphere. The dining area atmosphere could use just a little jazzing up. We ate and had drinks at the bar last Saturday night will probably do that again. It was a good time.

[Redone]

As I read some of these comments it seems to me that there may well be two Malabars in Folsom. My family and I eat at Malabar all the time and have yet to have a bad meal. The portions are huge and the food is always good quality. We dine out frequntly and have tried most of the places in Folsom. The food at Malabar is a reasonable price point and the drinks are pretty much on par with the rest of the bar/restaurants in town. $8.oo for a Ketel One Cosmo is no more expensive than Scott's and for that matter the wine by the glass is right on par with Fats. Of course you can buy wine cheaper at Costco. They certainly would have better buying power with their many stores than this one restaurant so if Costco sells you wine for $12, it probably cost them $2. As for Malabar I would expect them to mark up the wine. If they pay $20 for a bottle it should sell for $40. If there are about 4 glasses to a bottle then this same bottle should be $10 per glass. Makes sense to me and to anyone who has ever sold anything for a profit-I would guess.

For my family Malabar will be the restaurant in Folsom we choose to recommend and take people to. There are no long waits or stupid beepers, they take reservations-so we never have to wait. It is clean and uncluttered-no dusty tricycles and other garbage hanging from the walls. It is locally owned-not a chain. As I said before the food is consistently good. If you tried it just after it opened and had a bad experience then perhaps you may want to try it again. Most place/people don't get everything right at first.

I personally never trust a 1st time post this detailed.

[banana]

The portions are huge

Thanks for saving me the trip

Of course you can buy wine cheaper at Costco. They certainly would have better buying power with their many stores than this one restaurant so if Costco sells you wine for $12, it probably cost them $2. As for Malabar I would expect them to mark up the wine. If they pay $20 for a bottle it should sell for $40. If there are about 4 glasses to a bottle then this same bottle should be $10 per glass. Makes sense to me and to anyone who has ever sold anything for a profit-I would guess.

They're awful business people if they buy a bottle for $20 that they can buy at Costco for $12. I'm not interested in subsidizing their inefficient business practices.

[Steve Heard]

Thanks for saving me the trip
They're awful business people if they buy a bottle for $20 that they can buy at Costco for $12. I'm not interested in subsidizing their inefficient business practices.

I think it's less about cost and more about what they think the market will bear.

The atmosphere is pretty dull and drab. Dark brown with no artwork or interesting lighting or decorations.

Food was okay but not great.

I also think the name is a problem. Many people think it's an Indian restaurant. In fact, there's an Indian market in the Raley's shopping center (the old one) called Malabar.

By the way, it's a small shop, but they've got great Indian spices, curries, chutneys and other products.

[Gina99]

I don't understand why so many believe the decor is drab or 'one step above Denney's'. I think it is nice and feels like a lodge with lots of wood trim. We went for lunch once and it was pretty good- nice salads but not great. Then we tried to go for dinner. The noise level was way to high and it reeked of fish when we walked in plus the wait was too long so we chose not to go in.

[B&G]

I personally never trust a 1st time post this detailed.

My thoughts exactly...Sounds like a homer.

[Gina99]

'$8.oo for a Ketel One Cosmo is no more expensive than Scott's '

Comparing Malabar's to Scott's? Just the bar at Scott's is so much nicer.

[foodjunkie]

Except for the fact, Malabar should be getting the wine at cost which is below retail, even below what Costco sells stuff for. They probably get a bulk discount also.

You know you are probably correct. Malabar would definately have better buying power than Costco. It makes perfect sense that a single restaurant in Folsom would be able to get better prices than Costco, a chain that has 420 stores (126 in California alone).

[Hilscher1]

Wow! $9.75 for a glass of 7 Deadly Zins, which retails for $12.49 a bottle at Costco?

Marked up much?

There better be a helluva happy hour to pay those prices for cocktails and wine.

most places charge between 7 and 10 dollars for a glass of wine. average markeup is 300-500% nowadays. ITs still cheaper than liqour but you probably dont mind paying 6 bucks for a shot of smirnoff. Oh well

[Hilscher1]

most places charge between 7 and 10 dollars for a glass of wine. average markeup is 300-500% nowadays. ITs still cheaper than liqour but you probably dont mind paying 6 bucks for a shot of smirnoff. Oh well

another thing with liqour is they dont get a choice as to where to buy it. They have to buy through distrubtors like youngs and southern. You dont ge tto shop around for better prices. the price is whatever they want to charge you.

[mynddok]

most places charge between 7 and 10 dollars for a glass of wine. average markeup is 300-500% nowadays. ITs still cheaper than liqour but you probably dont mind paying 6 bucks for a shot of smirnoff. Oh well

You people should know that Costco and Sams will sometimes sell their beer and wine at their cost, or below just to get people in the store. I own a cafe in Folsom and I pay exactly the same price for a 24 pack of Corona as Costco. Funny thing is - Costco sells it for $1.16 less than they buy it for. Wholesale pricing( through a distributor) is all regulated by the state and county. Now as for hard liquor, I do not know.

BTW - You can not legally buy beer or wine at Costco for resale...It must be purchased through a distributor.

[Dr.BBQ]

I had lunch there today- my usual 1/2 sandwith and soup... very good... if you have to worry or ask how much it is or how much a drink costs well hmmm maybe you might be in the wrong place... just my opinion that is all...

[Dave Burrell]

if you have to worry or ask how much it is or how much a drink costs well hmmm maybe you might be in the wrong place... just my opinion that is all...

BINGO! ..for those on a budget, there are lessor expensive places to go like... Chili's or Applebee's

Malabar's is a very nice restaurant - its one of the only places in town where you can go and not have to fight the crowds, and the food & drinks are top notch (you get what you pay for)

[DrKoz23]

BINGO! ..for those on a budget, there are lessor expensive places to go like... Chili's or Applebee's

Malabar's is a very nice restaurant - its one of the only places in town where you can go and not have to fight the crowds, and the food & drinks are top notch (you get what you pay for)

What would you recommend to get as an appetizer or dinner. We haven't tried it yet... but are willing to give it a try.

[Dave Burrell]

What would you recommend to get as an appetizer or dinner. We haven't tried it yet... but are willing to give it a try.

try the calamari appetizer and for dinner I highly recommend the ahi tuna or salmon