Place: Babubhai’s Seekh and Paratha’s
Location: Tardeo area, near Rusy Mehta Chowk, Arabgulli.
Seating: On a busy night can seat maximum 35-40 people.
Ambience:
A: There is nothing as what you would like to call ‘Ambience’ at this place. It is an epitome of ’Shady’ for a food joint. A rusty old place, with chipped paint who seems past its glory days at the turn of the century. Their motto is to just serve you the cheapest and the best (at that price) seekh and paratha. For a shady place they seem quite hygienic, as I have never fallen sick after eating there. The sigdi (barbecue) is located outside joint, but is covered, they serve the food in stainless steel plates which are clean (I checked).
R: The ambience is a mess. The place is outright dirty, to the point that anyone who expects even a very basic level of cleanliness from a place will refrain from eating here. The tables are dirty, the place is dirty and no one bothers to clean it every once in a while. Also the waiters serve chatni in a mug one would use to take a bath, which is frankly a bit disgusting and a huge turn off.
G: I have been to some really nasty places to eat, for never has the look of a place attracted me, rather I depend on word of mouth, or where my nose takes me. But even for the ones who are tolerant enough, I would not recommend this place for its location, crowd, seating, hygiene and well almost everything, but take-away.
Food:
A: It once served a variety of grilled and barbecued preparations but those days are history now. Since the last 10 years they have been what we would call, a specialty restaurant, as they serve only seekh and paratha’s now.
The first thing I want to inform you all is, they ONLY serve beef seekhs. The mince they use is awesome, it has a proper amount of fat and grind to a level that it just disintegrates in your mouth. The flavor is very simple and consistent like a basic kheema (minced beef preparation). The seekhs are al dente which bodes well for the lack of hygiene. In our last visit though, the beef was pretty lean and hence resulted in drier seekhs than usual.
The seekhs are served with the paratha, a deep fried roti made of maida (flour). Don’t get turned off by the ‘deep fried’, the parathas are not at all oily or too much fatty. They are rich and very crisp.
R: All you get at this place is seekh kebabs with paratha, and its well worth it. I've been to this place around 4 times, and barring the last time, my experience at this place has been simply sublime. The seekh kebabs are well marinated, well cooked, and go very well with the paratha. The paratha by itself it nice and crispy.Although i must say i was a bit disappointed with the kebabs the last time i went there. Not that this hampered the experience though.
G:This is a speciality place, they serve beef seekh-kebabs and parathas, and nothing more. Out of my many visits here, the last one was the first time I got kebabs which were dry. The flavors were spot-on, it used to be one of my favorite joints for seekh-paratha, but I guess we'll have to stick to “you are as good as your last performance” policy. Maybe, a little more fat would have given the seekh a different dimension all together, overly lean mince meat is not all that good, or perhaps all the fat got wasted on the charcoal . The paratha is typically a white-flour paratha, deep-fried in dalda(weight watchers, stay away). The combo used to be a winner, but its a pity that the quality of the seekh kebab refrains me from complimenting its past glory. Despite the criticism, we ended up having a quick snack of two parathas and two plates of seekh each with a half liter bottle of cola in the middle.
Presentation: The place is made so as to cater to people who find eating meat luxurious, hence its cheap, and works little on how the plate, or even how the food is to look to the consumer once presented. The guy attending to your table will provide you 3 quarter plates, one for the paratha, one for seekh kebabs, and one for the relish. Also if you want to avoid getting turned off about the food, even before it is served, avoid looking at the way you are served the mint chutney, and from where.
Accompaniments:
A: This is served at side of sliced onions with a watery green chutney and bunch of mint. The way they serve that mint though might make u feel like cattle(made me feel that way). None the less it compliments the dish very well.
R: Along with the kebabs and paratha, they also give you a very generous serving of chatni and pudina leaves which complement the kebabs perfectly.
G: Every visitor is provided with a plate of relish, which is a generous quantity of sliced onions with a runny mint chutney poured on top of the heap. Also we are provided with chillies, lemon wedges, and a bunch of mint leaves.
Service:
A:The service is quick, since there are no other items on the menu. Once you sit on the table, a plate of onions and the watery chutney (in a mug) are served to you. The order takes somewhere between 5 – 10 minutes to reach your table. The only issue anyone would face is the hygiene.
R:The service is pretty good. When the food ordered by you arrives at your table within five minutes, you know the service is upto the task. They should really clean the place once in a while though. The tables are never clean, and the place is always dirty. Its understood that you're in a bad area and your target crowd is different, but that does not justify not trying to keep your restaurant clean.
G:Its rapid, even before you place your order, the waiter knows exactly what you want, so we just have to do our part of getting ourselves seated, everything else works like a machine.
Cost:
2 pieces of seekhs in a plate and paratha cost you 21 bucks.
"Worth" factor:
A:The worth factor is the value for money and the taste of the seekhs. 2 pieces of seekhs in a plate and paratha cost you 21 bucks. Yes, it will cost you just that.
R:Totally worth it, that is, if you're ready to completely overlook the lack of cleanliness and absence of any kind of ambience. One the money side, its very light on the wallet and is worth every penny you spend and then some.
G: For the money spent, I felt it was well worth it, the food was tasteful, and service was fast, only thing is that this one visit was a little disappointing for me, for I have had much better seekh kebabs at the same place.
Verdict:
Pros:
A:
1.>Value for money.
2.>Delicious seekhs.
R:
1.>Great food
2.>value for moneyR:
G:
1.> Cheap, ultra-affordable food.
2.> The food is good, just that this had been one bad experience, but I have been here too many times to strike this off my places to visit, clinging on to a thread of hope that it will be much better, the kebabs, will have the same texture, same melt in mouth quality that they always had.
Cons:
A:
1.>Cleanliness and basic hygiene.
2.>The first timers may have a hard time finding the joint.
R:
1.>dirty as hell
2.>no ambience whatsoever
G:
1.> A big NO!! for the people who are even slightly conscious about appearance, presentation and hygiene.(emphasis on this point)
2.> This place is best enjoyed with an open mind, but the issue is the magnitude of open-mindedness needed to digest this experience might be collosal.
P.S.:
A: I will really suggest take out to people with weak stomachs. But overall it is really worth a visit. You wont find that good a seekh at that price anywhere in the town.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
....and the pompous neighbor is humbled by the Big Daddy.
Place: Bagdadi
Location: Colaba(Mumbai), near Regal Talkies, next to "Bade Miyan", opp. "Gokul bar"
Seating: Accommodates 75 people at a time with ease.
Ambience: The place, by the looks of it has nothing to offer. If one has been to a kebab/bhuna/kheema joint anywhere in the ghetto areas, then this place is pretty much it, with perhaps larger seating area. Certainly, it is not a place that directly draws you towards it. But it is miles ahead of its much hyped neighbor when it comes to the matter of hygiene, and seating. otherwise its strictly a minimalistic joint. One thing that people will notice is the number of "Burrp!!" certificates that are hung on their walls, which are in a way testimonies for many things that u can anticipate.
Food: We started off with the chicken soup, which turned out to be the stock in which all the chicken Bagdadi gets is cooked in. to my surprise, it was a delightful broth, and it got my belly ready for whatever they had to offer .I had always craved a traditionally done mughlai beef preparations. Since most restaurants in Mumbai don't serve beef, it was a pleasant surprise to see a one-too-many beef preparations. We called for the "Beef Chilly Fry", of which I was initially skeptical, for I didn't want to eat its south-indian namesake at a self-proclaimed authentic "mughlai" restaurant. Along with that we called for the Butter Chicken, on a friend's suggestion, who had once mentioned to me that it was "the best butter chicken ever!". Along with that we asked the guy to get two roti's for each of us, to which he kindly replied,"ek hi khaao, bahut bada aata hai"(just have one, its very big). So considering his advice, we asked for a roti each. The guy not only forgot the chicken, he got us two plates of the beef, which after tasting, I really didn't mind. it was delightfully succulent and moist, not overly chewy, it still had a little gristle to it which added to the taste. These guys know how to choose their meat. Now, the waiter was right about the rotis, they re freakishly huge, which got a big smile on my face.The combination of the really well done "garam masala" and fried onions infused beef with the roti was superb. we asked for our butter chicken, which he promptly got in no time. To my surprise, it was not the run-of-the-mill butter chicken, with the masala overdone and the sparse quantity of the chicken. It was quite the contrary, simply to describe it in relation to anything is like describing a good pasta, where the sauce is just about perfect, so as to coat the chicken and not something that will supercede the quantity of the chicken. Only difference between the pasta and the chicken, apart from their respective sauces, was that the chicken was not al dente, it was perfect! the sauce too was not heavy, with the cashew/melon seed paste, it was surprisingly subtle, which how I think it should be. I was beaming after the main course. We ended up calling for the Caramel Custard. This was going to put the perfect end to a delightful meal. The caramel prepared till it gets a toffee-like flavor, and the Custard perfectly set so that it literally disintegrates on your palate.
Over-all the experience was sublime and immaculate.
Presentation: The presentation was nothing great, every dish was just served directly off the skillet, without any garnish or anything that would perhaps make it look any more appealing. Everything is served in the Orange-ish plastic plates that we must have seen all across Mumbai, if not Maharashtra at local Chinese food stalls.
Accompaniments: The chicken and the beef dishes were provided with a helping of sliced onions and lime wedges, the standard fare.
Service: The service was quick for certain, and that perhaps lent to clumsiness, which led to us getting a extra plate of beef chilly fry, which I honestly do not regret.
Cost: 2 bowls of chicken soup, 2 plates of the beef, 1 Butter chicken, 2 butter rotis, 1 plain roti, 3 servings of the caramel custard, and 2 soft drinks came to a grand total of 320 rupees.
"Worth" factor: For the amount eaten, the quality of the food eaten, and the grand total of the money spent, I think this place is definitely worth more than a few visits. I won't be surprised if certain people call it one of their favourites after their first visit itself.
Verdict:
Pros:
1.> The most important part of being in the food business is to deliver great food, and Bagdadi does the exact.
2.> It's not just the Quality but also the Quantity that is excellent here.
3.> You are assured a full stomach within 150 bucks. People interested in rice items can select from a variety of them. They also have daily specials, so watch out for those too.
Cons:
1.> A big part of the negative things that I can think of are mostly personal. People who have issues with "shady" looking places, mediocre(or worse) plating and crockery, might not appreciate this place so much, but then again, the million dollar question is: "do you like the food and service at it's much regal(in stature) neighbor?"
2.> Another thing that might bother you(for it did bother me just a little bit), that the caramel custard is for 25 bucks, which i felt that in comparison to the other dishes, and for a dish that vanishes so soon, is a tad bit too much.
3.> I really don't know how authentic is the food here, but I think that we should stick to how it tastes than analyzing what it is.
P.S.: Try the Beef Bhuna over there, I had had it on another occasion, and was delighted for it seemed like a tailor made dish for me, with good deal of chillies and tomatoes, and that brilliant roasted texture it got from prolonged exposure to the hot skillet. That sealed the deal for me.
-Gaurang(Gabo)
=======================================================
Place: Bagdadi
Location: Colaba, right opposite Gokul's bar
Seating: Can easily seat upto 50 people at a time
Ambiance - Not much in the way of ambiance. If anything, it feels like your typical irani place where the owner doesn't care about renovations. The walls are crowded with all the commendations from various websites which review such joints such a burrp. And deservedly so.
Food - As far as food goes, this place doesn't have much competition. Although i haven't tried all the dishes this place has to offer, whatever i've had has been simply awesome. The butter chicken is probably the best butter chicken i've had. The beef bhuna was really good. The roti was a big win. You pay 10 rupees for 1 roti which is equal to paying a lot more for 3. Its that big. While placing our order, we called for 2 rotis. But the waiter told us to call for just 1 and then decide whether we want to order more. We ended up having more than 1 roti, but then we do have a huge appetite. But for someone who eats moderately, one would suffice. So the waiter doubting our capacity to eat was justified. We also had soup which was basically just normal chicken stock. One word i would like to highlight here is simplicity. The soup was your basic soup which your mother would serve you when she makes chicken. But it tasted awesome. Even the butter chicken and beef bhuna were nothing out of the ordinary when it comes to preparation. But as they say,"keep it simple but do it right". And this was reflected in each and every dish we had. To top all this we had caramel custard for dessert. To put it simply, the best caramel custard i've had. Again, nothing too extravagant, but yet so good.
Presentation: Nothing great. But then you wouldn't expect anything great when it comes to places like these. Its just the food that matters.
Service: The service was pretty decent. The waiters were pretty helpful, which is accentuated by the fact that the waiter warned us about the size of the roti when we ordered for 2 of those. Also the dishes didn't take much time to arrive.
Cost: Taking into consideration the prices for a similar quantity for food at other places, this felt like one awesome bargain.
"Worth" factor: One of the most under-appreciated places in the city. A must for any food lover.
Verdict
Pros:
-Great food
-Decent service
-Not heavy on the wallet at all. If anything you'll come away feeling as if you've spent your breakfast money on lunch and dinner combined.
Cons:
-Not much in the way of ambiance
-Presentation goes a long way to curb some competition. And with all the undeserved hype that its neighbor gets, this place needs to up the ante as far as ambiance and presentation are concerned.
-I really don't have a problem if a place is shady, which in this case is irrelevant, specially after considering the prices they're charging. But it can be a bother for some.
-Rahul(Mambo)
Location: Colaba(Mumbai), near Regal Talkies, next to "Bade Miyan", opp. "Gokul bar"
Seating: Accommodates 75 people at a time with ease.
Ambience: The place, by the looks of it has nothing to offer. If one has been to a kebab/bhuna/kheema joint anywhere in the ghetto areas, then this place is pretty much it, with perhaps larger seating area. Certainly, it is not a place that directly draws you towards it. But it is miles ahead of its much hyped neighbor when it comes to the matter of hygiene, and seating. otherwise its strictly a minimalistic joint. One thing that people will notice is the number of "Burrp!!" certificates that are hung on their walls, which are in a way testimonies for many things that u can anticipate.
Food: We started off with the chicken soup, which turned out to be the stock in which all the chicken Bagdadi gets is cooked in. to my surprise, it was a delightful broth, and it got my belly ready for whatever they had to offer .I had always craved a traditionally done mughlai beef preparations. Since most restaurants in Mumbai don't serve beef, it was a pleasant surprise to see a one-too-many beef preparations. We called for the "Beef Chilly Fry", of which I was initially skeptical, for I didn't want to eat its south-indian namesake at a self-proclaimed authentic "mughlai" restaurant. Along with that we called for the Butter Chicken, on a friend's suggestion, who had once mentioned to me that it was "the best butter chicken ever!". Along with that we asked the guy to get two roti's for each of us, to which he kindly replied,"ek hi khaao, bahut bada aata hai"(just have one, its very big). So considering his advice, we asked for a roti each. The guy not only forgot the chicken, he got us two plates of the beef, which after tasting, I really didn't mind. it was delightfully succulent and moist, not overly chewy, it still had a little gristle to it which added to the taste. These guys know how to choose their meat. Now, the waiter was right about the rotis, they re freakishly huge, which got a big smile on my face.The combination of the really well done "garam masala" and fried onions infused beef with the roti was superb. we asked for our butter chicken, which he promptly got in no time. To my surprise, it was not the run-of-the-mill butter chicken, with the masala overdone and the sparse quantity of the chicken. It was quite the contrary, simply to describe it in relation to anything is like describing a good pasta, where the sauce is just about perfect, so as to coat the chicken and not something that will supercede the quantity of the chicken. Only difference between the pasta and the chicken, apart from their respective sauces, was that the chicken was not al dente, it was perfect! the sauce too was not heavy, with the cashew/melon seed paste, it was surprisingly subtle, which how I think it should be. I was beaming after the main course. We ended up calling for the Caramel Custard. This was going to put the perfect end to a delightful meal. The caramel prepared till it gets a toffee-like flavor, and the Custard perfectly set so that it literally disintegrates on your palate.
Over-all the experience was sublime and immaculate.
Presentation: The presentation was nothing great, every dish was just served directly off the skillet, without any garnish or anything that would perhaps make it look any more appealing. Everything is served in the Orange-ish plastic plates that we must have seen all across Mumbai, if not Maharashtra at local Chinese food stalls.
Accompaniments: The chicken and the beef dishes were provided with a helping of sliced onions and lime wedges, the standard fare.
Service: The service was quick for certain, and that perhaps lent to clumsiness, which led to us getting a extra plate of beef chilly fry, which I honestly do not regret.
Cost: 2 bowls of chicken soup, 2 plates of the beef, 1 Butter chicken, 2 butter rotis, 1 plain roti, 3 servings of the caramel custard, and 2 soft drinks came to a grand total of 320 rupees.
"Worth" factor: For the amount eaten, the quality of the food eaten, and the grand total of the money spent, I think this place is definitely worth more than a few visits. I won't be surprised if certain people call it one of their favourites after their first visit itself.
Verdict:
Pros:
1.> The most important part of being in the food business is to deliver great food, and Bagdadi does the exact.
2.> It's not just the Quality but also the Quantity that is excellent here.
3.> You are assured a full stomach within 150 bucks. People interested in rice items can select from a variety of them. They also have daily specials, so watch out for those too.
Cons:
1.> A big part of the negative things that I can think of are mostly personal. People who have issues with "shady" looking places, mediocre(or worse) plating and crockery, might not appreciate this place so much, but then again, the million dollar question is: "do you like the food and service at it's much regal(in stature) neighbor?"
2.> Another thing that might bother you(for it did bother me just a little bit), that the caramel custard is for 25 bucks, which i felt that in comparison to the other dishes, and for a dish that vanishes so soon, is a tad bit too much.
3.> I really don't know how authentic is the food here, but I think that we should stick to how it tastes than analyzing what it is.
P.S.: Try the Beef Bhuna over there, I had had it on another occasion, and was delighted for it seemed like a tailor made dish for me, with good deal of chillies and tomatoes, and that brilliant roasted texture it got from prolonged exposure to the hot skillet. That sealed the deal for me.
-Gaurang(Gabo)
=======================================================
Place: Bagdadi
Location: Colaba, right opposite Gokul's bar
Seating: Can easily seat upto 50 people at a time
Ambiance - Not much in the way of ambiance. If anything, it feels like your typical irani place where the owner doesn't care about renovations. The walls are crowded with all the commendations from various websites which review such joints such a burrp. And deservedly so.
Food - As far as food goes, this place doesn't have much competition. Although i haven't tried all the dishes this place has to offer, whatever i've had has been simply awesome. The butter chicken is probably the best butter chicken i've had. The beef bhuna was really good. The roti was a big win. You pay 10 rupees for 1 roti which is equal to paying a lot more for 3. Its that big. While placing our order, we called for 2 rotis. But the waiter told us to call for just 1 and then decide whether we want to order more. We ended up having more than 1 roti, but then we do have a huge appetite. But for someone who eats moderately, one would suffice. So the waiter doubting our capacity to eat was justified. We also had soup which was basically just normal chicken stock. One word i would like to highlight here is simplicity. The soup was your basic soup which your mother would serve you when she makes chicken. But it tasted awesome. Even the butter chicken and beef bhuna were nothing out of the ordinary when it comes to preparation. But as they say,"keep it simple but do it right". And this was reflected in each and every dish we had. To top all this we had caramel custard for dessert. To put it simply, the best caramel custard i've had. Again, nothing too extravagant, but yet so good.
Presentation: Nothing great. But then you wouldn't expect anything great when it comes to places like these. Its just the food that matters.
Service: The service was pretty decent. The waiters were pretty helpful, which is accentuated by the fact that the waiter warned us about the size of the roti when we ordered for 2 of those. Also the dishes didn't take much time to arrive.
Cost: Taking into consideration the prices for a similar quantity for food at other places, this felt like one awesome bargain.
"Worth" factor: One of the most under-appreciated places in the city. A must for any food lover.
Verdict
Pros:
-Great food
-Decent service
-Not heavy on the wallet at all. If anything you'll come away feeling as if you've spent your breakfast money on lunch and dinner combined.
Cons:
-Not much in the way of ambiance
-Presentation goes a long way to curb some competition. And with all the undeserved hype that its neighbor gets, this place needs to up the ante as far as ambiance and presentation are concerned.
-I really don't have a problem if a place is shady, which in this case is irrelevant, specially after considering the prices they're charging. But it can be a bother for some.
-Rahul(Mambo)
Monday, February 28, 2011
A flawed gem
These are the words i would use to describe Mama Mia. It was originally just one outlet located besides the Opera House theater, but now it has shifted to a comparatively remote location near French bridge and also has a number of other outlets all across Bombay. It was one of the first pizza places in Bombay and for those of you who have been frequent visitors to this place right from the time it started, you would understand me when i say that it holds a special place in my heart. Describing an extremely good or extremely bad place is simple, but one thats somewhere in between is a bit tricky. But i'll give it my best shot.
Right from the time you enter this place, it'll give you a feeling that it going to be a hit or miss. Theres not much in the way of ambiance. Its just a simple place with no uniqueness to it. When you enter a place which serves one kind of food, it has a sort of character to it which is completely different than a place which would serve some other kind of food. But thats totally absent here. This is a place which might put up a banner that it serves pizzas, but might get away with serving South Indian or even Moghlai food. You're sure to get negative vibes if you're visiting this place for the first time on the recommendation of a friend who told you that you get pizzas here.
Even the service can be a hit or miss. I've been here so many times, that the waiter knows what i'm going to order before i place my order. But thats a big disadvantage. Because according to them, if a customer is loyal to you, then he can wait a while while you serve the people who are visiting your place for the first time. So if you like this place and plan on visiting it again any time soon, wear a disguise. The one good thing about the service is that everybody is very hospitable. They'll greet you with a smile, and they'll bid you farewell with a smile. But this might be because they always make me wait so long. So individual experiences may vary.
Now the food. Well if i had to say one thing about the food in general, i would say that its not great, but it is good. The pizzas are really decent. The subs are quite nice. The chinese is good. The salads are awesome. The burgers are awesome. If i had to suggest some of the stuff you just cant go wrong with, i would say try the pizza dello chef, the partita quattro, the chicken royal burger and the chocolate mousse. All of these are simply awesome and are reasonably priced. Although most of the things you get are pretty decent, there are some dishes you just shouldn't touch. A shining example of this is the garlic bread. Its just bread with cheese and will hardly leave a good impression on your taste buds. Also, the frankies are disappointing. Actually they were good before, but now the quality has dropped somehow. Thankfully thats not true for the other dishes. If you're ordering chinese, go for the American chopsuey which is quite nice. Also if you're having anything in chinese, be sure to order a serving of the shezwan sauce. Its pretty good.
As a whole i wouldn't say the Mama Mia is one of the best places in town. Its not even the best place in the area in which it is located. If you take into account the ambiance and the occasional lapse in service quality, one might even say that its not a place you should visit often. But still i would give it three and a half stars out of five simply because its the one place where i can order anything and not be disappointed with it. Thats because even though theres nothing great about the food at this place, theres nothing bad about it either. They've maintained a level of consistency with the food, which is quite a rarity these days. Add to this the fact that its very reasonably priced and you have a very nice package. Even though they've raised the prices quite a bit compared to what they were before, still they're still probably the cheapest pizza place in town. Even though its overshadowed by places like Pizzeria and Pizza Hut, still Mama Mia is worth at least one meal of your life. Just don't expect something extra ordinary and you'll have a pretty good time there. Cheers!!
-Mambo
Right from the time you enter this place, it'll give you a feeling that it going to be a hit or miss. Theres not much in the way of ambiance. Its just a simple place with no uniqueness to it. When you enter a place which serves one kind of food, it has a sort of character to it which is completely different than a place which would serve some other kind of food. But thats totally absent here. This is a place which might put up a banner that it serves pizzas, but might get away with serving South Indian or even Moghlai food. You're sure to get negative vibes if you're visiting this place for the first time on the recommendation of a friend who told you that you get pizzas here.
Even the service can be a hit or miss. I've been here so many times, that the waiter knows what i'm going to order before i place my order. But thats a big disadvantage. Because according to them, if a customer is loyal to you, then he can wait a while while you serve the people who are visiting your place for the first time. So if you like this place and plan on visiting it again any time soon, wear a disguise. The one good thing about the service is that everybody is very hospitable. They'll greet you with a smile, and they'll bid you farewell with a smile. But this might be because they always make me wait so long. So individual experiences may vary.
Now the food. Well if i had to say one thing about the food in general, i would say that its not great, but it is good. The pizzas are really decent. The subs are quite nice. The chinese is good. The salads are awesome. The burgers are awesome. If i had to suggest some of the stuff you just cant go wrong with, i would say try the pizza dello chef, the partita quattro, the chicken royal burger and the chocolate mousse. All of these are simply awesome and are reasonably priced. Although most of the things you get are pretty decent, there are some dishes you just shouldn't touch. A shining example of this is the garlic bread. Its just bread with cheese and will hardly leave a good impression on your taste buds. Also, the frankies are disappointing. Actually they were good before, but now the quality has dropped somehow. Thankfully thats not true for the other dishes. If you're ordering chinese, go for the American chopsuey which is quite nice. Also if you're having anything in chinese, be sure to order a serving of the shezwan sauce. Its pretty good.
As a whole i wouldn't say the Mama Mia is one of the best places in town. Its not even the best place in the area in which it is located. If you take into account the ambiance and the occasional lapse in service quality, one might even say that its not a place you should visit often. But still i would give it three and a half stars out of five simply because its the one place where i can order anything and not be disappointed with it. Thats because even though theres nothing great about the food at this place, theres nothing bad about it either. They've maintained a level of consistency with the food, which is quite a rarity these days. Add to this the fact that its very reasonably priced and you have a very nice package. Even though they've raised the prices quite a bit compared to what they were before, still they're still probably the cheapest pizza place in town. Even though its overshadowed by places like Pizzeria and Pizza Hut, still Mama Mia is worth at least one meal of your life. Just don't expect something extra ordinary and you'll have a pretty good time there. Cheers!!
-Mambo
Saturday, February 19, 2011
A Cha(a)tty Encounter with Two Unsung Heroes
Many a times we come across eateries which we are certain that not many people know of, and wished that your friends were there with you when you had what u had at those joints. this post is dedicated to describing two such, perhaps obscure, places which are my absolute favourites(specially when it comes to chaat).
1.> I accidentally had stumbled into "New India Dairy", for i make frequent visits to lamington road, and hey, I WAS HUNGRY!! So this is the best part of visiting any place without any expectations: you can be completely honest to yourself while appreciating the food.
The place looks a bit shabby, a mess towards the ends of the two rooms. they somehow manage to accomodate a cooking area, a display section, and seating for roughly 35-40 patrons and a couple of refridgerators in these two rooms. it seems very crammed up, which further adds to the "not the most hygenic place to eat" look of it.
now that the negatives are out of the way, lets get down to where it all melts down. on the waiter's recommendation, i had asked for a plate of Samosas(no Paav please), and a glass of Lassi. Simply put, in my mind it has silenced all the other places in SoBo i have been to for the Samosas exclusively, and certainly one of the best placesfor Lassi. the portions are generous, but dont expect something magnanimous. the Lassi has a slight rose-water hint to it, which provides a different dimension to the taste of the same, and never in my many visits there have i been served stale/overly sour lassi, or cold samosas. they are fresh and sell insanely
quick in that locality, its a serious pity that not many people know of this place. a lesson is learnt here that appearances should be one of the last criterion when it comes to eating at places. over my multiple visits, it is safe to say that i have eaten almost every snack/beverage this joint serves. From Kachoris to the jalebi-paapdis, and from the lassi and other buttermilk variants to the masala milk, everything is a pleasure for your senses. personally, the samosas and the lassi are still the first things i call for when i'm there. there is no limit to how much one can spend here for the food is downright tasty, but i feel 75-100 Rs. will easily fetch you a heavy snack or dinner perhaps.
it is a great treat, make it a point that the next time you are at lamington road, you are thinking about things other than computer, amplifiers, LEDs, hardware equipment,and errr.. cheap(in more than one aspect) porn, add this place on your must-visit checklist rightaway.
2.> Opposite the grim boundaries of Bhatia Hospital, right between a BEST bus-stop and "Sparkle Dryers and Cleaners", lies a small little Red reason to live. A Sev-puri walla(s) which perhaps would have been just another vendor in the great invasion of the North, which has now resulted in such small make-shift stalls to have dotted all roads and lanes of Mumbai. One of the few aspects that sets this stalls manned by two brothers, is the service. Never have i seen such great co-ordination between brothers(seekho ambani seekho!!), the speed at which your order is made is quite mindboggling. after that one might expect them to goof up, courtesy the haste, the consumer is gladdened by the quality and quantity of the material used and how it collectively tastes phenomenal. all of this served with a smile and generous nylon sev. since its strictly a chaat/snack-only place, their item list is very limited, like every other sev-puri walla. the usual fare of Bhel, Sev puri, and Batata Bomb are probably the only things that this place serves, but they work really hard at the "less is more" factor and are successful at it. for people wanting something else, there usually is a sandwich stall adjacent to it, which in my honet opinion is better left un-noticed.
to basically seal the deal, this vendor is completely worth the visit. one shouldn't be so narrow minded to think that Girgaum Chowpatty serves the best chaat. ofcourse it is a different experience all together, but then again this place has always been one of those few where i can count on all the aspects of a catering joint. and yes, "service with a smile does go a long way".
-Gaurang(Gabo)
1.> I accidentally had stumbled into "New India Dairy", for i make frequent visits to lamington road, and hey, I WAS HUNGRY!! So this is the best part of visiting any place without any expectations: you can be completely honest to yourself while appreciating the food.
The place looks a bit shabby, a mess towards the ends of the two rooms. they somehow manage to accomodate a cooking area, a display section, and seating for roughly 35-40 patrons and a couple of refridgerators in these two rooms. it seems very crammed up, which further adds to the "not the most hygenic place to eat" look of it.
now that the negatives are out of the way, lets get down to where it all melts down. on the waiter's recommendation, i had asked for a plate of Samosas(no Paav please), and a glass of Lassi. Simply put, in my mind it has silenced all the other places in SoBo i have been to for the Samosas exclusively, and certainly one of the best placesfor Lassi. the portions are generous, but dont expect something magnanimous. the Lassi has a slight rose-water hint to it, which provides a different dimension to the taste of the same, and never in my many visits there have i been served stale/overly sour lassi, or cold samosas. they are fresh and sell insanely
quick in that locality, its a serious pity that not many people know of this place. a lesson is learnt here that appearances should be one of the last criterion when it comes to eating at places. over my multiple visits, it is safe to say that i have eaten almost every snack/beverage this joint serves. From Kachoris to the jalebi-paapdis, and from the lassi and other buttermilk variants to the masala milk, everything is a pleasure for your senses. personally, the samosas and the lassi are still the first things i call for when i'm there. there is no limit to how much one can spend here for the food is downright tasty, but i feel 75-100 Rs. will easily fetch you a heavy snack or dinner perhaps.
it is a great treat, make it a point that the next time you are at lamington road, you are thinking about things other than computer, amplifiers, LEDs, hardware equipment,and errr.. cheap(in more than one aspect) porn, add this place on your must-visit checklist rightaway.
2.> Opposite the grim boundaries of Bhatia Hospital, right between a BEST bus-stop and "Sparkle Dryers and Cleaners", lies a small little Red reason to live. A Sev-puri walla(s) which perhaps would have been just another vendor in the great invasion of the North, which has now resulted in such small make-shift stalls to have dotted all roads and lanes of Mumbai. One of the few aspects that sets this stalls manned by two brothers, is the service. Never have i seen such great co-ordination between brothers(seekho ambani seekho!!), the speed at which your order is made is quite mindboggling. after that one might expect them to goof up, courtesy the haste, the consumer is gladdened by the quality and quantity of the material used and how it collectively tastes phenomenal. all of this served with a smile and generous nylon sev. since its strictly a chaat/snack-only place, their item list is very limited, like every other sev-puri walla. the usual fare of Bhel, Sev puri, and Batata Bomb are probably the only things that this place serves, but they work really hard at the "less is more" factor and are successful at it. for people wanting something else, there usually is a sandwich stall adjacent to it, which in my honet opinion is better left un-noticed.
to basically seal the deal, this vendor is completely worth the visit. one shouldn't be so narrow minded to think that Girgaum Chowpatty serves the best chaat. ofcourse it is a different experience all together, but then again this place has always been one of those few where i can count on all the aspects of a catering joint. and yes, "service with a smile does go a long way".
-Gaurang(Gabo)
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Never again..
Those were the thoughts that were resounding in my head as we left Kyani. Am sure gabo shares the same sentiment. Here we have what is supposed to be one of the best bakeries out there. Burrp gave it a resounding thumbs up and called it one of mumbai's gems. Well i strongly disagree. Personally i believe it to be one of the worst places a food lover can go to.
For those that have never been to this place(lucky sobs), Kyani is located near metro besides Furtados(the music hardware store) and was once the best place for breakfast one could find. They have a very big menu ranging from sandwiches to puffs to cakes and a variety of omelettes. There was another bakery exactly in front of it(can't remember the name) and both had a very fierce competition between them. But as soon as it got closed down, it seems the kyani staff got so full of it that customer satisfaction totally fell off their radar.
Before delving into the ugly, lets first deal with the bad. The service at that place is pathetic. On a crowded evening, don't be surprised if you feel ostracized. Add to this the grim look on the faces of the waiters and you might just be tempted to not order anything at all. Its as if they really really hate you. On the bright side, you can bitch about them all you want without feeling any regrets about it. And don't try arguing with the waiters if a particular dish turns out to be kind of incomplete or undercooked. I once ordered a mayonnaise sandwich over there. When it arrived, there was no mayonnaise. Actually, there was mayonnaise, but it was made in a way so that it would appear that there was no mayonnaise at all. Such fun \s. When i complained to the waiter about it, he took the sandwich to the chef who got pissed and started cribbing loudly about it(another fine example of how to keep cordial relations with the customers). When i finally got the sandwich back, it had enough mayonnaise to make 3 proper mayonnaise sandwiches. But i did not complain further. No point arguing when nothing is to be gained from it :|.
Now the food....well what can i say. I already talked about the sandwiches. The club sandwich is an absolute joke. Its bout the thinnest club sandwich you'll ever see and they charge 65 bucks for it. The puffs are cold and they hardly taste good. Even paying 10 bucks for one feels like a sham. If you feel the kheema is good, then you obviously need to visit more places(thats for you Date). The cakes are tawdry. They might look good but they're harder than they should be. Even the icing on the cakes tastes bad. I can go on and on about the food but thats just beating round the same bush. Take whatever i said bout the food and apply it to nearly all the dishes over there. Thats kyani for you.
But wait!!! Thats not even the worst part. The last two times i've been to kyani i've been down with stomach flu. I normally don't care bout hygiene that much but when the food is this bad, hygiene matters a lot :p.
For the above reasons, i feel that theres really no point going to this place. But if you're really really hell bent on giving it a try, have the cherry cold custard. It still hasn't lost its glory and is easily worth having twice :p. Also have the frankfurter with fried eggs. Its about the easiest thing to make and even kyani doesn't fuck it up :p. But for those of you who like trying new things, refrain from going to this place. Rather go to sassanian which is just a couple of minutes away from Kyani. It is a far far better irani place and serves some pretty awesome food. So all i would like to say is enjoy your life, try out different places, maintain some level of hygiene, find a life partner(??), fall in love(???), have kids(????), work hard(???????)....but don't go to kyanis(!!!!!!!) lol
For those that have never been to this place(lucky sobs), Kyani is located near metro besides Furtados(the music hardware store) and was once the best place for breakfast one could find. They have a very big menu ranging from sandwiches to puffs to cakes and a variety of omelettes. There was another bakery exactly in front of it(can't remember the name) and both had a very fierce competition between them. But as soon as it got closed down, it seems the kyani staff got so full of it that customer satisfaction totally fell off their radar.
Before delving into the ugly, lets first deal with the bad. The service at that place is pathetic. On a crowded evening, don't be surprised if you feel ostracized. Add to this the grim look on the faces of the waiters and you might just be tempted to not order anything at all. Its as if they really really hate you. On the bright side, you can bitch about them all you want without feeling any regrets about it. And don't try arguing with the waiters if a particular dish turns out to be kind of incomplete or undercooked. I once ordered a mayonnaise sandwich over there. When it arrived, there was no mayonnaise. Actually, there was mayonnaise, but it was made in a way so that it would appear that there was no mayonnaise at all. Such fun \s. When i complained to the waiter about it, he took the sandwich to the chef who got pissed and started cribbing loudly about it(another fine example of how to keep cordial relations with the customers). When i finally got the sandwich back, it had enough mayonnaise to make 3 proper mayonnaise sandwiches. But i did not complain further. No point arguing when nothing is to be gained from it :|.
Now the food....well what can i say. I already talked about the sandwiches. The club sandwich is an absolute joke. Its bout the thinnest club sandwich you'll ever see and they charge 65 bucks for it. The puffs are cold and they hardly taste good. Even paying 10 bucks for one feels like a sham. If you feel the kheema is good, then you obviously need to visit more places(thats for you Date). The cakes are tawdry. They might look good but they're harder than they should be. Even the icing on the cakes tastes bad. I can go on and on about the food but thats just beating round the same bush. Take whatever i said bout the food and apply it to nearly all the dishes over there. Thats kyani for you.
But wait!!! Thats not even the worst part. The last two times i've been to kyani i've been down with stomach flu. I normally don't care bout hygiene that much but when the food is this bad, hygiene matters a lot :p.
For the above reasons, i feel that theres really no point going to this place. But if you're really really hell bent on giving it a try, have the cherry cold custard. It still hasn't lost its glory and is easily worth having twice :p. Also have the frankfurter with fried eggs. Its about the easiest thing to make and even kyani doesn't fuck it up :p. But for those of you who like trying new things, refrain from going to this place. Rather go to sassanian which is just a couple of minutes away from Kyani. It is a far far better irani place and serves some pretty awesome food. So all i would like to say is enjoy your life, try out different places, maintain some level of hygiene, find a life partner(??), fall in love(???), have kids(????), work hard(???????)....but don't go to kyanis(!!!!!!!) lol
Taaze-garam, Garma-garam !
That is their motto, its embossed on their windows and adhered by them. The place im talkin about is ' Vinay Health Home'. Its our friendly neighbourhood breakfast place, located on the Business end of Fanas wadi, (whatever that means) opp. Jawahar Mansion in Thakurdwar area. Started in.................. well long ago, by the Tembe family, this snack place was passed down through generations. I can vouch for the generations part coz my grandpa used to take my dad, my dad took me and if it is still running when i have kids, i am gonna take them. Now us friends usually meet up there for a good breakfast.They say breakfast is the most important ,meal of the day ;).
Done with bragging...... now lets get serious shall we (haha, i know). It is divided into two sections, as most of the restaurants are nowadays AC nd non AC..... (thankfully the non AC section is bigger). I just dont like my food getting cold, dats all. It has 15 tables entirely nd though they are all 4 seaters u will always find ppl cramped up on 1 (maybe ul catch us only). It doesn't have reservations (so dont bother calling), u will have to stand outside in a line to enter. Trust me on good day it will take almost an hour to get in. Opens by 8:30 am and closes by 9 pm, and it is closed on wednesdays.
Ahh YESS!!!! FOOD !!
It serves Maharashtrian cuisine, in its best form. Quick, Hot & Spicy. With recipes handed over by their Grandmothers, they can give any delicacy in the world a stiff competition. It is known for its 'Puneri Misal' (this one dish can take up the entire blog) and they probably put out 600 - 800 servings of the misal alone. Then follows your usual Usal Pav, Sabudana wada (the best part of this is the potato chutney), Kothimbir wadi,Kanda Batata bhajji, Thalipeeth, Kanda Poha....... i can go on & on.
When i visit i usually have more than one dish always (no surprise there, i know). They also have an option of South Indian food (the idli vada sambar is delicious) and some Sandwiches, which are decent, I would go with the Marashtrian stuff. They also have an option of fresh fruit juices, u know for those "health concious ones". They also have a 'Diet misal', which is an insult to the hardcore misal lovers (aaarrrrgggghhhh !!!!!!).
The one thing you cant get out without having in Vinay is their own coffee aka 'Saadhi Coffee'. It is awesome and even after hogging on all that food the first sip of that coffee just makes it disappear (hmmmm..... good business strategy). No other coffee tastes like theirs and after the Puneri (thats what they call the misal) is their most guarded secret.
The service is good, not always with a smile but still appreciative of your existence :P. The one thing i like about them is...... they let you have a conversation (directly aake bill table par nahi rakh dete). We have overstayed our welcome quite a few times (were all a chatty bunch), still they ask us if we want anythin (with a smile here). They have adopted the no hassle way of cooking so ur order will be at ur table in max 15 mins.
Conditions Apply* :P.
Word to the wise people, Do not (i repeat) Do not go there in your car, u will not find a place to park (even the residents dont always get one). catch a cab or just walk it up (it'll make room for all the food).
Since it was renovated a few years back, ALL the Gujjus in my area have a 'Vinay Sunday'. It is flocked all day long. So i would suggest avoid it on a Sunday if u dont want someone yapping in your ear.
To summon it all up, Vinay is a place where generations after generations have preserved their memories. You wud always see someone telling their kids or wives "we used to sit in that corner or that table". The homely atmosphere and ambience makes u feel welcome and tempts you to return and re-return. So when are you going ??
- Date.
Done with bragging...... now lets get serious shall we (haha, i know). It is divided into two sections, as most of the restaurants are nowadays AC nd non AC..... (thankfully the non AC section is bigger). I just dont like my food getting cold, dats all. It has 15 tables entirely nd though they are all 4 seaters u will always find ppl cramped up on 1 (maybe ul catch us only). It doesn't have reservations (so dont bother calling), u will have to stand outside in a line to enter. Trust me on good day it will take almost an hour to get in. Opens by 8:30 am and closes by 9 pm, and it is closed on wednesdays.
Ahh YESS!!!! FOOD !!
It serves Maharashtrian cuisine, in its best form. Quick, Hot & Spicy. With recipes handed over by their Grandmothers, they can give any delicacy in the world a stiff competition. It is known for its 'Puneri Misal' (this one dish can take up the entire blog) and they probably put out 600 - 800 servings of the misal alone. Then follows your usual Usal Pav, Sabudana wada (the best part of this is the potato chutney), Kothimbir wadi,Kanda Batata bhajji, Thalipeeth, Kanda Poha....... i can go on & on.
When i visit i usually have more than one dish always (no surprise there, i know). They also have an option of South Indian food (the idli vada sambar is delicious) and some Sandwiches, which are decent, I would go with the Marashtrian stuff. They also have an option of fresh fruit juices, u know for those "health concious ones". They also have a 'Diet misal', which is an insult to the hardcore misal lovers (aaarrrrgggghhhh !!!!!!).
The one thing you cant get out without having in Vinay is their own coffee aka 'Saadhi Coffee'. It is awesome and even after hogging on all that food the first sip of that coffee just makes it disappear (hmmmm..... good business strategy). No other coffee tastes like theirs and after the Puneri (thats what they call the misal) is their most guarded secret.
The service is good, not always with a smile but still appreciative of your existence :P. The one thing i like about them is...... they let you have a conversation (directly aake bill table par nahi rakh dete). We have overstayed our welcome quite a few times (were all a chatty bunch), still they ask us if we want anythin (with a smile here). They have adopted the no hassle way of cooking so ur order will be at ur table in max 15 mins.
Conditions Apply* :P.
Word to the wise people, Do not (i repeat) Do not go there in your car, u will not find a place to park (even the residents dont always get one). catch a cab or just walk it up (it'll make room for all the food).
Since it was renovated a few years back, ALL the Gujjus in my area have a 'Vinay Sunday'. It is flocked all day long. So i would suggest avoid it on a Sunday if u dont want someone yapping in your ear.
To summon it all up, Vinay is a place where generations after generations have preserved their memories. You wud always see someone telling their kids or wives "we used to sit in that corner or that table". The homely atmosphere and ambience makes u feel welcome and tempts you to return and re-return. So when are you going ??
- Date.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Barbecuing for an entire nation!
Thats what we felt as we entered this popular restaurant. Its located in bandra and the other end of pali hill in a nice and quiet area(compared to the rest of bandra). The people at BBQ nation advice you to reserve a table one day prior to going there, and now we know why. There is so much food to explore at that place that you can easily end up spending upwards of 2 hours over there. So people don't let go of their tables that fast. Well luck was not on our side and we couldn't get a reservation, but the manager told us to come anyways and try our luck. After waiting for almost an hour, we finally got a table. The first view we got as we went inside was that of the grill. It is located right in the center of the restaurant and is surrounded by almost 20-25 tables. The restaurant has a seating capacity of around 100 people(but don't let this make you think that you don't need to make reservations :p ).
If service is an indicator of how good a place is, then BBQ nation would rest comfortably at the top. There is no A la carte over there(except for drinks), just the buffet. We sat down and had just barely started looking around when the first round of starters arrived. Shocking yes, but one of the people accompanying us was a regular, and he was acting as if it was no big deal. So we played along ;).
The starters are comprised mostly of kebabs of various types. We had seekh kebabs, fish kebabs, prawns, drumsticks, broccoli(and it was awesome), mushrooms etc. Not one starter i had over there made me feel that there was something missing in it. And the amount of starters we had is a testament to that(we had a lot). To keep the starters from getting cold each table has a mini grill(!!!). After spending around 2 hours just feasting on the starters, we finally decided to try the main course. For the main course they had crabs in manchurian sauce, chicken hyderabadi, kheema and biryani. You also have rotis which you have to order. In addition to this, you also have a variety of soups(crab meat and chicken). The main course was simply great! In particular, the chicken hyderabadi and the crabs made me regret spending so much of my storage capacity on the starters.
The thing about this place is that you lose track of time too easily. When we finally got the table it was 9. We thought we would be out of there by 11. When we got done with the starters it was almost 10.45. And you have to take it easy over there. Our main strategy was to let the food digest to make room for more. And it was being executed perfectly. After having so much of the starters and the main course, we still had room for desserts.
Please don't leave BBQ nation without having the desserts. They're really the fitting ending you deserve for having such great food. We had mango mousse, strawberry cheesecake, gulab jamun, ice cream with chocolate sauce, cake, rum brownies and firni! Nuff said ;)
By the time we were done it was already 12.15, but we didn't care. Time is not a factor if the food is this good. And the more time you spend here, the more you'll be able to eat. So for once, being lazy is a good thing. Bodes pretty nicely for me ;). The funny thing is before entering the place we thought 600 per person for a buffet is too much. By the time we were leaving, it felt as if it was a discounted deal. I will not divide the review into parts rating each part individually; thats for places which aren't this good. I'm sure i must have left out some negative aspects. The strawberry cake, as good as it was, could have been better. The booze could have been cheaper. But as a complete package this easily trumps anything else out there. If you don't like one dish, you can just have something else without having any regrets since you payed for one unlimited meal, not just that one dish. And the menu is huge enough to discard one faulty dish. Not that i had the misfortune of having to eat one though. Thats the best thing about BBQ nation. Its just awesome!
-Mambo
If service is an indicator of how good a place is, then BBQ nation would rest comfortably at the top. There is no A la carte over there(except for drinks), just the buffet. We sat down and had just barely started looking around when the first round of starters arrived. Shocking yes, but one of the people accompanying us was a regular, and he was acting as if it was no big deal. So we played along ;).
The starters are comprised mostly of kebabs of various types. We had seekh kebabs, fish kebabs, prawns, drumsticks, broccoli(and it was awesome), mushrooms etc. Not one starter i had over there made me feel that there was something missing in it. And the amount of starters we had is a testament to that(we had a lot). To keep the starters from getting cold each table has a mini grill(!!!). After spending around 2 hours just feasting on the starters, we finally decided to try the main course. For the main course they had crabs in manchurian sauce, chicken hyderabadi, kheema and biryani. You also have rotis which you have to order. In addition to this, you also have a variety of soups(crab meat and chicken). The main course was simply great! In particular, the chicken hyderabadi and the crabs made me regret spending so much of my storage capacity on the starters.
The thing about this place is that you lose track of time too easily. When we finally got the table it was 9. We thought we would be out of there by 11. When we got done with the starters it was almost 10.45. And you have to take it easy over there. Our main strategy was to let the food digest to make room for more. And it was being executed perfectly. After having so much of the starters and the main course, we still had room for desserts.
Please don't leave BBQ nation without having the desserts. They're really the fitting ending you deserve for having such great food. We had mango mousse, strawberry cheesecake, gulab jamun, ice cream with chocolate sauce, cake, rum brownies and firni! Nuff said ;)
By the time we were done it was already 12.15, but we didn't care. Time is not a factor if the food is this good. And the more time you spend here, the more you'll be able to eat. So for once, being lazy is a good thing. Bodes pretty nicely for me ;). The funny thing is before entering the place we thought 600 per person for a buffet is too much. By the time we were leaving, it felt as if it was a discounted deal. I will not divide the review into parts rating each part individually; thats for places which aren't this good. I'm sure i must have left out some negative aspects. The strawberry cake, as good as it was, could have been better. The booze could have been cheaper. But as a complete package this easily trumps anything else out there. If you don't like one dish, you can just have something else without having any regrets since you payed for one unlimited meal, not just that one dish. And the menu is huge enough to discard one faulty dish. Not that i had the misfortune of having to eat one though. Thats the best thing about BBQ nation. Its just awesome!
-Mambo
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