Place: Sahibaan
Location: Alipur Trust Building, 2nd Pasta Lane, near Colaba Market, Colaba, Mumbai.
Seating: Any where between 20-25 people; maybe more.
Ambience:
Poster Red interiors, with inviting photos of some of the food they serve. Their prices and deals and put up in loud colours and fonts, for corresponding photos. Large tables are partially confined in booths, which also accommodate facing couches(comfortable) along the length of the tables. Reflecting surfaces make up the upper half of the walls here. Tables here have a big bowl with a previously estimated number of pairs of Forks and Spoons. The lighting is otherwise dull. But a good place to sit down for a friendly meeting, a chat, and hopefully a good meal.
Food:This place serves Chinese and Moghlai eatables primarily, and they also do some Sizzlers. I have always eaten Chinese here, since it always is the best/safe bet. I had been here not less than a year back. The food I had had then was genuinely good, if not thoroughly impressive. I remember having a good time enjoying the food in particular. But, my last visit to this place, which happened in the previous week, did turn out to be a shocker. I was accompanied by a friend. Due to money constraints, we ordered what they called a “Chinese Thaali”, per head, and a starter of 'Crispy Thread Chicken'. Till the time our 'Mains' arrived on our table, we were served some complimentary Crispy Fried Noodles, with 'Szechuan' sauce(a combo of which I cannot get enough of). The best aspect of this deal is that you can ask for seconds, and perhaps thirds, but we didn't go that far. Then came the 'Thaali', which basically was medium sized portions of all the courses in a Chinese meal, though we have no option but to go for the simpler dishes, as they have a set menu. You get soup, I got myself the notorious 'Manchow', which seemed to be just another soup, didn't jump out of the bowl to pack a punch, as it should. Rather , this one seems to be a shy member of the family. The rice was a plain Egg Fried Rice, nothing much one can say about it, it is self-explanatory. We had it with some Chicken Chilly, which was, for some ambiguous reason and ordeal to finish. It perhaps lacked taste, and certainly the texture was missing. The Thaali also included three(not even a single more), pieces of fried Won-Tons, which were so floury, that I didn't realise when my Iced Tea had touched the bottom of the glass. Nothing that I tried worked out to counter the dryness. Not to forget, the Won-Tons were more flour and less chicken, so less that you might end up thinking that you had a chicken flavoured Pappodom. I was hoping that the Crispy Thread Chicken would save the day. Sadly, Lady Luck is a senile, schadenfreude witch, who cackles at your littlest misery. The waiters mistook our order of 'Crispy Thread Chicken' with a more expensive, for reasons unknown, 'Crispy Basil Chicken'. It, funnily had a unique taste of a particular two minute noodle tastemaker, whose roughly ground also gave a pretty coarse texture. It was over-seasoned with salt and M.S.G.s, and the basil was nowhere to be found. I wonder if basil “disappears on wilting”. Anyways, the lunch ended with a scoop of chocolate ice-cream, which I can't criticise, as it was obviously out of a box. Over-all, we stepped out sour.
Presentation: The presentation is good enough to make you go for all of it. The looks of the place and the food are appealing. That's that.
Service: The service is a desperate attempt to be prompt, but this pursuit results in discord. Out waiter couldn't get our order right, which we realised after inspecting the bill. Consequently, we had to shell out more than what we had planned for. To add insult to injury, the waiter was not apologetic about his err, forget a refund.
Cost: The damages done were worth around 550-600 bucks.
"Worth" factor: I would treat this particular incident, as one of Sahibaan's blue days, 'Cause, I have had better food here, and at another of its branches, more than once. The service is just alright, the prices have certainly gone up, which will further keep me away from it. The food can be better. I'd recommend a research before a visit. But, otherwise I do not mind it.
Verdict:
Pros:
1.> Good setting, pretty looks, and comfortable; certainly a place where you might lose track of time
2.>My past experience with the food here has been great, so there is hope for the future
3.>Decent crowd and rarely is the place packed. So one can expect to sit comfortably and experience the place at one's leisure
Cons:
1.>I personally hate places that lack consistency in providing quality, and now Sahibaan falls in that category
2.>The food, now, is a bit overpriced
3.>The service is painful, and the waiter can be convincingly daft
-Gaurang(Gabo)
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
The one chinese place you can always depend on....
There are quite a few chinese joints in mumbai. Most of them can be categorized as either authentic, or adopting the more "desi" style. You'll either be having some weird dish that you've never heard about, or some fried rice at a food stall, that you might have become bored of. But there's this other category, called semi-authentic, which does not fall in between the two, but one which adds a different dimension to the cuisine. There are very few places which adopt this style of cooking, which is sad considering how good the results can be. 5spice is one such place which falls under this category. Its a franchise with multiple outlets in the city, and has made quite a name for itself with their semi-authentic style.
Ambiance-Pretty much your standard fare. A bit tawdry for my liking. Its your standard restaurant decor with the occasional chinese relic thrown in between just to justify the cuisine. Its like they took the semi-authentic concept too seriously. Other than that, its pretty well maintained with comfortable seating and well presented tables. A tad too small, considering the crowd it attracts, resulting in queues waiting outside for most of the day. But even so, they provide chairs for the people waiting outside so that's good enough.
Food - Most of the dishes found at this place can range from good to very good. If i had to suggest a good combination, i would say have the crab meat soup, kung pao chicken for starters, Forture rice with fish hunan for the main course, and top it off with a death by chocolate. But you can trade any of the above dishes with any other on the menu and still have a very enjoyable experience. And there's a lot of variety to choose from. They have separate sections for chicken, fish and lamb, and each one of them have a lot of dishes to try. And its not just the quality of the food thats praise worthy, but also the quantity. Its the textbook definition of 'bang for the buck'. One portion of rice or noodles can easily serve up to 3 people. So if you're planning to go solo, don't. That brings me to my main complaint, the lack of half portions. They should have been introduced a long time ago and would make life easy for a lot of people. And its a bad business decision in itself. I can't recount the number of times i had to cancel my plan of going to this place because some friend of mine had some other matter to tend to. As soon as you think of going alone, the quantity comes to mind along with the potential wastage, which is a turn off. But other than that, the food gets no criticism from me.
Service - Depending on the time you visit this place, it can either be very good or disastrous. If you go only to find a huge number of people waiting outside, don't expect to get a table any time soon. The waiters are lousy when it comes to keeping a note of who came first, and you might lose a table to the person who came after you. Other than that, the service is decent. It doesn't take much time for the food to arrive once you place the order, but the time it takes to actually reach this phase can be variable. Do not order food from home. It will take ages. You're better off going there and getting the food yourself. Plus if you go there to take the parcel, they give you a 10% discount, which is a nice motivating factor.
Conclusion - As the title for this article suggests, 5spice is a chinese place which you can always depend on. Although not completely authentic, it has built up a name for itself by serving something different, and it has done this very well indeed. Building up reputation with a high level of quality and then complementing that with awesome quantity; how many places can boast of that? Not many i'm sure. It does have its problems. The service is haphazard, and the ambiance is an afterthought. But when it comes to the food, it hits the mark. And that's the best indicator of a good place. But i wouldn't give it the credibility it deserves until they start serving half portions. That's an absolute must.
Pros-
-Good quality of food
-Good quantity of food
-variety
Cons-
-Ambiance cant keep up with the other aspects
-Can be really difficult to find a seat given the huge crowd it attracts
-service is passable
Final verdict - A must try!!!
Ambiance-Pretty much your standard fare. A bit tawdry for my liking. Its your standard restaurant decor with the occasional chinese relic thrown in between just to justify the cuisine. Its like they took the semi-authentic concept too seriously. Other than that, its pretty well maintained with comfortable seating and well presented tables. A tad too small, considering the crowd it attracts, resulting in queues waiting outside for most of the day. But even so, they provide chairs for the people waiting outside so that's good enough.
Food - Most of the dishes found at this place can range from good to very good. If i had to suggest a good combination, i would say have the crab meat soup, kung pao chicken for starters, Forture rice with fish hunan for the main course, and top it off with a death by chocolate. But you can trade any of the above dishes with any other on the menu and still have a very enjoyable experience. And there's a lot of variety to choose from. They have separate sections for chicken, fish and lamb, and each one of them have a lot of dishes to try. And its not just the quality of the food thats praise worthy, but also the quantity. Its the textbook definition of 'bang for the buck'. One portion of rice or noodles can easily serve up to 3 people. So if you're planning to go solo, don't. That brings me to my main complaint, the lack of half portions. They should have been introduced a long time ago and would make life easy for a lot of people. And its a bad business decision in itself. I can't recount the number of times i had to cancel my plan of going to this place because some friend of mine had some other matter to tend to. As soon as you think of going alone, the quantity comes to mind along with the potential wastage, which is a turn off. But other than that, the food gets no criticism from me.
Service - Depending on the time you visit this place, it can either be very good or disastrous. If you go only to find a huge number of people waiting outside, don't expect to get a table any time soon. The waiters are lousy when it comes to keeping a note of who came first, and you might lose a table to the person who came after you. Other than that, the service is decent. It doesn't take much time for the food to arrive once you place the order, but the time it takes to actually reach this phase can be variable. Do not order food from home. It will take ages. You're better off going there and getting the food yourself. Plus if you go there to take the parcel, they give you a 10% discount, which is a nice motivating factor.
Conclusion - As the title for this article suggests, 5spice is a chinese place which you can always depend on. Although not completely authentic, it has built up a name for itself by serving something different, and it has done this very well indeed. Building up reputation with a high level of quality and then complementing that with awesome quantity; how many places can boast of that? Not many i'm sure. It does have its problems. The service is haphazard, and the ambiance is an afterthought. But when it comes to the food, it hits the mark. And that's the best indicator of a good place. But i wouldn't give it the credibility it deserves until they start serving half portions. That's an absolute must.
Pros-
-Good quality of food
-Good quantity of food
-variety
Cons-
-Ambiance cant keep up with the other aspects
-Can be really difficult to find a seat given the huge crowd it attracts
-service is passable
Final verdict - A must try!!!
Monday, June 27, 2011
Soam-any things, such little choice...
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.
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.
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)
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Sandwich Meals
Place: Bembos - The South American Grill
Location: Opp. Indian Bank, S. V. Road, Bandra (W).
Seating: Accommodates 15-20 smoking and non-smoking crowd separately. I strongly suggest sitting in the non-smoking zone, for its air-conditioning and availability of adjustable tables and booths. Smokers can sit in a separate area near the entrance, but again sit there only if the other area is full, or if S.V. Road isn't providing you ample smoke to satisfy your needs.
Ambience:
There is a two part description to this one, with reference to the Seating and a few other constraints:
Non-smoking Area: Certainly the better place to get yourself seated, but strictly from the hygiene P.O.V. But its a confused arrangement otherwise. The attempt to take the metropolitan-coffee-shop-interiors concept, really bothered me. To make things clear, it has different and loud colours(perhaps to point out the South American bit in its name) which I found pointless and confusing at points, circular tables don't quite justify the size and shape of the rectangular food trays, and chairs with narrow seating are not apt for the people who come over there, seriously, if you are a big person, get a booth. There is a radio station on at all times here, and a TV at another end playing music videos with no sound, which again can be a bit comical. Not all the time are the tables clean, have seen flies in the AC section too many times(not an alarming number though), and tables are often sticky because of spilled cola.
Smoking Area: If you thought that the description of the Non-smoking area was not great, then the smoking area is simply a disappointment. The location is not in the cleanest of places, the smoking area is pretty much open except for a collapsable shed. It is adjacent to S.V. Road, near a traffic signal, so pretty much all different types of vehicles are blowing into your food at the same time. This area for the similar reason concludes to be relatively neglected if cleanliness is considered.
Other than all the negatives mentioned, the place is awkwardly comfortable, so it wont be that bad a first visit for one, on the contrary it will be quite pleasant, and there are other things to this place that would make you visit it on multiple occasions and perhaps even recommend it to others. Pretty much ideal for the college crowd flowing out of the institutions in the vicinity.
Food: This place serves a potpourri of burgers, for both vegetarians and otherwise(chicken and lamb) and also chicken and lamb steaks. Non-vegetarian's can rejoice for its almost plethoric amount of chicken and lamb burger varieties and these are available in regular and large sizes. Further, you can jazz your burger up with cheese or a fried egg(charges extra). Having visited this place many times I can safely say that I have tried almost every grilled chicken breast burger variant here, where the hawaiian version with pineapple discs in it remains one of my favourites till today, maybe i'm a sucker for the chicken and pineapple combination. They also have the relatively economical chicken burgers(crispy chicken patty they say) which are good, but I personally find them equivalent to those pre-breaded you get out a deep-freezer. My advice, go for the grilled chicken breast burgers, they are exceptional. Now, describing the lamb burgers gets me salivating. People loving red meat should, no must try the “Argentina”(burger name). I honestly don't know if such burgers are indigenous to its namesake country, but certainly one should not care about such trivia when the burgers are that good. I was happy that it really was lamb and not mutton, that is a general obfuscation. The cut of the lamb is pretty lean and well done, and very tender and juicy. At least the food here is hygienic, preparation-wise too. Thankfully all the burgers here have a distinctly independent tastes, textures and flavour, and they are sufficiently large in size, so for any normal appetite a regular burger and fries can be a meal. But for people with monstrous gastroesophageal/gastroduodenal capacity, try different burgers and make them large!
Another thing, they provide not just unlimited ketchup, but also mayonnaise, so those cribbing about your favourite burger joint not providing you enough condiments, Bembos doesn't let you complain about that and a lot more.
I don't know which is the best place for such sandwiches in the city, but for now, i'd like to keep that fanciful title held for Bembos.
Presentation: Not much to talk about here. Most of us have been to places standardised like McDonald's, and this one is not too different. Only difference is that whatever you order is made after you place your order. Its all served in paper wraps on food trays we are all familiar with.
Accompaniments: Accompaniments served include fries, cola(and the soda variants) and a soft-serve sundaes. The fries are in different sizes, so are the sodas. Sundaes can be found in different flavours there, but they don't update this section so much. They might have taken a few items off the list. All of these plus the extra cheese and/or the fried egg are charged separately.
Service: Self-service. You are informed when your order is ready via intercom, or otherwise err..shouting out(not professional).The people working there certainly seem like they would desperately need something that would cheer them. As I had mentioned in one of my previous posts, “A smile goes a long way”.
Cost: The last time I went there was with three other people, we ordered 3 large and one regular burger(all non-vegetarian), one serving of fries and three colas and all this was for not more than Rs.530, maybe lesser than that .
"Worth" factor: Certainly worth the visit. The place is deserted mostly, so there is virtually no queue. If u can put up with the staff, get a spot in one of the booth, and not careless about the music and the muted television, then this place is certainly worth it.(Word of Advice: Visit with a group of friends, otherwise this place can give you the gloomy vibes.)
Verdict:
Pros:
1.> Good food, with bang on flavours.
2.>Generous portions with free unlimited condiments.
3.> Good quality of meat cuts.
4.> Very reasonable rates and decent accompaniments.
Cons:
1.>Utterly bored staff, can be hostile at times. Get your anger management done before coming here.
2.>As hygienic as any other popular fast-food joint in the non-smoking section. The smoking section can just be avoided.
3.>People who bother themselves with ambience will be left confused by how the place is done.
-Gabo(Gaurang).
Location: Opp. Indian Bank, S. V. Road, Bandra (W).
Seating: Accommodates 15-20 smoking and non-smoking crowd separately. I strongly suggest sitting in the non-smoking zone, for its air-conditioning and availability of adjustable tables and booths. Smokers can sit in a separate area near the entrance, but again sit there only if the other area is full, or if S.V. Road isn't providing you ample smoke to satisfy your needs.
Ambience:
There is a two part description to this one, with reference to the Seating and a few other constraints:
Non-smoking Area: Certainly the better place to get yourself seated, but strictly from the hygiene P.O.V. But its a confused arrangement otherwise. The attempt to take the metropolitan-coffee-shop-interiors concept, really bothered me. To make things clear, it has different and loud colours(perhaps to point out the South American bit in its name) which I found pointless and confusing at points, circular tables don't quite justify the size and shape of the rectangular food trays, and chairs with narrow seating are not apt for the people who come over there, seriously, if you are a big person, get a booth. There is a radio station on at all times here, and a TV at another end playing music videos with no sound, which again can be a bit comical. Not all the time are the tables clean, have seen flies in the AC section too many times(not an alarming number though), and tables are often sticky because of spilled cola.
Smoking Area: If you thought that the description of the Non-smoking area was not great, then the smoking area is simply a disappointment. The location is not in the cleanest of places, the smoking area is pretty much open except for a collapsable shed. It is adjacent to S.V. Road, near a traffic signal, so pretty much all different types of vehicles are blowing into your food at the same time. This area for the similar reason concludes to be relatively neglected if cleanliness is considered.
Other than all the negatives mentioned, the place is awkwardly comfortable, so it wont be that bad a first visit for one, on the contrary it will be quite pleasant, and there are other things to this place that would make you visit it on multiple occasions and perhaps even recommend it to others. Pretty much ideal for the college crowd flowing out of the institutions in the vicinity.
Food: This place serves a potpourri of burgers, for both vegetarians and otherwise(chicken and lamb) and also chicken and lamb steaks. Non-vegetarian's can rejoice for its almost plethoric amount of chicken and lamb burger varieties and these are available in regular and large sizes. Further, you can jazz your burger up with cheese or a fried egg(charges extra). Having visited this place many times I can safely say that I have tried almost every grilled chicken breast burger variant here, where the hawaiian version with pineapple discs in it remains one of my favourites till today, maybe i'm a sucker for the chicken and pineapple combination. They also have the relatively economical chicken burgers(crispy chicken patty they say) which are good, but I personally find them equivalent to those pre-breaded you get out a deep-freezer. My advice, go for the grilled chicken breast burgers, they are exceptional. Now, describing the lamb burgers gets me salivating. People loving red meat should, no must try the “Argentina”(burger name). I honestly don't know if such burgers are indigenous to its namesake country, but certainly one should not care about such trivia when the burgers are that good. I was happy that it really was lamb and not mutton, that is a general obfuscation. The cut of the lamb is pretty lean and well done, and very tender and juicy. At least the food here is hygienic, preparation-wise too. Thankfully all the burgers here have a distinctly independent tastes, textures and flavour, and they are sufficiently large in size, so for any normal appetite a regular burger and fries can be a meal. But for people with monstrous gastroesophageal/gastroduodenal capacity, try different burgers and make them large!
Another thing, they provide not just unlimited ketchup, but also mayonnaise, so those cribbing about your favourite burger joint not providing you enough condiments, Bembos doesn't let you complain about that and a lot more.
I don't know which is the best place for such sandwiches in the city, but for now, i'd like to keep that fanciful title held for Bembos.
Presentation: Not much to talk about here. Most of us have been to places standardised like McDonald's, and this one is not too different. Only difference is that whatever you order is made after you place your order. Its all served in paper wraps on food trays we are all familiar with.
Accompaniments: Accompaniments served include fries, cola(and the soda variants) and a soft-serve sundaes. The fries are in different sizes, so are the sodas. Sundaes can be found in different flavours there, but they don't update this section so much. They might have taken a few items off the list. All of these plus the extra cheese and/or the fried egg are charged separately.
Service: Self-service. You are informed when your order is ready via intercom, or otherwise err..shouting out(not professional).The people working there certainly seem like they would desperately need something that would cheer them. As I had mentioned in one of my previous posts, “A smile goes a long way”.
Cost: The last time I went there was with three other people, we ordered 3 large and one regular burger(all non-vegetarian), one serving of fries and three colas and all this was for not more than Rs.530, maybe lesser than that .
"Worth" factor: Certainly worth the visit. The place is deserted mostly, so there is virtually no queue. If u can put up with the staff, get a spot in one of the booth, and not careless about the music and the muted television, then this place is certainly worth it.(Word of Advice: Visit with a group of friends, otherwise this place can give you the gloomy vibes.)
Verdict:
Pros:
1.> Good food, with bang on flavours.
2.>Generous portions with free unlimited condiments.
3.> Good quality of meat cuts.
4.> Very reasonable rates and decent accompaniments.
Cons:
1.>Utterly bored staff, can be hostile at times. Get your anger management done before coming here.
2.>As hygienic as any other popular fast-food joint in the non-smoking section. The smoking section can just be avoided.
3.>People who bother themselves with ambience will be left confused by how the place is done.
-Gabo(Gaurang).
Saturday, April 16, 2011
A reason worth going to matunga for....
Thats what Gulshan is. This place has been there for i don't know how long, but it has made a very nice reputation for itself, especially among the college crowd of Welingkars and Ruia. A very down to earth place with reasonable prices and great food. What more could one ask for? Its located right besides Welingkars college and is at a walking distance from both dadar and matunga(central) stations.
There is nothing special about the ambiance of this place, but theres nothing bad about it either. If anything i would say it feels a bit cramped up. They've tried to fit in more seats than they can accommodate, and although in the end they've been able to fit the 10 extra people, it all feels a bit squeezed up and uncomfortable. The waiters are generally helpful but some of them might(and at least one of them will) turn hostile every once in a while. And some of them do have attention deficiency. The last time i visited this place, there were times that i had to place my order twice or the waiter got something totally different than what i had ordered. In general the food doesn't take much time to arrive, but if you're ordering chinese it might take a while. So be wary of that if you go there after fasting for a month ;)
As far as food goes, i don't have many complaints about this place. Not that i don't have any complaints, they're just not that many compared to the other aspects of this place. Most of the stuff that you get here can range from decent to very good, and only if you order something really weird(like the chicken stew rice gabo ordered), then you might be disappointed. The chinese that you get at this place is really good. Try the gulshan special, or any of the triple rice varieties. In particular try the triple rice with roasted chicken. Its delectable. Don't try the crispy chicken, and if you've had this before, then this goes out specially to you. Don't try it. They've turned a good dish into a very bad one. Its less chicken and more about the crispy coating. Maybe they took the wrong leaf out of KFC's book(of wrong leaves. That place cannot get anything right). The real hero of this place is the kheema pav. Every place has that one special dish which is the main selling factor for that place. For Gulshan, its their kheema pav. You can get much better chinese elsewhere, but the kheema pav doesn't have that many rivals. For 120 bucks, You get a handi full of kheema and 4 pavs and you're set for the day. The only bad thing about it is that its really oily. But given the awesome taste, thats excusable. Other dishes include biryanis, sandwiches, moghlai dishes and desserts. All of them are pretty decent and except for a few disappointing ones, non of then will leave you dissatisfied.
Overall i would say its one of my favorite joints to hang out with friends. The ambiance is decent. The prices are reasonable. And the food is great. If you're in a college, then theres no better place to have right besides the college building. And i really envy the welingkar and ruia crowd for that. If you ever happen to be in matunga for any reason, and if you're stomach isn't packed to the brim with food, then i would highly recommend going to this place. If nothing, parcel a handi of kheema pav and feast on it whenever you're hungry. Its totally worth it.
-Mambo
There is nothing special about the ambiance of this place, but theres nothing bad about it either. If anything i would say it feels a bit cramped up. They've tried to fit in more seats than they can accommodate, and although in the end they've been able to fit the 10 extra people, it all feels a bit squeezed up and uncomfortable. The waiters are generally helpful but some of them might(and at least one of them will) turn hostile every once in a while. And some of them do have attention deficiency. The last time i visited this place, there were times that i had to place my order twice or the waiter got something totally different than what i had ordered. In general the food doesn't take much time to arrive, but if you're ordering chinese it might take a while. So be wary of that if you go there after fasting for a month ;)
As far as food goes, i don't have many complaints about this place. Not that i don't have any complaints, they're just not that many compared to the other aspects of this place. Most of the stuff that you get here can range from decent to very good, and only if you order something really weird(like the chicken stew rice gabo ordered), then you might be disappointed. The chinese that you get at this place is really good. Try the gulshan special, or any of the triple rice varieties. In particular try the triple rice with roasted chicken. Its delectable. Don't try the crispy chicken, and if you've had this before, then this goes out specially to you. Don't try it. They've turned a good dish into a very bad one. Its less chicken and more about the crispy coating. Maybe they took the wrong leaf out of KFC's book(of wrong leaves. That place cannot get anything right). The real hero of this place is the kheema pav. Every place has that one special dish which is the main selling factor for that place. For Gulshan, its their kheema pav. You can get much better chinese elsewhere, but the kheema pav doesn't have that many rivals. For 120 bucks, You get a handi full of kheema and 4 pavs and you're set for the day. The only bad thing about it is that its really oily. But given the awesome taste, thats excusable. Other dishes include biryanis, sandwiches, moghlai dishes and desserts. All of them are pretty decent and except for a few disappointing ones, non of then will leave you dissatisfied.
Overall i would say its one of my favorite joints to hang out with friends. The ambiance is decent. The prices are reasonable. And the food is great. If you're in a college, then theres no better place to have right besides the college building. And i really envy the welingkar and ruia crowd for that. If you ever happen to be in matunga for any reason, and if you're stomach isn't packed to the brim with food, then i would highly recommend going to this place. If nothing, parcel a handi of kheema pav and feast on it whenever you're hungry. Its totally worth it.
-Mambo
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