Shift of Power

There was a time when going to Bandra from Goregaon was a must because every week a new place would open up and it used to be awesome. Recent times have changed the location from Bandra to Andheri Link Road, Lokhandwala and New Oshiwara Link Road where most of the big places have opened up their franchise...

Hometown Cafe, Bora Bora, Grillopolis, Red Ants, China1, Sammy Sosa etc etc are the ones which have opened up first near the Andheri area. Woodside Inn, Cafe Mangii, have opened up recently in Andheri now no more traveling upto  Bandra or town to enjoy your favorite dishes at your favorite places.

But then still there have being times when new branches do not serve the quality what we are used to the original one. So the big question here is...do restaurants and cafes open up at new places but serving bad food affect the overall quality or just have the original one and make it even better.

San Churro - Chocolate Fantasy..maybe

Image via WikipediaLocated bang opposite Red Box this place is known to be very very chocolaty and after enjoying last day of Kala Ghoda we pushed towards San Churro just for Chocolate as we were not hungry.

As you enter there it feels like a small place with big chocolate counter and few seats which was already taken but later we came to know that a stair leads up to a big space where seats are placed far enough from each other.

We had ordered for famous Churro mini where we get hot Churros with one sauce of our choice (White, milk or dark), 7 layered Chocolate Pastry and Paneer sandwich as my friend suddenly got hungry. You can place the order at the counter or go up have a seat and give the order to the waiter.

The churros came in and the pastry too, as it was our first experience of what churro is, it was pretty good except I wanted the chocolate to be hot too. So we finished off the Churros and the cake with 7 layer was quite heavy for one person and luckily we were four still it was too much. Sandwich was pretty OK.

Total cost was Rs. 400 which was OK for a one time visit, we still have to enjoy the hot chocolate and also few other things. The menu was not that extensive, that is what my friends felt.

The Bagel Shop

If you have want to just chill and work at same time The Bagel Shop is where most people go in Bandra. It is near the Carter Road Police Station.

Most of you all are familiar to this place and it was my second visit, while first one was just to meet a friend and move to another location. This time had to do some shopping in Bandra and I reached the shop before it opened so went to The Bagel Shop for some breakfast as did not have a good enough breakfast at home.

After lots of thinking zeroed it on Spanish Bacon Spinach Hummus Bagel....it surely had a good quality bacon and around 5 pieces of red meat. The hummus was a good twist to the whole thing. But it pushed me back by Rs. 250 which I feel is expensive. But, again I do not visit this place regularly so was OK with it.

You do have lots of options Sandwiches, muffins, salads, shakes etc etc to enjoy with good Bagel Menu.

Bandra Wine Tasting Festival - A newbie post

In this post I will not be telling you what I drank, which one I liked better but what we did mostly.

I am not a wine drinker but I am not biased on what I drink. Wine is said to be the drink for the classes. And when I saw Wine Tasting festival organized by Pune Gourmet Club aka PGC in Bandra Gymkhana, I had set my heart out and the deal given by PGC was awesome taste 20 glasses wines for Rs. 500 only which by a marwadi calculation is a super deal (I know I am being cheap here but month end you need to check your wallet, right?)

We 3 eager people reached the location around 1:45 pm all excited and with a promise to ourselves that we will finish off the coupons, yes all 20 of them. We entered and found ourselves a shady place to sit away from the sun and relax. Opened our bags which was given by PGC which contained Wine Glass by Pause, Booklet by PGC where all about wine and wine making was written, Pen, coupons and menu card of the food stall.

10 minutes after soaking in the whole atmosphere we all naive wine drinkers headed off to the first stall Four Seasons and upon greeting they asked what would we like to have. As naive as we are about not knowing the names, how to pronounce them we just said in simple English "What do you suggest?" Then the lady behind the counter courteous enough told us, "I suggest you white wine" we nod, she added "do you like it sweet or dry?" We had no clue what dry meant we went for sweet. Ohh! yes we did sniff, we did swirl, we did roll the wine in our tongue but did not get exactly what they meant by fruity flavor.

So first few drinks were all white or at times Rose we did sip in slowly, talked, watched, read the booklet. As it was afternoon time we were suggested to have white chilled wine and as a good listener we obeyed them and drank them slowly.

Around 5 pm we had around total of 11 glasses of white wine, rose and red wine. But mostly it was white wine with the sweet tasting one. Well the dry white wine makes your tongue go dry when you swirl the Wine around a bit in your mouth and gulp it down.

The festival also had some interesting food counters Cafe Arabia for Lebanese food which was great. PGC Sea Food barbeque which had fishes and pastas, we tried Chicken Pasta which was just OK. And Chicken Curry South Indian style again average.

We novice people wanted to try cheese as well and after having some horrific cheese forgot the name (do not want to remember about it at all) we decided we are happy with our Amul Cheese.

There was a live food counter made by a famous Chef of a famous hotel, he made Ravioli and Risotto, If I had ordered them, I would have promptly sent them away. One of the worst I have ever tasted and an Italian female duly agreed with me.

Around 7:30 PM when I had another appointment to keep had to rush off after around 16 glasses and we did not finish our promise.



Heard it on a TV Channel "Wine Making and drinking is a serious business and beer making is a fun business" which I understood when I was at the tasting festival, guys behind the counter in smart white, very serious looking, jazz playing and everyone sitting in their own table talking in a low voice.

Thai Ban - It should be called Thai Banned!!

I would say one of the most suckiest food eating moment was at Thai Ban in Bandra next to Papa Pancho in Pali Naka. I would say one of the places you can definitely avoid in Mumbai. Well there are few reasons to it,
Service: Sucks, even if they see empty Ice Tea glasses on the table they leave it there.
Food: mmmm only other than Phad Rice and Thai Yellow Curry which looked like Kadhi nothing is worth mentioning. I had the most worst Cheese cake ever in my life it felt like i was having a Blackberry Yogurt.
Cost: I would say only saving factor, fine by what quantity they serve.

This would be one place you should go at your own risk.

Jay Jawan - Go Get It!

The most famous roadside stall in Bandra right opposite Nationals college in the heart of Linking Road market lies Jai Jawan stall which sell some kickass Tandoori Chickens, Sheek Kabab, Liver, Prawns, Chicken Tikka and few other tandoor.

Small stall which might not be bigger than 10 feet by 10 feet makes kebabs on regular basis and by regular I mean every 10 minutes you will get fresh pieces cooked from the tandoor.

You will always find hoards of people lining up to eat on the roadside and cost is also nominal, Rs. 80 for Chicken Tikka per plate and Rs 600 for Prawns per kilo.

So what you waiting for go get it!

Temple Flower - Did not see a single Flower!

 After an early evening walk in Juhu beach, we were planning to go to Bandra for some dinner and on the way to collect my bike, my friend saw this place Temple Flower and we were thinking of Chinese so without hesitation we entered in at around 7:30 pm. First one in the Air Condition section we seated next to the door as the upper section was not yet open.

Basically it is a Thai and Chinese place but serves you almost everything from all Asian Fare, Indian Fare and Italian fare from the Alfredo Kitchen.

The place seem to be under-staffed as there were times when we were ready to order but no one around to take the orders. And there were only few customers only....


We ordered Crab and Shark Fin Soup, Yokitura and Chicken Dumplings for our starters. Which were fine and we really liked the Yokitura which had a sweet flavoring to it.

Later after some discussion we decided to order a Salad, forgot the name because it was surely forgettable...had Tofu, Potatoes, Carrots and warm Peanut Sauce.

Overall cost Rs. 700 and overall time was 1:15 mins. So if you really are in no hurry and want some privacy this is the place...food is OK..distance between 2 tables is good enough (where the bar is).

It's Mirchi - Not so Spicy

It's Mirchi, rooftop restaurant of Ramee International (Juhu - Mumbai) is one of the places including Barbeque Nation in Bandra in which food is barbequed on your table. But the actual thing is, it is already hot and put on over a burning coal.

My cousin coming over and staying in Novotel, wanted to go someplace near we decided to go to It's Mirchi after lot of discussion. Located on the rooftop but it is an air conditioned rooftop so you won''t get any breeze from the sea. The seatings are like diwan style low and comfortable while there are few regular ones also.

Waiter comes in with the menu card of the day and how and what they will be serving to the table. One bad thing of the whole 5 Star Hotel is that they give you borewell water not the regular Mumbai ka pani one but the one which you get in the villages which has that different taste. How can a big hotel like that serve you such water I mean what..ok let me get back to what actually blog is here for Food...

Prawns, Chicken, Paneer comes in the skewers and we get Sheekh Kabab and Surmai Fish served by the waiter. Well the first 3 things were ok not that great but remaining two was cold which was duly replaced after we complained about it.

There are Pani Puri, Bhel Puri, Dosa, Pav Bhaji, Roti and Curries of Fish, Prawns and veg have live counters which are decent but the staff one number less as one has to wait once the place gets full. Ohh there are also Jalebis also whipped on demand..that is a uber cool feature.

Food was 2 Soup, 2 Non Veg, 4 veggies and 4 Deserts nothing to write about the regular basic stuff.

Yes they do serve alcohol..timing are from 7.30 pm to Midnight but until and unless you don't drink alcohol you won't stay more than 1.5 hours.

Cost is Rs. 435 exclusive of taxes which is ok enough for the food they serve.

Gostana - Slurrpy Burgers

Hidden away in a quaint lane opposite Bagel Shop run by Aparna this place has the most awesomest burgers I have ever had for a long time...I used to slurrp on Hersheys burgers once upon a time. But these are super big burgers and light on your stomach you wont feel exhausted after having them.

Seats only around 16 max this place has Chess, UNO, Scrabble if you are in a group of 4 and you can enjoy your time while waiting for the burgers.

We had Chicken Gostana burger and Ginger Burger which cost Rs. 140 each with Wheat bread and you can also order multigrain bread (how cool is that). They do have Lamb and Fish burgers which were over for the day.

Like Subway they have Burger of the day which cost Rs. 75 and it is a super deal....next time i am going to try the Chicken Salad which looked awesome.

Go for it...right opposite Bagel Shop

Sushi Spice - Will this Spice Up Mumbai?

Was surfing on Facebook as usual and found an add saying Sushi Delivered at your doorstep. I clicked on the link (oops there goes $0.1 of SushiSpice) and was surprised to find an unique initiative or thing happening in Mumbai.

I am not a big Sushi Fan but do like it at times. I have not ordered anything from there coz looks a bit expensive as one can go to Global Fusion and have unlimited Sushi's for Rs. 800.

So no more writing check out the menu:  Sushi Spice Menu

The Coast - Cool Place for Good Food

I am a sucker for unlimited food for a fix cost and friends had decided to meet there...I was only tempted to meet them just for the food and the buffet (selfish me).

For the first time I went the cost of the buffet was Rs. 299 + taxes and then it increased to Rs. 499 + taxes.

The Coast true to its name is well created place which has sand from the beaches and shacks placed and an open area. So you truly feel that you are on a beach and having food..i mean good food.

Note: They have stopped the buffet service :(

So what did the buffet have, well 4 varieties of veggies and 4 varieties of non veg food in main course and 1 starter each. I had gone there twice and was not at all disappointed with the non veg section. They do stock up well and people with different taste enjoyed the food coz they had 2 chicken dish, 1 mutton dish and 1 fish dish (or at times prawns/tisrya[shell fish]) . To top it off they used to serve unlimited Beer *yes yes you read it right UNLIMITED BEER* and unlimited Hookah which really complimented the konkani styled food.

The only problem was service which at time lacked quality and forgot that we wanted something.
Now I have to try the A'la Carte in Coast.

Address:
Fifth Floor, Crystal Paradise, Off Linking Road, Bandra (W), Mumbai
Landmark: Next to Mumbai Times Cafe  
Phone: 66711586, 66711587, 9930918106

Pot Pourri - Does Pot a Punch

So being there 2 times before I write this one and both the times I was supremely amazed with their food. I would say this is one of the best Italian joint around in terms of cost, quantity, quality ratio.

Being there in the evening both the time where you would have to enjoy the horns from the traffic as it is located right next to the junction of Turner Road. Not a place to have a quite dinner and I mean literally coz of the traffic.

So we had Cheese Fettuccine, which was just proper and what fills my heart was it had a good quantity which one can enjoy one full plate and not be hungry for more.

The other thing we ordered was Chargrilled Olive Prawns with Herb Garlic Sauce, with Risotto with it. Risotto was pink in colour and it was tasty again enough for one person

Suggested food item to have here is chicken stroganoff which is tasty and I think the chef never goes wrong with it.

Ambiance is all cool where the waiters are not standing over your head but at times I do feel they are short staffed. 

Cost, I would say not too expensive for the quantity of the food they give you. So as said before and shall repeat again, they do maintain a good ratio between cost, quantity and quality

Address:
4, Carlton Court, Junction of Turner Road, Turner Road, Bandra (W), Mumbai 
Phone: 26429193, 26406010

Mocha Mojo - Old Place New Theme

Once upon a time Cafe Mocha was an hangout place for me in Bandra due to their super lazy service and not bugging attitude. So if you want to sit with a cup of coffee for hours together you can do that without anyone realizing you are there.

Now after reopening with a new name Mocha Mojo has the almost same Menu as Cafe Mocha except beer replacing Hookah but the decor has being wowed up. The place has super cool ambience which was lacking previously and the seats are uber cool with Ambassador dicky as your soft cushion seat. Walls being painted with cartoons and lighting almost perfect does not hurt the eyes much.

Food and Drinks: Did not have any during the recent visit except the good ol' Junior Chocolate Avalanche which is chocolate filled mug of Brownie, ice creame, and lots of other thing. It has still retained the same flavor. Tried the Belgium Waffle which was super Yum and melted in my mouth as i had them. Given with Maple Syrup, whipped cream and butter surely not a place for people who are on diet. As it was a hot day we tried Berry Blast which was a slush of Rassberry, Black Currant and Strawberry and also tried Currant Cooler, the glasses have being replaced with the jars and i was shocked when i saw it in a nice way.

The beer options are also good tho' did not have any.

Good place to chill out and just talk without being disturbed by waiters hanging over your shoulder

Hokey Pokey

I have a big big Sweet Tooth and got a suggestion of Hokey Pokey as a cool Ice Cream joint opened up in Bandra which adds fillings to the ice cream and mashes them up together and give it to you. I said WOW...checked out its website http://www.hokeypokey.in/ and I decided to go for one that night itself.

Reached home had dinner took my bike and went to Lokhandwala and entered this cool looking joint good sitting space and sweet smell of ice cream.

Head to the counter and there is Genre called Stone Creation which is a pre-decided mix by the management. There are around 10 of those and the chocolates ones are really good. Had the Black Forest Blend which was Vanilla Ice Cream, red cherry Preserve, chocolate brownie and chocolate fudge.

Also shakes and bubbly icebergs are there which i have yet to taste.

So if you want something different from the regular Ice cream this is the one