Breakfast at Jam Jar, Mumbai

Breakfast at Jam Jar Diner, Andheri

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and I have an attachment to breakfasts - getting up early morning, with sleep in your eyes, but with the first bite, and chai maybe, how it just transforms your day. Suddenly it all seems alright! I can handle today. There was a time when I wouldn't eat breakfast, some times to tell myself I am just cutting calories and others because who is going to put in the effort to prepare breakfast. If your mom has been harping about the importance and the charisma that this meal holds, she is absolutely correct. I don't cook generally, but I will always, always make breakfast if I have to now! And it's just improved my outlook on the day. I wouldn't say I feel chirpier, but the crankiness definitely reduces. And knowing me that's a lot. 

Though my friends don't necessarily feel the same way especially if they have to get out of bed to and drive to a place for breakfast, but I did make one of my friends do exactly this and even though he whined about it, when the food finally arrived he resonated my feels. Try it!

I have written about this place before, I am absolutely in love with the quirkiness of this place. The interiors are a class apart and also an example of how a comparatively small space can do so much, things seem thrown in randomness and yet it looks like it belongs there. Also, the juke box lends the much vintage charm to the place and blue indeed is my favorite color! So the place is extremely appealing to me

Yes, it's perfectly okay to have French fries for breakfast. You would know this If you were born and brought up in the Middle East. That's what we did in our Physical Education period. Devour on French Fries.  We went for the savory waffles for my friend and Egg Florentine for me with Oreo SHake and Orange Juice. Also, like I said French Fries. I have always preferred waffles to be sweet but I have always been intrigued of the savory kind and this place does full justice to it. Second to Di Bella's which does the sweet version. My friend wanted to go for seconds. The Eggs Florentine, I like the yellow liquidy eggs, which is why I had opted for this particular item off the menu. For some reason the roasted mushrooms seemed missing from the meal, even though it is mentioned in the description. It was served with roasted potatoes. I happen to love potatoes as well. The egg Florentine looks one of the most easiest things to make technically, but don't be fooled. It is one of the hardest to pull off. I am a times wary as I am not a huge fan of  even a little raw spinach, but here I was more than happy to eat my share. The Oreo shake, I believe no one can go wrong with it, especially if it is me who has ordered it. It is an all time favorite. The Orange juice was refreshing as per my friend, I didn't even bother having a sip, because I am allergic to everything healthy. . The French fries were perfection and I even liked the way the plating was done.

Jam Jar is the city's favorite breakfast spot. It's mine too and it should be yours too, if it isn't already. 

WHAT WE HAD  - French Fries (Yumness)

                            Spicy Jalapeno & Quesso Waffles (Yumness)

                            Eggs Florentine (Yumness Personified)

                            Oreo Milkshake (DA-YUM)

                            Orange Juice (Refrehsing)

DAMAGES - Rs 1200/- (Approx)

WHERE - Jamjar Diner.7A & B, Arram Nagar 2, Behind Washing Bay, Yari Road, Versova, Andheri West

Genuine Broaster Chicken, Mumbai

Genuine Bro-aster Chicken, Andheri

Its been a while since I have written up any review. But trust me when I tell you, I have been eating more than ever. It is only today that I have actually gotten a little breathing space at work as well. Else, I have been carrying work home as well. No complaints though, as long as what you do makes sense to you, which now a days does. Yahoo on that front. 

Yahoo on another front as well. Genuine Broaster Chicken has arrived in India and because my sister had made a short visit to Mumbai, I have been dragging her to explore places. Our love food is what binds us together. Though I feel super jealous of the fact that she manages to maintain the weight, meaning stays thin. She works had at that too. I wish I had that kind of perseverance. 

This place will remind you of a baseball club. There are helmets hanging from the ceiling and little bulbs lighted under them. Innovative there. Also, if you look up, the ceiling has sacks adorned all over. Makes for a pretty sight. The place is a little smaller than what I had expected but it's well done. 

Now a days I have started to find that a lot of restaurants have started to realize the importance of interacting with the customer. Or maybe because this place is new and they need to make that mark. Either ways, the service happens to be great. The staff knows their way around the menu and can give you suggestions depending on what you fancy having and suits your palette as well. 

Beginning with the starters, we had asked for the Genuine Broaster Chicken, because what's the point if you haven't tried what they are known for right?! I had wanted to try the cheese chicken pillows, which was out of stock unfortunately. So instead we had the Lucknowi Seekh and Smoked BBQ Franchos. All on Point. The broaster chicken is smaller in size and works more as an appetizer only. Though I was left wanting for more. Both the seekh kabab and BBQ fries were game on point. Within minutes the table was cleared because we jumped on the food. We had ordered for drinks - Iced Tea, Bulbul soda and chocolate milkshake. Bulbul Soda is your Mirinda infused with Caramel, innovative take. The chocolate shake could do with being a little more chocolatey. For the main course, my sister and friend went for their Burger range - Lamb Rogan Josh Burger & Peter Punjab Burger. Served with a side of fries both are filling and have the Indian infusion in it. I had a bite of both and each burger patty has distinctive taste which is also a little rare as in most places, it is the sauce that creates the distinction. So brownie points for that. I had ordered the Ghotala Khichdi which comprised mutton pieces, chicken pieces and fried egg mixed with rice and served with papad and dahi. Ah-mazing is what I would say it was. Also, the amount of protein used in these is on the higher side which tells you they are not stingy. Stay that way. 

I had also wanted to give a try to their Gulkand Muffin which was out of stock, unfortunately. This is where the points of improvement come in. There were 3-4 things that were out of stock. As a customer being told that is disappointing. It is a good thing that you are careful about stocks and not throwing away food at the end of the day. But we came in the evening, and I am guessing many would drop by after us as well because well Saturday evening are peaks hours. Also, I expected more from their actual broaster chicken menu in terms of variety. There should maybe be like breast pieces and stuff served with buns, greens, coleslaw, fries which makes it a complete meal. I had expected something along those lines as well. 

I will be back to try out a few more things that I missed out on this time. But genuinely speaking, this is a place you should drop by. There are many places that are innovating and reinventing their menu, but this place is one where they hit the right notes.

WHAT WE HAD - Genuine Broaster Chicken (Yummylicious)

                           Lucknowi Seekh (Da-Yum)

                           BBQ Franchoes (Game on Point)

                           Peter Punjab Burger (Yumness)

                           Mutton Rogan Josh Burger (Yumness)

                           Ghotala Khichdi (Game on Point)

                           Iced Tea

                           Chocolate Milkshake (A little more chocolate please)

                           Bulbul Soda (Kuch hatke and damn good)

DAMAGES - Rs 2200/- (Incl of Taxes, We were 3)

WHERE -  Broaster Chicken India., Shop 1 & 2, Tirupati Tower, Opp. Thakkar Sweet, Versova, Andheri (w)

24/7 Cafe, The Lalit

I don't even know if I should write a review on the place. I love food but have never stepped foot in a 5 star rated Hotel or anywhere near it. Hence, the apprehension. Can some one like me who is not even anywhere near a real food blogger have the sense/back ground to comment on restaurants like these??!! My answer is actually Yes, I might not identify each and every distinctive flavor, but I know what is good and is what not and I even understand my limitations in what forms my likes and my dislikes and obviously my love for food justifies it all!! :)

I know for many of you out there, this must be a norm, but for some one who has had a middle class up bringing, this is a huge deal. It ideally shouldn't be. But human nature is such that it makes one feel so. Also, it becomes a celebratory moment for us, so to the people on the other side, you would never understand this Cinderella moment we go through. Pros & cons to everything.

Well, I think we might be the only ones who had gotten up on an early Saturday morning to get up for a breakfast like this as everyone else that I observed were over night guests who probably get complimentary breakfast. I wish some one would give me complimentary breakfast. The service is top notch with the waiting staff eager to serve and make you as comfortable as possible. The ambiance is a cross over between a fine dine and a coffee shop. Classy yet keeps the casualness intact.

As soon as we were seated, we were asked what would our preferences be in beverages - freshly squeezed juice, tea, coffee etc. I went for the tea because well, my mornings don't begin without a hot cup of chai and my friend and sister went for fresh orange juice. The tea was just about average, I still prefer cutting or the chai that is made right at my home. I stand by the fact that nothing like road side ka chai. Five Stars, you need to learn how to do that. There is nothing quite like that chai. We started off with the bake and cheese section. croissants of all types, cold cuts, quiches and pies, crackers and different types of cheese - blue, brie and other fancy names. My pick? Everything but the cheese. I guess I am not a fancy cheese person after all. I prefer them cooked maybe, but then my cheese tastings have been limited to cheddar, mozzarella, cream cheese and the cheese slices that we get. So I would prefer sticking to that. For a person who loves food, my palette I realize is very restricted. I liked the cold cuts and the croissants, the croissants where so soft that I actually asked my friend, "I wish I had a bigger handbag, I would steal some". Well, technically its not stealing, I am allowed to have as many as I want :P The quiche which has a soft egg filling with some spinach maybe, was another favorite of mine from the spread. I thought I would save the best for the last, but I am tempted to and so I will. The best item off the menu and the one that over shadowed it all was the French toast. I am not exaggerating when I say it is the best french toast I could ever have had - so good that words fail and I just want one right now! The minute we were done with our breakfast and stepped out, that was the thing on all our minds and by evening we were craving for some more. The bread so soft and buttery, just the right amount of sweetness and the berry compote, let me just say it gives competition to my cheese cake addiction. I don't have an addiction to french toast, just the one from Lalit.

No that's not it, there is more. From the Indian section, we had the matar paneer with Gobi Paratha - Paneer was delicious, how can it not be, the matar however were not well cooked. The gobi paratha, frankly, I have had better. We also ordered the masala dosa and some idli sambhar, both served piping hot on our table. The sambhar is one of the best I have had, the idlis soft and melt in the mouth. the dosa, a master piece. There was fried rice as well, which I had, because I can never not have rice if given the option, but there was nothing complimenting the fried rice, no sauces, no gravy of any types, so felt a little lonely on its own. They had a juice bar in place, which had cranberry juice, mixed fruits, some cold coffee as well. We had 2 glasses of cold coffee each. Again, at the cost of sound cheap and middle class (I am! :P), I wish I had a bottle to pour in and carry back with me. My major disappointment came from the English Breakfast selection - the beans, too sweet and under cooked, the mushroom had no absolutely no flavor and seemed to have been boiled and kept there. The sausages I liked. The scrambled eggs also, seemed more eggs boiled together and mashed, not all that appetizing. They had chicken gravy of some sort, I fail to recall the name at the moment, roasted chicken with vegetables and that is the item that is to be remembered. Maybe it would go well wit fried rice? I don't know. We were nearing our limits by now and who wouldn't. There was just too much food. So for our final round, we went for the dessert selection from their bakery - muffins, donuts, cinnabons. We shared these as we couldn't have had all that on our own. Plus way too much sweet for a person like me. Yep, that's it. That's all we had. Not much right?!! I wish I had a bigger appetite. But as I have always said, its an ongoing between battle for me - love for food and attempting to stay on the thin side. Well, at least the not fat side.

WHAT WE HAD - Everything Possible. Special Mention for the French Toast. Nothing like it!

DAMAGES - Rs 1000/- per Person

WHERE -  24/7 Restaurant, The Lalit Mumbai., The Lalit Mumbai, Sahar Airport Road, Andheri East, Mumbai,Chakala, Mumbai

The Little Door, Mumbai

THE LITTLE DOOR, Andheri

When I think the Little Door, the word that now springs up in my mind is - Worth it! I have been meaning to pay visit to this place for 2 years now but some how never did. Actually not some how but rather the fact that neither me nor my friends wished to travel so far along. But I realize that due to my food excursions, I have now started to check out places not just in what I would refer to places that fall in my comfort zone in terms of travelling. Also, thanks to my friends who put up with my demands of checking these different places out. But the three of us who checked this place out would give you the same feedback - WORTH IT! 

The one thing you need to do when you intend to visit this place is book a table. I don't know about other days but you will see quite a crowd for Sunday Brunches and many people standing around too. I do not like standing for long, hence I always prefer to pre-book wherever possible. Thankfully, I had done so here. The ambiance of this place is amazing, the perfect place to spend your Sunday afternoon. The entry is through a little blue door, which is simply CUTE! I wouldn't be able to describe it in a better word. Once inside, you will feel to be not in India but have been transported to some foreign locale. The colors will remind you of Greece while the ambiance of an early afternoon in France. This was for the out side seating area. Its even more happening on the inside. This is one of those rare places that is this happening on a Sunday Afternoon in terms of not just food or ambiance but music and crowd as well. You might even spot a celebrity or two! We did.:D 

There is some serious shortage in staff going on in restaurants. Many of the places I have paid visit to in recent times have had this same issue. The staff are not ill mannered or any of the usual problems you encounter but rather the problem lies with staff deficiency. There was just one guy who was almost handling all the tables outside and that's quite a lot as per me. There might have been a minimum of 25+ people seated outside and actually probably more. However, he was very interactive and tried his level best to give as good service as possible while juggling so many different people and listening to their constant callings. For service, I would give a personal ranking of 4 to this particular person only for being patient and for pasting on that smile every time he speaks to you. 

Since the service can get to be slow, how do you manage to not get irritated? Especially with some one like me? The dozens of board games they have kept to keep you entertained and engrossed right from Jenga, X and 0, scrabble. monopoly, UNO etc etc. There is also a Foosball table set and darts. However, unless and until you are here early, fat chance at the Foosball or with playing darts as you will find it occupied indefinitely and I am too polite (better word for shy and reserved) to actually get up and say to the people around me "Get going, give others a chance as well". They even have Karaoke but unless and until you are a few drinks down, I don't think I would have the courage to go up there and start screeching my lungs out especially after listening to everyone's renditions around me. So we made peace by occupying ourselves with the board games and do not really complain about it. More such places need to come up!

Food because that's what matters at the end of the day. They have handled their menu for the day in a smart way which would give them advantage of not wasting too much food and at the same time ensure you are satisfied with a gourmet experience. The brunch menu is set up with a salad and cold cuts counter which falls under the serve yourself and is unlimited. The same for the desserts. Besides this, you have a menu which comprises of 6-8 items in the breakfast section, another 6-8 in the starter section and yet another 6-8 in the main course. All you have to do is choose one from each and it will be served fresh and hot on your table. I think that's a pretty clean deal. Also, unlimited drinks where they have different packages - non-alcoholic, sangria and beers and the cocktails and shots. We went for the non-alcoholic because 2 of us don't drink at all and the third didn't want to drink alone. So we started with the salad-cold cuts-breads counter, and I am really glad we did. I have been to several places serving buffet but I missed these different varieties of breads, sausages, ham, cold pasta salads, greek salads, pita breads with hummus etc. It is my love for these things precisely which makes me realize I will always be an NRI at my core. People in Mumbai love their chaats, vada and samosa pavs. I like it but I don't love it. It is not something that I like having every other day like most other Mumbaikars running to and fro from office do. I look for Puffs, croissants and things that fall in this category. I have eaten Shawarma on an almost daily basis as an adolescent and never gotten bored. One Vada Pav and I am satisfied for the month. To put it in the way my colleagues say when I feel hungry - Isko angrezi wali bhook lagi hai - Chicken Puff and Burger wali. My point being you will enjoy this place even more so if you are a non-vegetarian, many many options! 

After being done with this section, we had placed order for starters and breakfast, I had chosen the Egg Shakshouka with Pav, Cottage Cheese Scrambled, Risotto Balls and a Pizza. Barring the Cottage Cheese, all else was par excellence, only I wished I had gone for the starters rather than the Egg. Not because there was anything wrong with it but rather two full fried eggs can prove to be very filling and I really wanted to try the non-veg starters but I didn't get to because I don't believe in wasting food (I try!) and after completing two courses I didn't think I would have room for the main course if I had a starter. So skipped it. The risotto balls were an instant hit on the table and I devoured it too. Reminds me that anything that is deep fried is just food for the soul! I think the Pizza was like a vegetarian's dream. It had all the vegetable possible and served on a thin crust is as good as it gets. If only, there was chicken in it but I sacrifice my love for chicken quite a lot due to my strictly vegetarian friends. Also, who gives option of Pizza in Starters? I thought they would be like mini sized ones but they weren't. For the main course we ordered two of the Champagne Spaghetti and one Gambas Ala Parilla. Translated? The Spaghetti is Mushroom Cream Sauce and Gambas is Prawns in Orange Chilli Sauce. The Spaghetti was bland and went untouched mostly. The Prawns was gobbled up by me with the butter parsley rice served along with. 

Another really appreciated point is the desserts they serve. Macaroons, mini cupcakes, brownies, mousse,dense chocolate cakes several varieties of chocolate cakes. It is a dessert heaven. They even give skittles!! Seeing skittles, my instant reaction was like OMG! They have skittles!! Skittles are your gems only they are not chocolaty, they are more chewy and a little like sour candy served in many flavors from Orange to Grapes to strawberry etc. In case you were wondering, something again that I grew up on and was equivalent to having say cad bury gems in India. I will always prefer a galaxy over a dairy milk. My NRI roots. They brownies served were the right amount of cruch and softness on the inside. These are the kind of brownies that are baked in my oven and they hold a special place in my heart and I have always considered them better than anything made outside ( My sister is a pastry queen, or rather wishes to be). Macaroons - I think I had like 6-8 of these. They would just pop and melt in your mouth. The mini cupcakes - red velvet & cookies and cream. Tell you a secret? I carried two in my hands to give it to my sister and she has since been craving for it. That's how good they make it. The mousse was not something I had a lot of as its too creamy for my preference. The chocolate cake - dark chocolate fudge and darker chocolate cake. Dream! Dream! Its safe to say that this is the only place that has a 110% satisfied me with their dessert section from the buffet. I have always otherwise found that the quality of the desserts to be better if the same thing was served a la carte which makes you feel a little disappointed. 

It is a place which deserves for you to have fun rather than the other way round. They have made it as inviting as possible. It is up to you to truly enjoy the experience this place could give. Put on your best attires (You will want to :P) and just for an afternoon you can pretend to be on a mini vacation as time stands still. 

WHAT WE HAD - YUMMINESS

DAMAGES - Rs 1050/- per Person for Food + Beverages

                   Rs 1450/- Per Person for Food + Alcohol 

                   Rs 1750/- Per Person for Food + Alcohol + Shots ( I think!)

WHERE -  The Little Door - Mumbai, B 31, Ground Floor, Shree Siddhivinayak Plaza, New Link Road, Andheri Lokhandwala, Andheri West, MUMBAI

The Spare Kitchen, Mumbai

THE SPARE KITCHEN, Juhu, Andheri

Even though this place is in my list of places to check out. It was not the place that we had decided upon for the day. But I guess destiny had other plans and wanted me to pay visit to this place. It is like my mother dearest says - "daane daane pe likha hai khane wala ka naam". Seems so true as we were stuck in traffic and took almost 2 hrs to pay visit to the other place which I had spent days searching for - in terms of ambiance, food, service. location, view, so on and so forth. But the place was over crowded with a long waiting list, which would mean another minimum of one hour to be seated, we just decided to give up. It was already 10.30 in the night, our stomachs were growling and by the time we would have been seated, they would probably be in a rush to call it a day and its just not worth it then. Hence, the Spare Kitchen. We called in and they told us a place would be available in 15-20 mins as the place is large in terms of space. I didn't mind as the place was already on my list of places to be.

This place also has a good rating on Zomato. I wonder what people like me would do if not for Zomato! Till I discovered Zomato, I relied heavily on just newspaper columns, where they would give weekend specials but you would never know if it is in your budget or not, or if it has the ambiance so it speaks of etc, or on friends and friends of friends who have tried and tested. The likes of Zomato are a boon! Back to the point. This place is pretty popular and is said to have a good ambiance as well, Here, I would care to disagree. The lighting of the place is not really up to the mark, whether you use dim lights, candle lights, tube lights or any other category of light it does not matter. I believe half your game is won if you have thought of how you want the lighting to be. The lighting here is a little shady as per me. In terms of decor, its hardly pleasing. They need to re-do their walls. The entire place had paint coming off and scrapped which does not really seem appealing. They have a huge place to their benefit, which is a rarity in a place like Mumbai. Hence, I really believe they should work on their decor and at least not have paints coming off, scrapped walls etc. You are not a local restaurant to be excused for it. 

Service? Well, a mixed experience at best. When I had called in to check whether there would be a place available, I was told that yes, in the next 30 minutes and they took down my name and number as well. Well, that felt good. Positive. When I arrived? The manager checked and rechecked his register, and my name was no where on their list. Why would you pretend to note down my name & number when you are not really picking up a pen. Gets you down a little. However, the did make a place available in the next 10 minutes, which was a saving grace. So we were seated. I don't know how it makes for an excuse, because I somewhere still find it unacceptable, due to the place being crowded, the staff was having trouble keeping track and it would be a tough task to ask people to provide you service. But, the waiting staff seemed more overloaded with handling several tables than the kind who just are not bothered. Hence, you are left with a mixed feeling.

The food is the talking point for this place. We ordered for a soup - the Dhingri Cappuccino and for starters - Kolhapuri Thecha Paneer Tikka. The Dhingri Cappucino is supposedly a mushroom based soup but weirdly I didn't really find any sign of mushroom in the soup unless and until it was grind and made a paste of which does not really seem the case. Have you had Ragda Pattice? I am sure almost everyone has. The soup felt to be more inspired from the flavors or Ragda, as I had a very eerie sense that I am having Ragda Soup. All of this doesn't mean, I didn't enjoy it. I pretty much did. However, it didn't feel to be extraordinary. The presentation is where they get full points, served in a bread bowl (I am yet to figure out if one is supposed to have the bread as well. If the answer is yes, then its harder to crack than Kadak Pav served with chai, so kindly tell me how??!!). The Kolhapuri Thecha Paneer Tikka is heavenly and is heavy as well. The softness of the insides of the Paneer and the marination is just perfect. A little on the spicier side, you will definitely need to trickle down some drink to let your tongue cool down. We had ordered for a Nizza next, which is a Pizza but on a naan base. Interesting. You need to select your toppings for this one and we went with sun dried tomatoes, jalapenos,, cheese, bell peppers. The taste is indeed unique, the naan base lends the pizza a very unique flavor. Like some thing coming out of a clay-oven. I don't know if I am right in saying this, but when you say naan, you expect a certain softness, as naan is soft, an melt in your mouth. The naan made for hard base here, quite the opposite of what a naan is supposed to be. So a little part of me felt it to be in some ways similar to wood fired pizzas. We had a fresh lime soda and two peach iced teas for me on the side which was nothing out of the ordinary. To me, my iced tea with a meal is like having tea with breakfast. We were too full at this point which is kind of surprising. I would partly say it was because of the soup, as the soup is pretty heavy on the stomach. Also, since we were hungry for a pretty long time and the you eat, you realize that your stomach fills up faster than usual ( Example: Ramadan, after staying hungry for 12 hours, you think you are going to to have everything possible for If-tar, but you end up eating only half of what your appetite on a normal day is). 

If you do end up here, give a go to their fusion meals, rather than the normal food fare, as then you will find it to be paisa vasool. In terms of rating I would give them somewhere between a 3 to 3.5 out of 5 and all of it is only for the food. 

WHAT WE HAD - The Dhingri Cappuccino (Almost Yum)

                           Kolhapuri Thecha Paneer Tikka (Definitely Yum)

                           Make Your Own Nizza (Yum!)

                           Fresh Lime Soda (Yum)

                           Peach Iced Team (Yum Again!)

DAMAGES - Rs 1400/- (Approx incl of taxes)

WHERE - The Spare Kitchen. Ground Floor, Hotel King's International, Compound 5, Juhu Tara Road, MUMBAI

Sammy Sosa, Mumbai

SAMMY SOSA, Andheri

Some places are just so darn worth it! Another strike from the bucket list, and one that had been pre-planned for three months. If this didn't work out, or got canceled or something else came up, I would have been furious. I know that there are quite a few places in my bucket list. But we had already zeroed in on the date as a friend was flying from Delhi and this was planned for then.

I realize I enjoy food the most when there is some one who devours food equally, and more so if they are non-vegetarians. I have been meeting a lot of vegetarians lately and my close circle consists of them a bit too much to my liking (I love you guys but you know what I mean :P). When you hang out with a vegetarian crowd, 70-80% of the food on the table will be vegetarian whether you like/admit to it or not. It's a recent realization. Whereas, when you hang out with fellow non-vegetarian crowd, you will not find any trace of any greens or anything except for probably french fries. Come to think of it, it is we non vegetarians that end up compromising (Haan, theek hai kha lenge, hum toh sab kha sakte hain. How many times has this dialogue been repeated by a chicken lover??!!) This day, it was about two hard core non-vegetarians and one picky non-vegetarian a.k.a. my sis, meeting and sharing our joint loved for food so everything on the table was non-veg barring the drinks. What a feeling indeed. :D

This place is pretty small, a fine example of crammed spaces that is evident of this city, though it doesn't look so from the pictures put up on the internet. In terms of ambiance I would say it's a 3/5. I wasn't all that impressed with the interiors as such. They have attempted to use every possible space and it just ends up looking a bit too crammed up for my liking. However, I would give them full marks for hospitality. I say hospitality and not service, this was truly one of those rare places where I felt a star guest, if you are familiar with the concept of "Atithi Devo Bhava". They took into consideration every request made by us which is absolutely fantastic including our desire to be seated in a particular place (No, we are not one of those people who bring the place down if our whims and fancies are not met with :P). We would just be more comfortable with a little breathing space between us which they easily made available telling us that just give us about 15 minutes. So Kudos! Highly impressive. Also the manager/owner (I have no idea if he owned the place or not, but from the looks of it he probably did) addresses each person coming and takes the trouble to ensure they are actually comfortable, which is another reason why i would give them full marks.

It's all about the food, so let's get talking about it. For beginners we had initially pre-planned on ordering the Nachos - names in the menu as Sammy's Tostatada which is a magnanimous portion of nachos which has everything nachos have plus chicken ham and then baked with cheese. Yes, we know. That's exactly how we felt. But the guy attending to us actually told us that he would not recommend it, not because it isn't great but because the portion is on the higher side and the 3 of us will not be able to finish it. We looked at each other, and went is it really that huge that between the 3 of us we will not be able to finish it and so we went for the downsized version of it called the Texas Nachos which is the same thing only less in portion. It was as good as promised. Only thing? We were left wanting for more and realized they under estimate our appetite. We could have definitely had more but that can only be judged better if we have the mammoth portion. For drinks I went for my regular peach iced tea (I have stopped experimenting in this department, unless and until something different catches hold of my attention). My sister went for the Strawberry Margarita and it was Ah-Mazing infused with actual strawberries and the friend went for the Mojito with mint and lime which was refreshing. For the mains we each ordered ourr own favorite, mine was the Boatman's dream - a mexican dish made with prawns (My absolute favorite. I really wasn't expecting a huge portion for 430 bucks to be frank - like 10 king sized prawns with a huge serving of rice - heavy would be the word to describe, the buttons of your shirt might just pop out after eating this. I however am not complaining. I loved every bit of it. Hot, spicy, zesty are some of the adjectives I can think of while describing this particular dish. I havn't felt this satisfied after having my food in quite some time. My sister went for the Grandma's Lasagna which in her own words " is the best lasagna she has had in Mumbai till date". The balance of the sauce, the cheese, the chicken, the pasta sheets is just perfect creating a medley of flavors that words fail to describe. I don't often order a lasagna, as I always find it to be full of just chicken and cheese and I prefer a little balance, but I will say that I almost wish I had ordered this. The friend in question, order for herself Santa Fe Chicken, another mexican delight. If you are a chickenatarian - consider this your wish granted. I have to given a special mention to the potato wedges served as a side to this sizzling dish, out-of-this world. I believe the world is divided into two kinds of people - the ones that like potato wedges and the others who prefer french fries. Not that you can't like both. But you will always like one a little more. Me? I am a potato wedges person and this place has the best potato wedges I have tried till date. 

Their menu is extensive and I actually wish to head back soon, to try their other offering because this place truly deserves high rank for the quality and taste of food that they bring out. You need need need to pay visit here. AH-MAZING is what it is. There is not one thing, that I could say lacked something anything in flavor. They will go to the extent of understanding how you like your food prepared.

WHAT WE HAD - Texas Style Nachos ( Redefining Yum)

                           Grandma's Lasagna ( Redefining Yum)

                           Santa fe Chicken ( Redefining Yum)

                           Boatman's Dream (Redefining Yum)

                           Strawberry Margarita (Yumness!)

                           Peach Iced Tea (Refreshing)

                           Mint and Lime Mojito (Refreshing)

DAMAGES - Rs 2700/- , approx. incl. of taxes ( Rs 550 as Taxes, taken as a pinch of salt but the only thing that got me thinking - I am paying 20-25% as taxes, and that is more than just a pinch of salt) 

WHERE -  SAMMY SOSA RESTAURANT., Shop 18, Meera CHS, Near Mega Mall, Oshiwara Link Road, Oshiwara, Andheri (W), MUMBAI

The Treesome Cafe, Mumbai

THE TREESOME CAFE, Andheri

Another place off my bucket list. I have been travelling to far-off places for a change. This is the second time I have been to Andheri in Two Weeks! That is quite an achievement for me because generally I travel to any far-off places unless and until some one is driving me, once in a very blue blue moon. 

What had caught my interest when it comes to this place were the very quirky names they had used for all the dishes on the menu. Also, the way most of it was presented, especially the mini-burgers or sliders, whatever you wish to call them. I am still to learn to differentiate between the two as I have recently discovered that the two are not the same. These guys serve their mini-burgers with a fancy name in bird's cage. Wohoo! Just knowing that you have got to order it, even it is for the sake of putting it on Instagram! (Because we all love to show off on Instagram! I generally claim I am a food blogger and I have hence the right to click pictures. But really, who am I kidding, I love showing off as much as the next person :P). So the quirky names, the quirky settings and reasonably priced, and I was getting a treat (It has been a blessed month indeed! :P) was why I chose this place.

I genuinely have now started taking an interest in why people choose the name they do for a restaurant, I mean treesome cafe?Its different, but what went through the owner's mind to give it this particular name. Maybe, I should start asking questions to these eateries too. Some day when I have the courage. My friends keep telling me to try and advertise my page by introducing myself when I step in to any restaurant, but I can never gather the courage to. After all, I am practically a no-body! In the food-blogging world. 

We arrived here around 4 pm in the evening, and the place was more or less vacant as the sun had not gone down yet, I guess and we were looking for a little quieter place anyhow, so didn't matter too much to us. However even in the early evening, there was loud music being played which you get accustomed to after a while. We were there to eat, converse and make merry. The place has both an outer-seating which is more spacious than the inside I suppose. I would have wanted to be seated out, only the sun was shining down upon us and I can't bear the heat. (One full day in the sun and i get a case of the prickly heats! *big fat sigh*). They have used wood elements in their decor and once again the lights are amazing. I have become obsessed with lights I suppose. The painting of one huge tree on one side of the wall indoors is the only element that I found to be a little hatke. I would want to know the story behind that. Is it named treesome cafe because of that painting?! 

The servers are friendly enough and though they don't go out of their way to attend to you, they make sure they are right there when they are called upon. Lets get to the matters of the stomach. We started off with ordering 2 starters i.e. the mini burgers. They were of the mutton/beef variety, I really don't recall the name right now, I cant find the bill anywhere (misplaced it as always I guess! I keep telling my self I will keep it safe till the post is up but I keep it so safe that even I don't even remember where it is. :P) and it is not listed on their menu on zomato either. There are only 3 types of mini burgers on their menu, so its cool, in case you are going to go by my recommendation, it is definitely to be had! Just in my last post, I had mentioned that I had been to a place that is known for its burgers, yet there felt to be something missing in their burgers, here it is just the opposite, almost perfect. I would give full points to them when it comes to the food served, right from the innovative presentation to outright making your taste-buds come alive, they have nailed it, I would say. The mini burger is served in bird-cage. It feels like food for the bird, come to think of it the quantity is given accordingly even. Appetizers are like that, so no complaints. You know how they serve water in a little bowl in the cage i.e how they serve you french fries here with 2 dips to go for it. One is the normal mayo-type thing, the other nameless dip, that I couldn't recognize is what I liked much much better, almost fell in love with it. The other starter we ordered was Chicken Gangam Estyle (Yes! They are very innovative in their names as well!). I don't know how Korean it was, but it was definitely yum. The best chicken-satay, if I were to not use the quirky name, I have had. So definitely thumbs-up. I had also ordered a mock-tail, now here is where I went a 100% wrong. The drink turned out to be baby pink in color, with cream and pineapple and God knows what else and was a complete disaster. It was like having milk that had gone sour. Yeah, that bad. So then I played safe and ordered an iced tea next because you can-not go wrong with an iced tea. For the main course we ordered Sri-Lankan Prawns. I generally prefer ordering one main course at a time as some times I find that I am not able to complete it. (I absolutely hate wastage of food!). This turned out to be a good thing because the quantity of both the prawns gravy and the rice turned out to be enough for two! In general, you find a very small side of the rice , and few grilled/boiled veggies on the side with the gravy. Here, they had served the gravy in 1 container which is the size of a big bowl and similarly for the rice. Let me just say that the dish is a total paisa vasool, close to 15 pieces of prawns is served that too, medium sized, so you know that they have not been stingy. The rice which has an exotic touch as the veggies used are baby corn, zucchini etc. Herbed Rice is slowly becoming my favorite. The gravy is licked clean by my friend who had it even minus the rice. This is the first time I have got a taste of the Sri-Lankar Cuisine and I must say that I wish to try more of it. Its spicy, how I liked it and yet retains the flavor of the gravy served. Some dishes sometimes are so spicy that all you can taste is the chili and not the gravy. Over - all, I would want to be back for more probably in the evening, as I hear they have a dj set up as well. So this could be a fun destination for a night out with the girls. They don't display any dessert on their menu and I feel a little incomplete without it, so we asked if there was anything available. They had cheesecake - Blueberry on the menu, or rather off the menu, they magically made it appear. It was very similar to the one I had had at Sassy Spoon strangely, only the cherries were replaced by berries here and yes I devoured it and it was light as well. I have started to wonder if it was diet cheese-cake, if that's even possible. :P

Near Perfection when it comes to food and presentation along with a picturesque ambiance. Add some good music and this makes for a fun destination for your next night out with the girls or boys. They even have a DJ in the evening I hear, what else could you ask for?!!

WHAT WE HAD - Mini Burgers (Delectable!)

                     Chicken Gangam Style (Lives upto the name, beyond delectable!)

                     Sri Lankan Prawns (Finger Lickin' Good!)

                     Blueberry Cheesecake (Perfection!)

                 Pink-Creamy Mocktail (Don't remember the name, but STAY AWAY!)

                 Iced Tea (Its Iced Tea!)

DAMAGES - Rs 2200/- (Approx inclusive of 2 beers)

WHERE - The Treesome Café., Jewel Shopping Center, 7 Bungalows, Andheri (W), MUMBAI

Jam Jar Diner, MUMBAI

JAM-JAR DINER, ANDHERI

I have been ticking off places a lot from my bucket list right now which gives me mixed emotions. Happiness because I am getting to finally go to these places, sad because the list is becoming shorter and it makes me wonder, what will happen when all of them are ticked off. Its not that there will not be any places to visit, but when you say Bucket-List, it is those places you just can-not miss out. Hence, I have also started searching for more places to be added in my bucket list. Any suggestions??? Do let me know.

This place is known more for its breakfast menu, so I do intend to revisit. If only it wasn't so far away and I wasn't too lazy to get up early on my day off. I get up at 6 Am in 4 out of 7 days on an average, so on my days off I just can-not fathom getting up anywhere before 10 Am in the least on these days. Actually, I even would have but this was my girls special weekend, and I was reminded of my college days when I would be up and screaming my lungs out for everyone to get-up. get ready, have breakfast, take shower, we need to go out, we don't want to waste the day indoors and it would take a minimum of 3 hours before everyone is finally ready. Chaos, chaos and more chaos. But you know what? As much as it drove me up the wall, it remains the best days of my life. Nothing like having your girl-friends over. So instead of break-fast we went for lunch. Also, reminded me of how far we have come from our Mc-Donalds only days. We indeed have grown up but there is also the realization that though we might stay apart, we have not grown apart. So to all my girls, there is never going to be anyone quite like us! ( I am all mush but I just had to say that! :D)

Without further ado, this place can easily be missed as it is in the insides of Versova, and unless and until you are specifically looking for Jam-Jar, you will not really see it till you realize "oh! its been staring me in the face all this time" :P. This happens quite a lot with me, so I don't even feel foolish anymore. The place looks much bigger in photographs than it is in real. The place is not small, but it is not as big as it is made to look in photographs and it looks to have used up every little inch available. It looks interesting, what with the slanting book-shelf and the old-style jukebox. It has an element of retro to it. A lot of cutlery adorned on the walls with shelf in different angles.I felt like the place was trying too hard to be a lot of things and in the process became a mash-up of it all. Another thing is, is it generally so noisy. The place is super crowded, and for some reason has lots of kids milling around which added to the noise factor. I understand that its a weekend, and almost everyone has stepped out of their homes, but the noise is something that can trigger the off switch in you. Since, there was no place inside, we were seated out-side on their roof-top. Even if there was place inside, and it would be warmer outside,I would still prefer the outside than the inside, at least you don't hear people screaming on top of their lungs here.

One of the things that I have stopped paying much attention to is the service which I have realized is not bothered about at 70% of the places. When you enter, they greet you well, and ask after you, which is a positive sign to begin with but as soon as you are seated, you find it very difficult to draw attention towards yourself. This could also be because we were seated outside and not inside but in that scenario, you should have more staff covering the area rather than just 1. Still not losing heart, we begun by ordering 2 starters - Pan Tossed Chicken Sausages & Melted Queso with Bacon Fries. The sausages was for the non-pork eaters. Though I can't comment on the Bacon, I can say that the sausages were good. In general, whenever I hear the word tossed, I imagine it smeared in spices and sauces, but such was not the case here, so I actually appreciate that. I like Sausages, but kindly do not make a gravy out of it, its just not the same. The Fries, looked good, but I didn't have them, the one thing that however was the expectation 'round the table was that the fries would be wrapped in Bacon (Following too many Food-related websites and instagrams! :P) Such was not the case, it was just fries topped with some bits and pieces of bacon. Ouch! If nothing, so to me it just looked like normal fries, and not worth the amount charged especially since the bacon bits were not that much in quantity even. For main-course, everyone ordered individual dishes, and the favorite was Chimichurri Grilled Chicken as 3 of us had ordered the same, and then there was one Mushroom Spinach Stuffed Chicken. I however had ordered just a Fire-House Chili, a mexican style soup. I would have preferred 1/2 but everyone on the table was intent on having the chicken only and so I decided to go with my choice and if I still had some room left, would order something else as well. Between the Chimichurri and the Mushroom Stuffed, I would prefer the Mushroom Stuffed, the stuffing was par excellence and even the sauce served (cabarnet jus) was da-yum and if my cousin sister, who is hard to please when it comes to food said she l-o-u-v-e-d it and wish she could have some more, then you know it is true. I have always wondered, how do the English and the West Coast survive without rice or Bread in their meals, and how exactly do you feel full without it. But by the time everyone was done with their chicken, they all felt more than just full and didn't have much room for dessert. I on the other hand had ordered a fire-house chili, which frankly is heavier than any soup ever could be and had on its owns, its almost filling. If you give me some bread with it, it would be more than filling, and being quite thick it also is heavy. Served with some Tortilla Chips, I knew I had made the right choice because I liked it more than what was ordered by the rest. Then again, everyone's opinion would be different in this regards. The only downer? Wish it had a little more chili, because I definitely didn't feel it. Since, I was the only one who had still some room left, I ended up being the only person to order some dessert as well - Mess In a Jar. Only thing I can probably say is - "Avoid". I finished it because, no one else probably would and I avoid wasting food but otherwise there is nothing to write home about this one. The Whipped Cream, which is generally my favorite also failed to impress me, the red velvet tasted anything but and seemed a little stale as well. Moreover, the cake was completely soaked in the jelly and everything else that it felt watered down, and who would like to have water-soaked cake, I alone know, how I managed to swallow it all. This truly was nothing but a mess!! Also, I have added one more flavor of iced tea to my list, Pine-apple flavor. Where there is Iced tea, there is me. There was also the Water-melon one which was also ordered, but I can say I was the one who made the right choice as the water-melon flavor just didn't go well.

Looking for a good place to relax for a Sunday Brunch. You have just found the perfect Destination! Though we did a lunch, I am more than eager to try their break-fast variety.

WHAT WE HAD - Pan Tossed Chicken Sausages (Yum!)

                           Melted Queso with Bacon Fries ( Shout-Out for the Melted Queso!)

                           Chimchurri Grilled Chicken (Yum!)

                           Mushroom + Spinach Stuffed Chicken (Yum!)

                           Fire-House Chili (Yum, but share it between 2)

                           Mess in a Jar (Avoidddd!!!)

                           Pineapple flavor Iced Tea (Refreshing!) 

                           Watermelon Flavor Iced Tea (Can't really comment?)

                           Virgin Mojito ( Refreshing!)

                           Cold Drinks.

DAMAGES - Rs 4000/- (Approx)

WHERE - Jamjar Diner, 7A & B, Arram Nagar 2, Behind Washing Bay, Yari Road, Versova, Andheri (W)