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

China Bistro, Mumbai

CHINA BISTRO, Chembur

Food Delights Lands in Chembur. I have never really seen Chembur as a developed place, in my head, i.e. This is probably because I have been visiting Chembur since I was a little kid and India meant Vacations Only. My parents dragged us little ones here for their shopping excursions and I absolutely despised it. Imagine me being averse to shopping. But Hey! I was a kid back then and big-people clothes wasn't really a huge attraction to me. The only places back then that we visited as a pit stop for lunch/dinner in between these shopping sprees was the local thali and local fast food joints. Hence, I was under the impression for a long time that that is all this place has. But since then this place has developed by leaps and bounds.It was only because a friend of mine stays in this area that I ever realized that this place has much more than what I thought it did. One of them being China Bistro, a heaven for chinese food lovers like the likes of me. But then I love food of all kinds, as long as it tastes good. I am not a racist that way. :D

The place would be easy to miss if you actually are not used to driving or do not live in this area in particular, since it is located in an almost deserted place. Even the signboard is invisible in plain sight. I made use of google maps and for a change it was actually helpful. (I have a love-hate relationship with google maps!). The place is a chain and has India Bistro, Oasis Banquets and China Bistro all in the same building. On a Sunday Afternoon, I was expecting the place to be crowded, which it wasn't to my amazement. A place that has a 4+ rating on Zomato and serves an unlimited buffet (Yes, I know buffett means it will be unlimited) is hard to come by. Their pricing is as reasonable as it gets and it is not crowded is unheard of. But luckily for me on the day I was seated immediately. Hurrah! 

The restaurant is a typical fine dine. There is nothing extraordinary in terms of interiors. Hence, I don't want to get into detailing. Well lit and soothing ambience is all I would say. The staff gets a thumbs up from me as they were very courteous right from the minute I stepped foot in the restaurant - from being seated to the exit point. There was also a smiling face helping you out. Even though the mains are in the self service side, they come to your table asking if there is anything that you want to be brought to the table. Now that's what I call service. People going beyond the call of duty. We didn't ask them to personally get anything on the table, but receiving that attention always makes you feel that extra bit special. At the end of the day that is what service is all about.

We were served soup and starters on the table and the Sunday Special in Soup was Lemon Coriander Chicken Soup. The Soup was surprisingly good but felt more homemade than from a specialty restaurant. The one thing that I find fault in myself when writing reviews on buffet menu is that I can hardly remember the names of the stuff i ate. We had wontons and chicken dumplings (Yum and Yum!). Then there was the Chicken Wings in Hunan Sauce (Personal Favorite #1). They were crackling and simply delicious. The Pan Fried Chili Fish was again amazing, the flavors were robust, a hint of sourness, and neither over cooked nor under - melt in the mouth. There was a salad which I didn't pay much attention to ( I am really not into greens! :P) but I can still tell you that the dressing was good. The last of the starter which I had a second serving of was the Chili Garlic Prawns. I am an Indian, and if I am eating a buffet, I am going to make sure that I have the most of the best and the otherwise expensive stuff on the menu (They charge you a bomb for prawns wherever you go and it is my absolute favorite!). So Yes, I had a lot of prawns and it was worthwhile as the flavors were truly dynamite. For the mains, I tried a little of everything. However, the one thing that I would recommend is that they should have mini bowls places for the mains, as most Indo-Asian gravies are more liquid based which just spreads in your plate. So if you take even two different dishes in one plate, you will find them mixing into each other. Imagine, if you take 5 different ones. Yes, you now understand my dilemma. So a recommendation would be to provide miniature bowls, so that one can use these and enjoy the sumptuous different chinese gravies. I will not be going into much details for the mains as I didn't really have a lot of it, enough for a quick taste especially because of point mentioned above and also I had way too much of the starters. They have also included lobster in their menu which is a brave thing, simply because lobsters are exquisitely priced high. This was also the first time I had tried lobster and I have got to say that it tastes just like fish. (Point being why the craze behind it??!!) Speaking of the desserts, I enjoyed the chocolate cake and caramel custard. The one major attraction the place held for me was the chocolate fountain they had put up and I was as excited as a five year old for this. However, I have to say that the chocolate fountain doesn't make much sense unless and until you have accompaniments with it. The only thing served here was fruits and tea-cakes. There should have been more variety in terms of marshmallow, a lot more variety of cakes including brownies to go with the fountain. Special mention to the Darsaan - honeyed fried noodles which I actually wish I could have stolen and packed and taken home. Crisp, sweet and sticky, there is something about them,

I would be honest to tell you that I would visit this place only if I have an over the top craving for chinese food and lots and lots of it or otherwise to try their a-la-carte menu. If nothing the pricing for the buffet menu (approx 700 bucks per person) will pull you here. 

WHAT WE HAD - A lot of lip smacking food :D 

DAMAGES - Rs 700/- Approx Per Person

WHERE -  China Bistro, Oasis, Sion Trombay Road, Deonar, Chembur, MUMBAI

Barbeque nation, Mumbai

BARBECUE NATION, Belapur

Barbecue Nation. Does it need to be even reviewed? They are a well know and recognized name, a chain of buffet restaurants that have probably revolutionized the concept of buffet. Not that you didn't have buffet before that. But the concept of live barbecue is something that appealed to everyone and this is where I guess their USP lies. After saying all this, I need to tell you that this was actually my first visit to the place. I like Buffet, but in weddings and other such celebratory occasions and I rather prefer going to restaurants that serve a-la-carte giving me an idea of what the restaurants distinct flavors are like. It is generally seen that this point is missed out in the buffet system, where the major concern is to mass-produce where in the flavors get lost at times. However, I had always wanted to pay a visit to this one since not just months but years. This is because my brother is a huge fan and used to rave about this place since almost 5 years back. I was simply a college going student whose pocket money was limited and celebrations meant Mc Donalds and Pizza Hut back in the day and very rarely would we step out to a fancier place. 

The whole idea of heading here was for a dearest friend's birthday and as always is the case, One Jain, One Vegetarian and Two Non Vegetarians, there is a lot of issues in finding the right place where we can all enjoy and not have to compromise on our eating preferences (That would mostly be me!! :P). So brilliant of brilliant ideas, we decided to head to Barbecue Nation, because well- we, or rather I will not have to fore-go my meat and can even eat to our heart's content. There was still a small issue. Barbecue nation does not do Jain. Now what?! Now, here is the thing which gives them brownie points, having called and reserved a day ahead, they had gone to the extent of preparing Jain Food especially for One Person. In other restaurants, this is not as big a deal as they can in comparison customize easily. In a Buffet, this becomes a head-ache because the whole concept is to not serve a-la-carte but benefit from cooking on a large scale. So when someone goes to that much pain, they deserve a round of applause. This had already put them in my good books. 

Now, the most exciting part of this is the live barbecue set in front of you. This is where their USP lies as already mentioned, because most people come here to have their grills as compared to the other dishes served. You will see people taking a min of 1 hr and much beyond that to call off the first course of the meal. Did I mention it was Moh'd Ali Road Special on the Day. Now, if you are from Bombay, you would know and understand why its legendary, if not, it is a place that makes into everyone's must visit list during the month of Ramadan (Except for mine, you need to have a strong heart to come here, that story another day, I will vouch for the food though, just not have it live). So there was kebabs, tikkas and other grill items that was laid down on the barbecue and it didn't stop till well, we realized we need to leave room for the main course and dessert as well. From the Non Veg Menu, there was Prawns, Chicken, and Fish Tikka, then there was tandoori leg pieces of chicken, Fish Fry (American Style) and Seekh Kebabs. My favorite of the lot? Prawns, fish tikka and the Kebabs. You will not always get the same menu, in this place, so its a little difficult for me to say that this is what is good or bad in their menu. Having said that, they are known for their cajun spiced potatoes, Chermoula Prawns and Seekh Kebabs and I can definitely vouch for them now. The only disappointment was the tandoori piece of chicken leg they had served, the meat was not soft, there felt to be no spices in it and salt seemed to be non-existent. Except for this. everything else on the grille was ordered atleast 3-4 times. From the vegetarian selection, I did not try much but I am floored by the Cajun Spiced Potatoes. Their Non-vegetarian selection, other-wise was so good that I didn't even look towards the Vegetarian Selection, not even the Paneer. I need to also give a special mention the the pine-apples which was rubbed with spices and grilled to perfection, as this might have been ordered for a minimum of 7-8 times. I however, did not have them but it was a favorite on the table and that too was especially prepared in the Jain section. We didn't have everything full fledged from the main-course but rather were just trying everything out. The shorba/soup was a miss in both and veg and non-veg. The rest of the items were in general good, but like I mentioned, most people head here for the Starters and the Dessert section. Speaking of the desserts, its a heaven for anyone born with a sweet tooth the size of an elephant's. They had Gulab Jamun, Ice- Creams, Kulfis, Cheese cakes (Yes, I had more of those. Don't give me that look! :P), then vanilla cakes, phirni, malpua with rabri, sheer kurma and some more. The only miss I would give is to the sheer-kurma, I am very particular about sheer-kurma, because sheer-kurma is well, food for the soul which is cooked with love by my mother dearest. So you either make it right or you don't and there is no in between. 

Another concept which is very popular here is the birthday cakes they provide free of cost, if there is a birthday in the group. I had thought, kaun karta hoga before, but now I realize that 50% of the people on the day do indeed celebrate loved one' birthdays here, where they bring in a cake and embarrass you by playing Happy Birthday on Loud. I had to ask my friends 4-5 times, if they were playing it for our table or some one else's as that is how many birthdays were there on the day! I guess, heading here on the weekend to celebrate birthdays is not just our idea but every one's! :P

Barbecue Nation because Live Grille, Barbecue Nation because Food Unlimited, Barbecue Nation because there is something for everyone, Barbecue Nation because they go to the extent of customization for your preference though no body tells them to do so. Barbecue Nation because its BARBECUE NATION!! 

DAMAGES - Rs 3800/- Approx ( For 4 - 2 Veg, 2 Non Veg)

WHERE -  Barbeque Nation, G-006, Sharda Terraces, Plot 65, Sector 11, CBD Belapur, Navi Mumbai