Tea Villa, Mumbai

Tea Villa, Thane

Another place I keep coming back to. I think I have been doing that a lot lately and and happily so. Well, this time was actually because there aren't too many options that you can explore in Thane and I was looking forward to have a good meal. Hence, wanted to skip the entire location scout. I am never disappointed with this place and it's one of my safe bets.

This outlet actually has an outer area as well and if it was Winter, then it would make for great ambiance, with the winds blowing and all. However, summers in Bombay are nothing short of hell and hence, I chose to be safely seated indoors. The ambiance is a mix of quirky and raw as is the case with all their outlets, tea cups hanging from the roof and little lights hanging from colorful tea kettles (the kind you would find at cutting chai stalls and not royal english inspired. I prefer the former in this setting). The walls are left unfinished with bricks which gives it the raw appeal.

The service here is actually slightly better than my experience at their outlets though. I have always found their service in need of improvement as they seem a little absent and you have to grab their attention. Also, a little forgetful. Though I would say there is an improvement, but it's still not at par. This time the reason was we had asked for whipped cream with their waffles (To be honest, we hadn't even been asked. It was along the lines of would you want whipped cream or ice cream with your waffle, like a choice is being provided to you and when you say whipped cream. They tell you there is an extra charge. It's a sales tactic and hence, I still didn't mind it much). However, they had forgotten to serve it. We pointed it out half way through completing our waffles, "hadn't we ordered whipped cream on the side?". When asked the attendant about it, and since we were half way through we wanted to cancel it. However, the attendant requested us not to as apparently, it would be deducted from his pay. So we didn't. However, it troubled me. Not because I had to pay that extra amount. But if the management is making use of this approach to curb errors, then it's not exactly correct and something to be looked into (And I hope if you are reading this, you do!). This is the part where I found it to be a little questionable. Otherwise, all seemed in place.

For what we had. We first called for two mock tails - Passion Fruit Mojito and Peach Iced Tea. For a change, it was not me who had ordered the Iced tea but my friend. I went for the mojito. Some times change is good. Turned out, change is actually good because I thoroughly enjoyed it. Along with the drinks, we called in for the Villa Special Hummus Platter which comes with three kinds of hummus and assorted goodies like lavash, pita bread, cucumbers and a salad. I still can't differentiate between all the different kind of hummus out there, as in what ingredients go into except the basic ones, but I do know one thing, I LOVE HUMMUS! The one thing I would have preferred it is being served more accompaniments with this, also pickled veggies. We then called in for the goodness called the Shroom Burger. A patty made of nothing but mushroom, cheddar cheese infused and soft cheese. As soon as you take a bite, cheese comes oozing out and there is nothing better than that. I at very rare occasions choose to have a Veg Burger, and this was one of those rare times, when my decision to do so did not fail me. The bun could be improved upon though, didn;t have that traditional burger bun feel to it and seemed a bit oiled. The same I would say for the onion rings served on the side. I am generally not so fond of onion rings and would always prefer fries, and even though I actually took a liking to the onion rings here, it was only after using tissue to soak some of the oil. This was something that should have been taken care of in the kitchen. Finally, we ordered for the Oreo Waffle as dessert for ourselves. I chose Oreo as too much of chocolate is off-putting to me and I get tired after a few bites. Oreos, though are my favorite and I am always eager to have them - shakes, cheesecakes, cakes, deep fried (Yeah, deep fried! This one I can actually share the recipe of). So Oreo waffles seemed ideal to me and that's what we had. Happily so. The waffles were fresh, I loved the mix of white chocolate and milk chocolate drizzled on top and also served on the side (You really don't need to even order the whipped cream on the side, if you have this).

I was elated after this meal. You would be too, if you dropped in here. There are so many outlets across of this place around the city now, so you can choose your pick. 

WHAT WE HAD - Villa Special Hummus Platter (LOOOOVEEE)

                           Mushroom Burger (Yumness Personified)

                           Oreo Waffles (Yumness Personified)

                           Peach Iced Tea (Refreshing)

                           Passion Fruit Mojito (Refreshing)

DAMAGES - Rs 1200/- (Approx)

WHERE - Tea Villa Cafe Thane. ,Shop 1& 2, Y-Building, Flower Valley, Opposite Viviana Mall,Eastern Express Highway, Majiwada, Thane West

Goregaon Social, Mumbai

Goregaon Social, Goregaon

I was happy to be here, as always. It's been a while since I have visited a social and my experience in all of them have always been on a positive note. My favorite by far is the Khar Social. I was super excited to bring my friend here who had never been to these place before, but unfortunately the experience ended on a sour note.

The place is designed to imitate a cathedral and is pretty mesmerizing. The service here is as always good. We actually had luggage with us as my friend had just arrived from out of the city and the staff was kind enough to find place and help us with the seating and everything. 

I have always found their breakfast to be of great value for money and the combinations offered. My friend ordered the Big Apple Breakfast and I ordered the Punjabi Dhingra Breakfast. One thing that irked us here was that the food took more than 30 minutes to arrive and we were the only customers at this point so we were really hoping the wait was shorter. This could be because the day had just started as it was 11 am in the morning. But my experience in the other Socials have not been this way so I can't really say. However, all was hunky dory and finally after a long wait our food made it's way to our eagerly awaiting table. 

The Big Apple Breakfast comes with french fries, sausages, toasted bread, jam-butter, blue berry pancakes with a side of maple syrup and eggs however, you want it. I have always loved this platter except for the blue berry pancakes which some how they never get it right. Some times it's undercooked, some times it's bland, some times it's rubbery. This time around it was almost okay except for the parts where the blue berry was where the batter seemed to be not cooked properly. Yet, as far as pancakes go, I would not recommend Social. Everything else? Wonderful! I even love the freshness of their bread which seems to be right out of the over or something. The french fries are always on point, and seems like they are air fried as you can't detect the oiliness anywhere, which is the best part for me. The eggs were sunny side up and perfectly done. For the Punjabi Breakfast I had chosen Paneer Paratha which comes with chhole, achar, curd on the side. Some lassi, chai and a piece of Samosa too. The Paneer Paratha is heavenly and I was trasnported to Amritsar where I had first had a Paneer Paratha with dollops of butter on the side. I appreciated the fact that they used the kala chana for the chhole which added authenticity to the punjabi breakfast combo. The masala chai was a pleasant surprise as I always find in most non-Indian specialty restaurants that the tea is almost bland. Here, it was exactly like the ones you would find in small tea stalls. I had it with the samosa and I was overjoyed. But as always there has to be a down side, what I looked forward to most was the Lassi. However, the lassi was unsweetened and infact looked and felt exactly like the curd they had given on the side, only instead of in the bowl, they had put it in the tumbler. Too thick and set to be called a Lassi. Disappointed there. 

Now comes the part which questions whether I will ever return to this place. I was 75% through my breakfast that I spotted a very very very tiny little cockroach on the table, on the side of the wooden tray they had served breakfast to us on. Upon closer look, it seemed there wasn't just one but two more. They were extremely tiny ones, almost liked they had just hatched but gave me a nightmare and made me lose my appetite there and then because God alone knows where all they were and I don't even want to talk about it because like I said, where all were they. And this a big NO. We even told this to our attendant, and he seemed to have spoken to the manager and I could see them discussing it but as soon as we called for our bill, they seemed to have forgotten about it and let us leave without asking anything on it. We were just eager to pay and leave at this point and seemed like as long as we were ready to pay the bill and leave quietly, didn't bother them either. From this point on, I don't know if I would want to revisit a social, I am always going to be wondering how many more of these roaches are there. 

WHAT WE HAD - Big Apple Breakfast

                           Punjabi Dhingra Breakfast
  

DAMAGES - Rs 900/- (Approx)

WHERE - Goregaon Social. Third Floor, The Oberoi Mall, Goregaon East, Mumbai

Mumbai Vibe, Mumbai

Mumbai Vibe, Bandra

Another tick off the list. I had wanted to visit this place mainly because of it's name, Mumbai Vibe. Like any other Mumbaikar would tell you, Once a Mumbaikar, always a Mumbaikar. If you have made this city your home, no place is good enough. Hence, when a cafe bar opens up and calls itself Mumbai Vibe, you definitely want to check out how much of the Mumbai Vibe does the place make you feel. I was finally here to find out.

One of the things that I find very interesting is the way photographs can manipulate with what you see. No, no bad vibes. But I had assumed the place to be much bigger having a look at the photos than it actually is. It is spread over 2 floors - ground and upper, so it does have space, but vertically so. Also, they have a garden area outside which looks very beautiful. But the start of the rainy season and the heat doesn't make it ideal for the weather and we decided to sit inside as well. If  you like me, enjoy conversation as part of your meal be wise enough to sit down stairs, as here the volume of the music is comparatively low. If you go upstairs, it's more a bar and if that's your scene then your well set. Overall, they can cater to different moods. You will see the walls painted with things that define Mumbai including the the red BEST bus. They even have board games if you want to play. 

The service is something that will bring a smile to your face. Even though the sofas are reserved for groups of 4 or more, and we were 3, upon requesting, they let us sprawl ourselves over them instead of resorting to sitting on high stools on the upper floor or the garden area which was relatively empty. They know their menu well and are ready to customize it to your preferences if required and also recommend dishes which is a big plus from me. I always say this many a times, you don't know what will work for you from the menu and what not. Not everything that looks good may be and every Kitchen has their highly recommended and some not so much. Knowing that and letting your customer be informed can do wonders for your business.

We ordered for the Chicken 65 tarts and butter Garlic Mushroom with Crostini to begin with. We also ordered mock-tails and a green tea for one of the friend (Never, ever order Green Tea at a Restaurant, unless and until they are brewing it themselves. My middle class upbringing shows up in things like these. Why would I pay 200 Rs for a teabag, when I can buy the entire  20 for the same??!! I may be wrong, but I really want restaurants serving tea to brew it rather than provide a tea bag. It is not at all value for money). But my friend never the less went for it. The chicken 65 tarts come in mini tarts and is served on top of a toy truck. Fancy. They are good to look at and are good to eat. The chicken 65 is rather authentic and that's a rarity I have found, because this delicacy is my mommy's special as well. The butter garlic mushroom is creamy and is almost like a thick soup served with crostini or let's just say a version of garlic bread and makes your stomach feel warm and fuzzy. The mock-tails we ordered were had some fancy names paying ode to Mumbai - I think one had a Bandra in it's name and another Mumbai. I can't seem to ever remember mock-tails names. Both of them were refreshing and tangy. Though the second one which I had ordered was a little different from the mock-tails I have had till now. It had a strong flavor of cinnamon in it and drinking it almost felt like you were eating a cinnamon roll. It really grows on you and I almost want it now. For the mains we ordered the Spaghetti Bella Roma and Chicken Makhani Plate with Oven Baked Naan. The Spaghetti was devoid of any sauces, a little like Aglio Olio, and initially I would never like Pasta without sauce it it seems to have grown on me and I almost find the subtle flavors of spaghetti preferable. they are many a times lighter on the stomach and yet flavorful. The Chicken Makhni came with naan and some dal makhni on the side as well. All the 3 are technically my favorite things and even though over all it seemed good, it was too sweet for my palette. Almost like someone had accidentally put a cup of sugar in it. 

Over all my experience was a little above average at the place. Though it's named Mumbai Vibe, I couldn't find myself completely jibing to it. A good place to hang out with your friends but if food is your focal point, then it's nothing extraordinary.

WHAT WE HAD - Butter Garlic Mushroom with Crostini (Yumness)

                           Chicken 65 Tarts (Yumness)

                           Spaghetti Bella Roma (Yumness)

                           Chicken Makhni (Yumness)

                           Mocktail

                           Mocktail

                       Green Tea (Avoid ordering Green Tea unless and until it's freshly brewed)

DAMAGES - Rs 2400/- (Approx)

WHERE - Mumbai Vibe., Ganga Jamuna Block, 14th Road, Linking Road, Bandra West