Place: Soam
Location: Sadguru Sadan, Ground Floor, Chowpatty (Girgaon), Girgaon, Mumbai. (opp. Babulnath temple)
Seating: Can hold 42-45 people at tables and 10-15 more at the waiting area(which is an ordeal).
Ambience:
One of the very few things that I was pleased with was the look of the place. The colour schemes, selection of furniture, the heavy cutlery, and the general cleanliness is really good here. The look of the place is somethings that might just tempt you to have a bite here. The place is very pretty looking.
You also will witness a few “Burrp!” certificates, and a couple more Times Food Guide certificates, hung on one of the walls. A few of these certificates go to the extent of awarding Soam with “the best vegetarian food in Mumbai”. I further ask the reader to let your palate be the judge, perhaps you'll not end up agreeing with me on this one by the end of the post.
Food: For me, this place lost out on its more crucial factor: its much hyped food. One might come to a conclusion from my previous posts, and even from our blog description, that we guys are hard-core carnivores. But lets get this point straightened out, I prefer sticking to a motto-If it's good, it's on my plate. I think you have a fair idea where this is going. Yes, Soam is a vegetarian outfit. And I have been to many vegetarian restaurants, and have had a few favourite places too, but Soam, like Swati Snacks, falls in the category-”seemingly homely food served at obnoxious rates”. I was there with four other people and we ordered an array of different dishes, and since then, I can safely say that I have tried every style of food they have to offer, in one visit. We began with the farsaan platter, which included their famous, spinach and paneer samosas. All the elements of the platter, collectively and individually disappointed me. Specially the much hyped samosas, they were filled with spinach alright, but there was no sign of cottage cheese, instead there were specks of Mozzarella, not even ricotta, Mozzarella?! They totally lacked balance of flavours. The rest of the platter was simply bland, and better left avoided. We were quick to jump to the main course. Soam has these compact meals which quantity-wise fit a normal appetite perfectly. So I called for Stuffed Paranthas, which came with a serving of Chole, whose quantity seemed to be mocking me, and some basic salad. You get two options to choose for your stuffed paranthas, mint and paneer, or corn and potato. I chose the latter, while one of the people who had joined me opted for the minty option. Both of these were strictly mediocre. Another person who was with us, called for the “Kand ke Chillay”. No matter how tempting or otherwise it sounds to you, it is not tasteful. She had to resort to some mango pickle to make it takes better. The fourth person called for paneer butter masala with parathas, and never have I been so disappointed with it. The quantity is decent, but I guess, they were having a bad day, when a seemingly soft paneer, turned out to be terribly sour. I wonder, how can a wonderfully set paneer taste so bad? The fifth person who was with us called for the rather daft sounding option of Paav-Bhaaji, which on the contrary was the best thing we had on the table that day. Perhaps, we can't go wrong with Paav-Bhaaji in Mumbai, be it a Gujrathi speciality resto. I almost forgot to mention the drinks we had called for, while two of us chose to order a rather odd sounding “guava panna”, two others called for a “Chaas” and a “lemon and basil punch”. While the chaas was as it should have been, the Panna was superb, very different, very much like a guava slush with some chat-masala in it. The “lemon and basil punch” was a waste of money, and the name was a very snooty attempt to re-christen “nimbu-paani”. It barely had any taste of basil to it, and it was overly sweet. In conclusion the food as a whole was a disappointment , and it ruined the rest of my day.
Presentation: Despite the chic look of the place, they try hard to make the food and the presentation look as bucolic as possible. You are served in Brass plates, that have an old-world appearance to them. Perhaps they belong to the owner's great grand-mother, but don't bother yourself with that.
Accompaniments:You are provided with 4 different types of relishes on your table, and a few more that you will be served are specific to the dish you order. It basically is 2-3 different types of pickles, and the standard coriander-mint chutney. Nothing great.
Service: We went there at peak hours, so I didn't expect the maitre d` to be very hospitable. But even then he seemed a bit commanding towards the patrons as well as the other waiters. But then again, he was kind enough to pickup our used plates when he saw that no other waiter/bus boy was available. The waiters seemed to be in a rush at all times, which gave this otherwise comfortable looking place a very busy air.
Cost: for the entire fair it came up to 1500-1700 rupees for the five of us.
"Worth" factor: In all honesty, there is no secret as to how the food is made here, perhaps your mum makes it better. If your mum doesn't know how to, then make friends with different cultural backgrounds, and do visit their places for traditional food. Places like Soam and Swati Snacks are a lame excuse to promote traditional cuisine, in a “New Avatar”. We don't want food re-incarnated, instead we want good food, and common sense to preserve its value and integrity. There are many small -time joints which do a better job of the mentioned, and they guarantee gratification.
Verdict:
Pros:
1.> Good setting, and very hygienic.
2.>Traditional beverages are good
3.> The quality of the Paav Bhaaji amongst the dishes Soam is much talked about, is surprisingly good.
Cons:
1.>Such food is better eaten at home.
2.>Quality of food is not worth the money spent, at all!
3.>Over the weekend, the place is terribly packed, and filled with a noisy crowd. And there seems to be no end as to where they come from.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Best Pizzas Ever....
..Ok that's a bit biased at my end without tasting everything that is to be tasted. But since an opinion is something which keeps changing, hence 'ever' in this context shouldn't be taken with a grain of salt. Then again, considering the quality of food which is offered by PIZZERIA(or 'Not just Pizza by the Bay' as they call it now), there's a fair chance that my claim will stand true for a long long time. Being the oldest pizza place in the city, it has built up quite a reputation for itself, and for good reason. Everything from the ambiance, location to the quality of food reeks of greatness and the experience isn't one to be missed.
Location usually isn't the best indication of how good a place is. But it does help to create a good initial impression. If its a good place at a bad location, you won't really get your hopes up till you taste the food. So a good location does help to curb some of the skepticism that almost always arises whenever you visit any new place. In this particular case, you'll fall in love the minute you spot it. Located near Churchgate, its at the very end of the road leading towards the seaside from Churchgate station. And if you are a Sobo-ite, and if this is not one of your favorite areas in the city, then you really don't deserve to stay in "Sobo". And the seating is such that you will always face the seaside. So, its one of those rare cases where the location actually adds more to the ambiance than the actual presentation of the place. Easy way out, some might say. But its one those things that you can't complain about. The Ambiance is pretty straight forward; what you might expect out of places serving similar cuisine. But the location adds a lot to it and gives it another dimension. On the downside, if its too sunny, or if the rain gods are a tad too happy, then it can be an issue. Also, though the place can seat around 40-50 people, it does feel a bit cramped.
Now lets get to the food. This is the easy part actually. Its usually easy when everything is good, or nothing is good. And i can happily say that in this case, its the former. I must have tasted almost all the non-veg Pizza's over here and all of them are very, very good. Saying this makes me sad, cause i found all the pizzas to be amazing, but putting it that way sounds too good to be true, so i have to be modest. Its all in the base! In contrast to the other pizza outlets, this is one of the few places which serves the 'sloppy' pizzas. Add to this the delicious sauce they add to the base, and the toppings are just a formality. Also try out all the mocktails. They're awesome. Especially 'Mango Tango' and 'Alice in Wonderland'. Also try the apple pie over here. Its not the best you can find. But its decent. In starters, try the Jalapeno poppers. They're overpriced, but they're praiseworthy. I haven't tried any of the pastas or the veg pizzas. But from what i've heard, they're a mixed bag. So be wary of that while ordering.
The Service is not one of the strong points of this place. While certainly not bad, they're often overwhelmed by the huge crowd at this place. Hence it is very easy to be ignored. But once the order is placed, it doesn't take much time for it to arrive. So patience is the best virtue. The food really is worth it.
A meal for two would cost you rs 600. Completely worth it if you ask me. After 15-16 visits to this place, i am comfortable enough to say that am completely sold. Even though this place is a bit expensive, still its the same as some of the other competing joints such as Pizza hut and Domino's. So it all boils down to taste, which it has nailed perfectly. And all the qualms i have are not enough to deter from the many good things i've experienced. And i really don't mind writing an overly positive review. Because it is served for a place that is actually worth it. And very few places are actually worth such acclaim. And in my opinion Pizzeria is one of them.
So what do you people feel? Does my review hit the right chords with your opinion about this place? Or am i just another plain fanboy who hasn't had the good stuff in life? Comment on this article and let everybody know.
-Mambo
Location usually isn't the best indication of how good a place is. But it does help to create a good initial impression. If its a good place at a bad location, you won't really get your hopes up till you taste the food. So a good location does help to curb some of the skepticism that almost always arises whenever you visit any new place. In this particular case, you'll fall in love the minute you spot it. Located near Churchgate, its at the very end of the road leading towards the seaside from Churchgate station. And if you are a Sobo-ite, and if this is not one of your favorite areas in the city, then you really don't deserve to stay in "Sobo". And the seating is such that you will always face the seaside. So, its one of those rare cases where the location actually adds more to the ambiance than the actual presentation of the place. Easy way out, some might say. But its one those things that you can't complain about. The Ambiance is pretty straight forward; what you might expect out of places serving similar cuisine. But the location adds a lot to it and gives it another dimension. On the downside, if its too sunny, or if the rain gods are a tad too happy, then it can be an issue. Also, though the place can seat around 40-50 people, it does feel a bit cramped.
Now lets get to the food. This is the easy part actually. Its usually easy when everything is good, or nothing is good. And i can happily say that in this case, its the former. I must have tasted almost all the non-veg Pizza's over here and all of them are very, very good. Saying this makes me sad, cause i found all the pizzas to be amazing, but putting it that way sounds too good to be true, so i have to be modest. Its all in the base! In contrast to the other pizza outlets, this is one of the few places which serves the 'sloppy' pizzas. Add to this the delicious sauce they add to the base, and the toppings are just a formality. Also try out all the mocktails. They're awesome. Especially 'Mango Tango' and 'Alice in Wonderland'. Also try the apple pie over here. Its not the best you can find. But its decent. In starters, try the Jalapeno poppers. They're overpriced, but they're praiseworthy. I haven't tried any of the pastas or the veg pizzas. But from what i've heard, they're a mixed bag. So be wary of that while ordering.
The Service is not one of the strong points of this place. While certainly not bad, they're often overwhelmed by the huge crowd at this place. Hence it is very easy to be ignored. But once the order is placed, it doesn't take much time for it to arrive. So patience is the best virtue. The food really is worth it.
A meal for two would cost you rs 600. Completely worth it if you ask me. After 15-16 visits to this place, i am comfortable enough to say that am completely sold. Even though this place is a bit expensive, still its the same as some of the other competing joints such as Pizza hut and Domino's. So it all boils down to taste, which it has nailed perfectly. And all the qualms i have are not enough to deter from the many good things i've experienced. And i really don't mind writing an overly positive review. Because it is served for a place that is actually worth it. And very few places are actually worth such acclaim. And in my opinion Pizzeria is one of them.
So what do you people feel? Does my review hit the right chords with your opinion about this place? Or am i just another plain fanboy who hasn't had the good stuff in life? Comment on this article and let everybody know.
-Mambo
Monday, June 6, 2011
An Ode to an Old Friend.....
All this time, we had been writing about different places that we had visited, and breaking down food to the last fragment with our critique. For this one though, I was compelled to pay homage to an art form(I find calling it “cuisine” pretty insulting), that has satiated us over many year, with it being one of the very few styles that constantly has had something new to offer to us. Quite a few will beg to differ to the following statement but, its as Indian as it can be. I wish to honour the flamboyant and ever bold art of Indianised-Chinese food.
All of us have Fried rice and Manchurian(chicken/veg/paneer/gobi is up to you) a good deal of times in our yet small life. Many versions of these delicacies and more, have intrigued us and appalled us simultaneously. But there certainly is something about this mode of preparation that keeps us going back more and more. Some say its the MSGs, maybe that is the case, but I think ajinomoto just helps and that's it. My acquaintance with “punjabi-chinese” goes back many years. My earliest memories of watching a guy doing acrobatics with a wok whilst tossing and catching rice/noodles in it, as the shades of the contents of the wok kept changing from something subtle to something angry in a matter of seconds, surprised me which rather made me curious about glowing red rice(its a story, so it can glow), this dates perhaps of when I was a mere toddler. But ever since that first morsel of schezwan rice(not szechuan), the first bite of that Chicken Chilly and the sip of the Manchow soup, I haven't looked back.
Constantly on the prowl for anything new these guys who we all are certain have not been in any tangible proximity of china, have to dish out, I have come across a wide hilarious, obnoxious and amazing variety of things in this so called exploration. Almost every six months there is something new on the menu of these places, with references to places to which the dishes might belong to, like KOREN CHICKEN, MALESIAN CHICKEN, SINGAPUR CHICKEN. Mind you the mistakes in the names are deliberate to emphasise on the fact that the names do not matter, they are there just to provide entertainment, unintentional though. Even though the tentative certainty says that the guy making is not even remotely aware of the food of the region, he does manage to pull of something really interesting, sometimes just ugly. This had made us wonder on many occasions”i wonder if I 'll get this in singapore”. Even though the probability of that happening is negligible, I'm amazed as the number of things a local chinese chef can make out of the same raw-materials, are infinitesimal.
Although I have eaten at many places, enough to be unaccountable, there are certain places and their dishes that do stand out for good as well as bad reasons:
1. Mamamia's has quintessentially been a pizza place, but their venture into the chinese domain has been a decent success. I strongly recommend the “Mama's special rice”, which will seem exactly like the ever popular”triple schezwan rice”, but some magic ingredient/s makes it taste particularly and surprisingly different.
2. 5Spice and Gypsy are two places that have completely blown my brain. These are the still upscale chinese restaurants, which subtly claim that they are authentic, with either the waiters that seem indigenous to china or the some really fancy names for their dishes. But even then I can't but be in awe for the meals offered. Out of these gypsy remains to be my favourites, where I could go gaga over the condiments and the main course alike. 5Spice scores with exceptionally good quantity and decent food at a yet nominal charge.
3. Gulshan/Snowpoint is a good place for chinese eatables, but I think the chef is very moody. One can be certain about most of the things ordered there(try crispy chicken, and the rice+gravy combos), but one ghastly experience when I had ordered for “stewed rice”(or something like that), which when was on the table looked really weird. It was bland, thats that! But the look of it was quite amusing at first, then it didn't seem just right. The sauce, not very remotely resembled some kind of an ejaculant. Imagine wiping your lips and chin after that!
4. This was a more recent event at Noorani. I had been there with two other friends, craving for “crispy chicken”. Noorani which otherwise has a reputation of dolling out decent chinese foods in generous quantities at nominal rates, presented us with the most uncanny crispy chicken. We generally have an understanding that crispy chicken is when shredded chicken is batter fried and served after being tossed in a red tangy-spicy sauce. What we got was quite funny, it was deep fried chicken in a green batter, which gave it the look of a herbivores' turd. This was served with cucumber dip(?) which just didn't go well, and it looked more like slime. Never again!
5. This was at a very small shady place in Malwan. I had been there with two other cousins of mine, one of whom was a local. When he placed the order for a Chilly Chicken, he told the guy to put more noodles. I didn't ask, the wait was worth it. It was the normal chilly chicken, only with fried noodles in it, lots of them. The sauce was just laced to it, to give it that perfect consistency and bind. Superb is a small word for that experience.
These instances talk about a miniscule fraction of what I have experienced over a decade and a half. But these restaurants are always out there to top themselves, in either the good food category or about being simply outrageous. Nonetheless we are always welcome to such things, because I strongly feel that indians are very open-minded about treating culinary skills as art forms.
There is something about indian-chinese cuisine that makes it so indian, but with an outsider's appearance. Even then it has gracefully transcended in our lives, and we have accepted it like we do with our blood relatives. We have let it grow, and have made use of it on more than many occasions, mostly to our convenience owing to its flexible nature. And we further watch it spread, rather flourish. I always thought of it to be the indian version of soul-food, with a little foreign inspiration, for it captured the very essence of soul food: the requirements for this cuisine are minimalistic, the portions are gigantic, the ingredients are cheap and local, the meals are far from being considered bland, texture-less, tasteless and insipid, and lastly it has always satiated you, and it always will.
Now every vada-paav wala has “chinese bhajji”, jumbo king has “shezwaan chutney”, and a chinese bhel stall outside every western railway station. Who knows what can be excepted in the future, perhaps idlis dipped in hot-n-sour soup....we'll never know, and then we will.
-Gabo(Gaurang)
All of us have Fried rice and Manchurian(chicken/veg/paneer/gobi is up to you) a good deal of times in our yet small life. Many versions of these delicacies and more, have intrigued us and appalled us simultaneously. But there certainly is something about this mode of preparation that keeps us going back more and more. Some say its the MSGs, maybe that is the case, but I think ajinomoto just helps and that's it. My acquaintance with “punjabi-chinese” goes back many years. My earliest memories of watching a guy doing acrobatics with a wok whilst tossing and catching rice/noodles in it, as the shades of the contents of the wok kept changing from something subtle to something angry in a matter of seconds, surprised me which rather made me curious about glowing red rice(its a story, so it can glow), this dates perhaps of when I was a mere toddler. But ever since that first morsel of schezwan rice(not szechuan), the first bite of that Chicken Chilly and the sip of the Manchow soup, I haven't looked back.
Constantly on the prowl for anything new these guys who we all are certain have not been in any tangible proximity of china, have to dish out, I have come across a wide hilarious, obnoxious and amazing variety of things in this so called exploration. Almost every six months there is something new on the menu of these places, with references to places to which the dishes might belong to, like KOREN CHICKEN, MALESIAN CHICKEN, SINGAPUR CHICKEN. Mind you the mistakes in the names are deliberate to emphasise on the fact that the names do not matter, they are there just to provide entertainment, unintentional though. Even though the tentative certainty says that the guy making is not even remotely aware of the food of the region, he does manage to pull of something really interesting, sometimes just ugly. This had made us wonder on many occasions”i wonder if I 'll get this in singapore”. Even though the probability of that happening is negligible, I'm amazed as the number of things a local chinese chef can make out of the same raw-materials, are infinitesimal.
Although I have eaten at many places, enough to be unaccountable, there are certain places and their dishes that do stand out for good as well as bad reasons:
1. Mamamia's has quintessentially been a pizza place, but their venture into the chinese domain has been a decent success. I strongly recommend the “Mama's special rice”, which will seem exactly like the ever popular”triple schezwan rice”, but some magic ingredient/s makes it taste particularly and surprisingly different.
2. 5Spice and Gypsy are two places that have completely blown my brain. These are the still upscale chinese restaurants, which subtly claim that they are authentic, with either the waiters that seem indigenous to china or the some really fancy names for their dishes. But even then I can't but be in awe for the meals offered. Out of these gypsy remains to be my favourites, where I could go gaga over the condiments and the main course alike. 5Spice scores with exceptionally good quantity and decent food at a yet nominal charge.
3. Gulshan/Snowpoint is a good place for chinese eatables, but I think the chef is very moody. One can be certain about most of the things ordered there(try crispy chicken, and the rice+gravy combos), but one ghastly experience when I had ordered for “stewed rice”(or something like that), which when was on the table looked really weird. It was bland, thats that! But the look of it was quite amusing at first, then it didn't seem just right. The sauce, not very remotely resembled some kind of an ejaculant. Imagine wiping your lips and chin after that!
4. This was a more recent event at Noorani. I had been there with two other friends, craving for “crispy chicken”. Noorani which otherwise has a reputation of dolling out decent chinese foods in generous quantities at nominal rates, presented us with the most uncanny crispy chicken. We generally have an understanding that crispy chicken is when shredded chicken is batter fried and served after being tossed in a red tangy-spicy sauce. What we got was quite funny, it was deep fried chicken in a green batter, which gave it the look of a herbivores' turd. This was served with cucumber dip(?) which just didn't go well, and it looked more like slime. Never again!
5. This was at a very small shady place in Malwan. I had been there with two other cousins of mine, one of whom was a local. When he placed the order for a Chilly Chicken, he told the guy to put more noodles. I didn't ask, the wait was worth it. It was the normal chilly chicken, only with fried noodles in it, lots of them. The sauce was just laced to it, to give it that perfect consistency and bind. Superb is a small word for that experience.
These instances talk about a miniscule fraction of what I have experienced over a decade and a half. But these restaurants are always out there to top themselves, in either the good food category or about being simply outrageous. Nonetheless we are always welcome to such things, because I strongly feel that indians are very open-minded about treating culinary skills as art forms.
There is something about indian-chinese cuisine that makes it so indian, but with an outsider's appearance. Even then it has gracefully transcended in our lives, and we have accepted it like we do with our blood relatives. We have let it grow, and have made use of it on more than many occasions, mostly to our convenience owing to its flexible nature. And we further watch it spread, rather flourish. I always thought of it to be the indian version of soul-food, with a little foreign inspiration, for it captured the very essence of soul food: the requirements for this cuisine are minimalistic, the portions are gigantic, the ingredients are cheap and local, the meals are far from being considered bland, texture-less, tasteless and insipid, and lastly it has always satiated you, and it always will.
Now every vada-paav wala has “chinese bhajji”, jumbo king has “shezwaan chutney”, and a chinese bhel stall outside every western railway station. Who knows what can be excepted in the future, perhaps idlis dipped in hot-n-sour soup....we'll never know, and then we will.
-Gabo(Gaurang)
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