Le 15 Cafe, Mumbai

Le 15 Cafe, Colaba

This place has been on my list since the day it opened it's doors and honestly, I had wanted to go back then itself. But it being on the other side of the city, made it a tad bit difficult, not that I didn't try. After several failed plans I arrived here actually out of the blue. A lazy Monday morning when me and a friend were tired of staying indoors (As lazy as I am, there is only so much of staying in bed and watchin tv can I take), and so when I suggested Le 15, it was met with a Why Not, and I was here! HURRAH! 

Like I have said earlier, I have been following this place for quite some time, that I know the great designer Masaba Gupta has a little hand in the designing of the place, the cushions, the materials used in the seating around, Masaba Magic. (I was secretly hoping one of the two Chefs - Pablo Naranjo or Pooja Dhingra would have been here, an autograph or even better a selfie would have made my Year, but better luck next time ) Yeah, I am a little star struck. The place is uber chic and I was kind of surprised to find that it is actually pretty spacious, I had always assumed it would be a quaint little cafe. I love the sofa seatings attached to the French type window and that's the place I attacked. Though it would have made more sense if you could seat side ways and see the bustling crowd and not have your back to it. 

I had already made up my mind on what I had wanted to have a year ago. Well, the first thing I would want to try i.e. But unfortunately it wasn't available on this sunny day. I had wanted to try the Savory Parmesan Waffles, but their waffle machine wasn't working (How can you have just one waffle maker, or did all of them stop functioning on the same day? I don't know how this works). Well, gives me reason to come back again. So we instead ordered the Truffle Tagliatelle (I didn't even know Tagliatelle was a type of pasta until informed by the staff, which is a good thing because the staff knew the menu well enough) and a Chicken Burger. The Pasta, if I may say so, is the best I have had in Mumbai till date and I have to put everything else I have had and appreciated second to this. I like my pasta to be cheesy, but not an over dose of it. It shouldn't just be cheese, the other ingredients should also talk to you and how it did here! I was floating in Heaven in my head. Honestly, I wasn't expecting much from the burger, I mean how creative can you get with a burger. I wasn't prepared to be blown over and blown over I was. I should be talking about the bun used in the burger, what sorcery was it. Why? Because I could probably have the bun by itself sans everything else, with a cup of chai on the side. It was that delicious. Also, I am not always a fan of mustard sauce and it is something I almost never use as a dressing in anything, but it went really well with the burger and the mushrooms here. Also, I am not sure but it seemed like they had served Magic Masala Lays (The blue one) on the side. It definitely tasted like that. I wish they had serv\ed fries or wedges or onion rings or something along those lines instead. It's much more filling and satisfying. I almost can't choose between the two dishes and that's very rare. There is always a clear winner. Here, I just couldn't make up my mind. On the side I had ordered an iced tea and my friend had placed and order for Elder Flower Lemonade. Both were great to beat the heat. 

This place is grand and for that reason I at least would buy their pastries and macaroons on special occasions. One, they can be a little expensive and the size of most of their off the shelf desserts are quite small, if I may say so. So for me it's reserved for special occasions only and I do so. If the size of their cup cakes and desserts were increased a little, you still wouldn't feel the pinch on your wallet. Though, you should make it a point to have them. I have had almost everything over time and there is a reason why I don't mind splurging on them on some days. 

All I can say is GO! GO! GO! I am going to be back for the waffles!! 

WHAT WE HAD - Chicken Burger (Heaven)

                           Truffle Tagliatelle (Heaven)

                            Elder Flower Lemonade (Refreshing)

                            Iced tea (Refreshing)

DAMAGES - Rs 1600/- (Approx)

WHERE -  Le 15 Cafe Colaba., Shop 18, Lansdowne House Building, MB Marg, Near Regal Cinema, Apollo Bunder, Colaba, Mumbai

Havana Bar & Cafe, Mumbai

HAVANA BAR & CAFE, Colaba

Finding a place on a Saturday evening is a task in itself and after much deliberation we finalized on this. Th criteria for selection was that it should be happening enough but we shouldn't have to stand for hours (I am just not ready to do that!).

Is the place that happening? Not really. We were there till around midnight and I didn't really find the place to be what a Saturday night should ideally mean. The place is done spectacularly. I was especially taken with the interiors. They make really good back ground for photographs (Yes, I am one of those :P). The stair case leading to the main restaurant was surrounded by walls painted in hues of blue which is something else entirely. I am fond of the color blue, if you all are wondering. The main restaurant? Have you seen beauty and the beast? Well, you know when Belle enters the huge palace and it looks mysterious, inviting and a little bit scary as well? Not bad scary, the good scary, like where am I? This is what the place reminded me of. I find it more easy to describe while referring to something than just in plain words. Painting a picture by reference basically.

The service is just around average. Even though I wouldn't complain that we were not serviced or that the service was below par or even that we were not treated well. But it is little things that some times set you off. An example would be that for some peculiar reason everyone on our table felt that they wanted to get rid of us and give the table to some one else. I generally like service to be fast, but the service was just too fast that before we had even finished with our plates, we were asked if we are done with the dish. (Hold up a minute, please??!!) This didn't happen once but just again and again which irked us off a little bit. I get it that people who drink will be more profitable for you considering it is a Saturday night but otherwise you should just hand a sign board saying only if you order so many drinks will we be more welcoming towards you. We felt so rushed the entire time but even then we were firmly seated and just had the we are going to sit here till we want to vibe going on. Also, note that it wasn't like we weren't ordering. We were just having more food.

Well, obviously the next pointer in question is the food! For us non-vegetarians we ordered the non-veg sharing platter and the vegetarians opted for orange, gin and cubano berry marinated cottage skewers. The fanciest name on the menu many a times turns out to be the plainest dish on the menu. Word play helps sell it, I guess. This particular cottage cheese was just dressed with some sticky sweet sauce and had raw vegetables. The only reason why we ate it is because well we ordered it and didn't want it to go to waste. It is something that looks very fancy sitting on your table but is nothing more. The non-veg sharing platter is another story. Consisting of chicken & fish skewers, potatoes, nachos and wings is what you need on a Saturday Night with drinks in hand. Minus the drinks in our case. Next we had Spaghetti with herbs and feta cheese. It's good but not mind-blowing in any which way. We also had bruschetta of some sort which was just topped with raw tomatoes, cheese and some olives. I don't know about others but I prefer my bruschetta to be bakes like garlic breads generally is.The best dish on the day happened to be baked nachos with cheese. The portion is huge! Melted cheese is heaven and topped with salsa,olives and jalapenos makes quite the treat! This was the final dish ordered on the day and the goodness of it can simply be stated by the fact that we were almost full at this point and still devoured this like we haven't eaten at all on the day! For drinks, we had mostly rounds of iced teas around the table. The iced teas were okay enough. Lately, I have started to find that people can go wrong with iced teas as well. This one was just about okay. We also had ordered a glass of Sangria and I had a sip and once again I can say that I don't understand why people drink this stuff. :P

Would I end up here again? When they have a party scene going on a night, maybe. But solely for the food? Not, really. Combine that with the enthusiasm displayed for trying to get rid of us as soon as possible, probably not. Sometimes if your food is average but your service is spectacular, you might be pulled back for the warm welcome received. Here, not so much.

WHAT WE HAD - Non-Veg Sharing Platter (Yum!)

                           Cottage Cheese Skewers (Avoid!)

                           Spaghetti with Herb & Feta Cheese (Average)

                           Bruschetta (Okayish)

                           Baked Nachos with Cheese Sauce (Yummm..!!)

                           Sangria (No Comments)

                           Iced teas - 5 (Okayish)

DAMAGES - 25-30% Taxes on what ever amount you pay. (I have started to calculate Taxes because that's the pinch you really feel)

WHERE -  Havana Mumbai., The Gordon House Hotel, 5 Battery Street, Apollo Bunder, Colaba, Mumbai

Leopold Cafe, Mumbai

LEOPOLD CAFE, Colaba

Leopold's, always been famous, and had been even more so after the Terrorist Attacks in November 2008. This is one place that is not just on my bucket list, but on probably everyone who sets foot in Amchi Mumbai. And Yet. Yet, I didn't make it here in 5 whole years of my stay in Mumbai. Sometimes you are so busy searching for something around you, that you do not see what is staring you right in the face. Like Seriously! Its right there, in front of you and you look everywhere but not in your own home. Is it me or does it sound like I am referring to a lover/Boyfriend who was always there?!! :/ Well, Leopold is exactly that. How many times have I passed by this place, not giving it a second glance, telling myself, too overcrowded and overhyped. I realize what a fool I had been, all this time.

Christmas is when I finally made it here, and you know what, there is no better time than christmas to be here. The place looks so full of energy and vibrant and it's addictive, maybe it was the spirit of christmas in the air, or probably not, because you don't exactly hear loud music and a bar full of people talking over each other on christmas eve. You think of gospels and choir and Santa Claus. But it is still christmasy, for lack of a better word. Truly? It reminds you of a typical bar scenario in England. I talk as if I have been to all these places, where as I havn't been beyond the lines of Maharashtra and probably a few others. But think Bar in England, and I am almost sure this would be the image that would have sprung to your mind as well. For this, I love it. Its been a long time since I have been to a place, where I have felt that I had been transported to another era/foreign lands etc. Its these little facts that add to the overall experience of a place.

I have to say kudos for the service, especially since on such a busy night, I didn't find myself waiting for more than 15 minutes. Initially, standing in that queue, I had seriously thought this is going to take up an hour. But it didn't! That in itself was a good start, I could not have been complaining otherwise as well if you have a look at how crowded the place actually is! They have made use of small tables, and have almost left no space between tables, crowded, but works efficiently for them. Your server is at your table every 15 minutes, just to keep a check if you need to make any more orders etc, so that is a good trick in their bag. Else, you would end up waiting for half an hour or even more for someone to show up, that's how noisy and crowded the place is. Noisy, it might be, but in the "Let set the Mood" way.

If you have recently read my reviews, you would have also read, how I have been looking for places that offer something more to me in taste and flavor. Things have started to become repetitive, in terms of ambience, menu, etc etc. I understand that you can't create something new on a regular basis and a lot of the items on the menu are infact going to be repeated. But a place should still have something that creates a distinction, this place has that. The only regret I have is that, why. why did I eat anything else before stepping here, as I had had a quick small burger 3 hours prior and had been to an ice-cream parlour as well. So all in all, I wish, I hadn't done that. Then, I could have had more food rather than just sharing a starter and one main course split three ways. For beginners we had the BBQ Chicken, and generally the BBQ chicken served in most places is chicken wings smothered with BBQ Sauce. Here, it was not so, it had BBQ sauce, but it wasn't just BBQ. I am not exactly great at identifying flavors/ingredients, in that am a rookie. But this is what I was saying when I said I want to have something different, not fried pieces of chicken dipped in BBQ sauce or something along the lines. I have had so much of these kind, that even though I enjoy it, I am not satisfied. I am looking for more. Here, I found that more. Another thing, that I have to point out is that thank you for giving those cucumber with dressing on the side. Most places just cut up beet-root, and cabbage and serve it up, which most of the times, goes uneaten. Here, I wanted more of that as well. The servings is the third thing. Its good. One Starter can easily be split 3 ways. For the mains, we ordered the grilled beef steak with pepper sauce. Even though I like beef, I find it to be really heavy and easily filling, which is I have it on rare occasions or eat from someone else's plate :P. The steak was good, however the mashed potatoes were a slight disappointment as it felt to be lacking. It felt more Indian Aloo ka Bharta, which is boiled and mashed potatoes sprinkled with salt, and a few condiments than the Original Mashed Potatoes. One thing, I have always wondered is how do people in the west eat their meals without some form of bread/rice on the side. The Hindustani in me is never satisfied till I have had something on the side, even if it is a piece of bread. You know that kuch toh missing hai feeling!! Yes, That. and mashed potatoes, though good, is not that. So to all the Angrez out there, how do you not eat rice/bread on like a daily basis?! Out of plain curiosity. We had four iced teas between three on the side as I am lucky enough to find people who love eating and not drinking as much.

All I can say is, don't be an idiot as I happen to be. Remember, some places are said to be legendary for a reason. The reason here is the vibe that this place has, its magic, you have to be there to truly feel it. The food definitely helps! I look forward to dropping in again. Sooner rather than Later. You definitely should too!

WHAT WE HAD - Iced Teas (Lemon, PeaPeach, Cranberry - We had it ALL. YUM!)

                           Barbecue Chicken (More is Less!)

                           Grilled Beef Steak with Pepper Sauce (Yum's the Word)

DAMAGES - Rs 1400/- (Approx)

WHERE -  Leopold Cafe., S.B. Singh Road, Colaba Causeway, Colaba, MUMBAI

Koyla, Mumbai

KOYLA 

Look who is back??!!! After a really long and uncalled for hiatus, I is finally back in action, or rather back to eating, not that I was not eating before, but it was mostly restricted to eating at home, and though I have no complaints regarding it, because Ramadan is a blessed month in more ways than one. All the fasting seems so worth it when you finally sit down for Iftar, even though that is not the objective behind the fasting, it is an added advantage. So now that the festivities and all the family gatherings have been put aside, I have once my resumed my passion for trying out what is good out there. 

I had originally wanted to go to this place, or any place because of the sheeshe factor, now that the the ban his been lifted on it, how can you not??!! But alas, even though we did end up visiting the place, we had no Hukkah, don't ask me why. The table had been pre-booked and unfortunately sheesha is served in closed quarters, and not at the roof-top where we were seated. So we had to with a very long face let go of our desire for the night. But in all else, it was a wonderful-wonderful night. Having friends has that effect, I believe, In fact having friends and ambiance is mostly the saving grace for this place.

The place though located on a roof-top you have to cross many a barriers to get there, including its kitchen, one point that should be given to them is that the kitchen does not look unhygienic, since you pass through it, everything is in view and the many horrors that generally are said about kitchen of most restaurants, does not fall true for this place at least, not the cleanest, but you know that they have taken care that you are not going to fall sick the next day, not that I generally do, but never the less, you get the idea. However, taking the small elevator and the many steps and everything, is not exactly welcoming either, if there was an elevator that opened directly to the place, would have been nicer, but that has not stopped people from visiting here before.

The ambiance, is where the USP of this place actually lies. The exclusive open curtained seatings, reminds you of dining at the shores of sandy beaches and for effect, they actually have sand on your feet, I realized this when I took my shoes off and was wondering where did the sand come from on my feet, but no complaints as it actually shows the efforts they have gone into to give some authenticity to the place.

Lets talk about the service, nothing to write home about, very honestly but I would give their staff points for compelling you to try a dish which you probably didn't have in mind. I somewhere felt it to be a strategy to increase sales. Why I say this is because, the dishes that we were originally ordering, was of comparatively lower range (as if, there is anything cheap in places like these. :P), but our server was intent on getting us to order, the dishes as he recommended which obviously were marked higher on the pricing scale. If it happened with one, I would take that to be a special, as the server said so, but all? A little difficult to digest, but never the less we actually ordered what he recommended, so I would say that it is a good strategy. Other than this, the service is not even at par because except for taking your orders, the staff is not interested in anything else, and you would hardly get a smile your way and will not customize your order looking into eating preference to a degree of 1%, so that was something that irked me, but not enough to not enjoy the place as such. As I have mentioned, the USP of this places lies in its ambiance, and the sheesha parlour, The price you pay for a decent place, in this city! :P

Coming to the food, which is what this is all about, we began with 4 mock-tails, this place does not serve alcohol ( but serves sheesha! quite the irony, but then go to the gulf and you will see sheesha places at every nook and corner, people smoking broad day light, with kids even running around but alcohol is served but restricted.) We started off with Nawabi Paneer Tikka and Nawabi Chicken Kabab. The Paneer Tikka is Paneer Tikka, so it has to be good. The Nawabi Chicken however, with a stuffing of Capsicum, peppers, onion etc is something I wish I could make at home (I am sure my mom, the super cook can! :P). I love things made in Tandoor, on coals, I believe it adds extra flavour to any food. Even to Gravies, you have got to try my mom's home made Chicken Angaare, to believe it, or even the Butter Chicken for that matter. Since this place is specialized in ethnic cuisine, it fares well. For the main course we ordered, Paneer LazeeZ and Murg Chatpata or the other-way round, I don't quite remember. The one thing that I do appreciate is that the gravies varied in flavor and taste. One thing that is a disappointment in most restros is that the flavor is exactly the same whether you order a kadhai, masala, tikka masala, angaare, lazeer, chatpata or any other fancy name you can come up with. Again, I would mention that even though the food was good here, for the price you pay, you can probably visit Gulshan Dhaba in Bhandup, but then like I said, you pay here for the name that it carries, for the food and mostly for the ambiance. In the end, you will not feel disappointed. My friends however complained that the photos don't come out great here due to the lighting, I on that front have to say, that the lighting is perfect, it is just a place where low-lighting plays a huge role. In the bread that we ordered to go with the gravies, the roomali roti was the best. I have a soft corner for roomali roti, and nothing can quite beat it. The Cheese Kulcha they served comes a close second, and if you have just one cheese kulcha, it is equivalent to your meal, if your appetite matches mine in anyway.

You don't need a reason to be here, but to be here. This place already holds a name, and even though you might fixed reviews about the place, this place is still a must visit, for its ambiance. After all, sitting at a roof-top restaurant in the midst of Colaba with a view of the sea on a non-rainy day, is quite something. 

PS - Special mention for the candle lit in the tomato ( I didn't know you could do that!). Also for their mint-curd chutney, which is very difficult to find and is so common in Pakistani restaurants in Bahrain.

PPS - When? When will that day come when I have room for dessert, I stuff myself so much that even though I always make plans to order dessert, but 80% of the time have to drop the idea. :(

WHAT WE HAD - Nawabi Paneer Tikka (Yum!)

                           Nawabi Chicken Kabab ( Yum x10)

                           Paneer Lazeez (Yum! Yum!)

                           Murg Chatpata (I want more!)

                           Cheese Kulcha (Have only if you are a cheese-lover!)

                           Roomali Roti (My all time favorite)

                           Butter Naan (Soft! and yum!)

                           Passion Fruit Mojito (strictly Okay)

                           Bailey's Shake (Milky & Creamy)

                           Orange & Raspberry Ice Bomb (Good enough)

                           Koyla Thunder (Avoid!)

DAMAGES - Rs 3000/- Approx

WHERE - Gulf Hotel, HNA Azmi Marg, Colaba, Mumbai

Colaba Social, Mumbai

COLABA SOCIAL

One down from My To-Visit list. This place had been on my must-visit list for a long time and I have even attempted to get in here, but the place being over crowded on weekends such that you don't have standing space, I left looking for greener pastures. I am not one of those people who can stand in a corner and gulp down drinks, I always always always want to have a table. I was met with similar luck this time, even though it was hardly around 3.00 PM, the place was still full but it looked like if we waited for a while, we might just find a place to be seated, so we decided on staying or rather I, leaving no option for the rest of my companions though they did give me several looks. :P So after almost a 30 minute wait, all of us feeling awkward, one group felt pity on us and were kind enough to finish their meals comparatively a little quick and emptied their seats for us! ( Thank You Stranger! :))

Colaba Social is famous for the quirkiness it has implemented in it design, where we were seated the couch was designed like the trunk of a car with tail lights, the ceilings are adorned with egg containers, and above the bar you can see Wine Bottles and even spoons and all hanging, There is a little swing set up in the middle of the place and I was almost tempted to sit there, only it would look a little stupid, and even though I have done a lot of stupid stuff, I did not want to look even more stupid than I generally do, so I dropped the idea. 

The servers are courteous enough but it can be a task some times, to get their attention. So the service though was not bad, was nothing to write home about. We were five in total, and having had a very light break fast were hungry as hell, so it did not take much time in placing our orders. A round of Margaritas for the Drinkers and good old Iced Tea for me, I have to say I was disappointed with the iced tea, not in flavor, because quantity wise and even my taste buds approved, but I was seriously expecting a very mini-tub, if you have gone through the many reviews and photos on Zomato of the place, this is one thing that sets the place apart from others, the quirky ways they choose to serve their drinks but for some reason, I received it in an over-sized glass reading Beer in Hindi. For Starters we ordered Jalapeno Cheese Nads, Prawn Sesame on Toast and the Sausage Fest. My favorite of the lot was the Prawn Sesame on Toast, which was made of minced prawns and other stuff toasted. I think I have developed a taste for Mashed Potatoes or maybe recently, I have been visiting places that do it just right because this place sure as hell serves good mashed potatoes with their sausages. The Sausage was chicken as well as pork, I chose to have chicken as I am a non-pork eater. The Cheese Jalapeno bites I did not actually try but I have been told they were a knock-out. This must be a first, cheese bites on the table and me not eating it. We had a Vegetarian on the table and would not have liked to see her go hungry. :P For the main-course, we ordered traditional items, but did not regret it, because it was oh-so-yummy. I have always liked Prawns, liked would be wrong, loved. Even loved would be an understatement but recently I have been ordering it around a lot. We went for the Mac N Cheese, Goan Prawn Curry & Lamb Massaman Curry. The Mac n Cheese was supposed to have a hint of jalapeno as was written in the decription, but very honestly I could't find any trace of it. The Star Dish for the day was the Goan Prawn Curry because the gravy hit the right note, even they way it was served, was impressive. I especially loved the way they made a hash sign from the cucumber served. The lamb was equally good, but the prawns was the clear winner. Even the Fish Flavored Papads tasted like it had been made my next door Goan Aunty (I don't actually have a next door neighbor who is Goan but that drives the point home). There was one dessert ordered - The Layer Cake, all was good with it if only it was a little bit bigger in size, the only complain from my dearest friend who had had nothing but that.

If you are ready to stand in queue, or even if you don't mind moving around with your drinks, or just being by the bar, this place is definitely not to be missed. The Music, the ambiance, the food and the drinks make one helluva combination, truly a place for getting your hair down. 

PS - They have some pretty mean break fast as well, something I look forward to trying out soon! 

WHAT WE HAD - Jalapeno Cheese Nads (Yum!)

                           Prawn Sesame Toast (Delish!)

                           Sausage Fest ( Sausage is a weakness for me!)

                           Goan Prawn Curry (Yum!Yum! Yum!)

                           Lamb Massaman Curry (Yuminess!)

                           Jalapeno Mac N Cheese (Yum but no trace of Jalapeno)

                           Iced Tea (Tasty but for the Presentation)

                           Lemon Margaritas (Hits the right spots!)

                           Layer Cake ( Delish!)

DAMAGES - Rs 4000/- Approx ( We were 5) (The Drinks Bill is generally on the higher side, but then it always is :P)

WHERE - Colaba Social 24, Ground Floor, Glen Rose Building, Behind Taj Mahal Palace, Apollo Bunder, Colaba, MUMBAI

SUFRA, MUMBAI

I had across this while shopping in Colaba and was actually heading to Theobroma which is in the same lane. The cafe looked interesting and upon seeing that it was by Moshes and that it served Arabian Cuisine, perked up my interest in it. Next I knew, as soon as I reached home I did a search and my joy to know they serve Kabsa! I have not heard Kabsa in a really long time. So my joy didn'tknow any boundaries and well, it was decided I just have to head here. 

Though I had first laid sight on the place on Colaba, they had one in Bandra as well and since it would be more convenient to head here I went here rather than the Colaba one. Though now I wish, I had gone to the Colaba one. It seemed more comfortable. Reason being, as soon as we entered here, we couldn't spot any seating and were told we would have to first place our orders and pay for our meals and only then we can go upstairs. I wish I had seen the upstairs. The upstairs is basically big enough to fit one single bed with chairs on either sides. That Tiny and also with what so ever no ventilation, forget an air conditioner and as you know the weather is taking a turn. A turn where its dry and humid at the same time. There is just one wall fan which is actually a table fan but you won't even feel the air if you are sitting at the other end which we were. And Icing on the cake will be when in this cramped space there is a loud group occupying the space near to you. I have no issue with the loudness. It happens when you are with your close buddies. But in this little space, it gets to be annoying because it feels like you can-not make any conversation. What I mean to say is they need to improve on this aspect. No Ventilation + Cramped Up Seating + Loud People does not make a great combination. Who Knew that right?! 

I can't really talk much about the service since their part I believe is to only take orders and ensure it reaches the guests. The upstairs is more like a Balcony I would say. My Balcony might be bigger than that. But we had already places our orders and I did actually want t eat some authentic Arabian Cuisine, so we concentrated on just that. So we placed order for Hummus with Chicken, Kabsa and Roast Chicken. The Hummus is a fine paste as it should be and honestly the best hummus I have had in Mumbai. I have had at varied places but this has to be the best of the lot. This is a very signature and staple dish found in the gulf and not so easy to remake. Yet, full points to them as I was literally licking my fingers off. Word of Caution though - Hummus requires acquired taste, because in my experience I have found that the friends that I have made in India do not like it much. If you do, I love you already. :) Next was the Kabsa, which came with a cauliflower paste (sauce) and Arabian style chilies that were pickled. Again Full Points and this is one dish that my friend who had accompanied us and who has not had Arabian cuisine before liked. More than just liked. she devoured it. Her first reaction was that this looks like an ordinary biryani, but the moment she had her first bite, her reaction told me that it is not like a Biryani. A Biryani and Kabsa are as different as a frankie and a Shawarma. While both have their own distinct flavors, it is just not the same. Finally, the Roast Chicken. This was love at first bite. I have not had such good chicken in a really really and I mean really long time. It was slow cooked and you can just feel that when the flavors mingle in your mouth. Like it was roasted slowly letting all the spices sink in and exactly tot he right extent. Many a times I find that when you say Roast Chicken, it is assumed to be bland and without any flavour. This was not the case here. So if I had to rate them on the Food. It would be Full Marks because I can still feel the taste lingering in my mouth and the craving to go back. We had it with coke because no authentic Arabian meal is complete without one Habibi! Okay, I went over a little over board there but you understand my sentiments.

Word of Advice - Go HERE! Just That, and if like me you mind the cramped up seating, order for a Take-Away. But do not miss this place. Arabian Cuisine at its best. 

WHAT WE HAD - Hummus With Chicken Topping (To Die For!)

                           Kabsa ( I just Died and Went to heaven)

                           Roast Chicken (Seventh Heaven!)

DAMAGES - Rs 750/- (Approx including 2 soft drinks)

WHERE -

Sufra 

Next to Oceanic Building, Carter Road, Bandra (W), Mumbai

PICCADILLY, MUMBAI

My Lebanese Heaven is what I like to call it. The only place that has come close to make me feel like I am having meals from my homeland and I am missing it a tad bit more as my sister is holidaying there where as I am slogging off over here. *sigh* 

There was a time, when I dropped into this place twice a week at least if not more. My hostel was located in Churchgate and it was hardly a 20 minute walk or 15 Rs of Cab-drive away and I was such a regular that everyone recognized me and my group of friends and if we didn't show-up for 4 days in a row, they would tell us on the next visit, that its been a long time. I have only ever been to such places with my parents where every one would recognize you including the manager. This is mainly because they stick to their regular hang-outs. Hang-outs is such a funny word when using it for your parents, but I couldn't for the moment think of another word. :P But its the little joys of the world when your favorite restaurant knows and remembers you to the extent where they serve your drink in a taller glass then the usual because they know you love it! :D

This place has been here forever. I don't at the moment remember the specific year as such. But I guess 100 years would not be an exaggeration. or somewhere near it. Most of the places located in Colaba generally is. So this place holds an old world charm and is also designed like many local Iranian restaurants that you would find in my hometown with sprinkles of the Indian Victorian Era. This place is not some fancy fine-dine or a lounge or does not have any extra-ordinary interiors. But like I said its designed as a local Iranian meet Victorian Era coffee shops, where you would find a lot of localites. Atleast, in my hometown you would, Over here, its brimming with tourists. One of those rare places after all that serve authentic Lebanese food. Most places have glamorized it. It doesn't mean I do not like those other places, but it is like Mumbai is known for its Vada Pav, No one makes biryani like the Hyderabadi, Idli-Sambhar like the Keralites (Please, the rest of South India, don't take offence :) ). In a similar fashion, the origin of the many variants of Shawarma that you find in other parts of the world is the Gulf Region. No one makes it like them and no one can. But this place, does it. Also, remember that Shawarma served in different parts of the Middle East as such varies as well. 

If you are lucky, you will find yourself to be seated at the only and also my favorite window seat. I think I could spend hours in this spot. Overlooking the colaba market, it is some view. No it does not over look some sea, or bridge or anything of the likes. But it holds some sort of black magic, I would say, that you feel like a web of magic has been spun around you. Don't ask me why. 

Since this particular day was a sunday, and this angrezi looking tourist had already occupied the place, I had to make peace with sitting up stairs and to my disappointment, these two were seated long after I had left and they had come in way before us!-_- But like I said, you won't feel like getting out of that spot so soon. Since my friend had not tried this cuisine before, I had to take every precaution possible including telling her repeatedly that this will not be spicy AT ALL. The thing about this cuisine is that, either you will love it or dis-like it, no in between but the Shawarma? You will L-O-V-E it. If you don't, there must be something really wrong with you on so many different levels. I am sorry but get yourself checked because even my vegetarian friends over the years have loved their Paneer and Falafel Variants. Falafel is another speciality of the middle-east. Okay, back to business, So we ordered 1 Shawarma and two iced tea for starting off. Since, I was in a mood to try out different things as well, we ordered just one because these shawarmas if had just two can be really heavy! We next ordered the Lebanese Barbeque Chicken Kabab which is served with khuboos (Pita Bread) and some pickled cucumbers and beet roots. I love the pickled purlish cucumbers, I could finish it all off. In fact, I always do and me and my friends even order for more. They also serve you a side of Tahina which is a kind of mayonnaise and hummus . You will love the Tahina but only if you have grown up in the middle east will you realize the beauty of the hummus. Another specialty of the Kababs here is that unlike the Indian Kababs, they are not spicy at all and yet are so full of flavor and juices and it tastes really different from the ones you have in India. We also placed and order for Chicken Fajitas which is a gravy which has a sweet side to it. But pair it up with buttered rice and you will not feel disappointed. It is another regular item that I order on every other visit. We also had a refill on the iced tea. Let me tell you, it is this place where my addiction to Iced Teas began. Need I say more??!!

So the guys out there, when you take your girls next for a shopping spree for some street side shopping, rejuvenate with some delicious shawarmas and iced teas in this little space snuck in the lanes of Colaba. 

WHAT WE HAD - Chicken Shawarma ( This is my Favorite Food on the planet, need I say more??!!) 

                            Lebanese Barbeque Chicken Kabab ( I louuvee Kababs)

                            Chicken Fajitas ( Yumminess)

                            Hummus ( You can either love it or hate it, I love it!)

                            Tahina ( You cannot not like it!)

                          Pita Bread/ Khuboos ( Judge it by the melt-in-mouth feel and it totally is)

Iced Teas

Damages - Rs 900/- Approx ( We were 2 on the day)

WHERE - Piccadilly Restaurant, Donald House, Opp. Electric House, Colaba Causeway, Colaba

CHIKITA CAFE, MUMBAI

The wonders of Colaba Causeway is never ending. Every time, I visit here, I discover a new eatery. This time, it was Chikita Cafe. Even though this place is one of the oldest restaurants in the area, it had closed shop. But is back in action (which is why I probably missed it, when I was residing nearby a while ago).

If you want to keep the tummy & the wallet happy at the same time. Well, this should be added to your "go-to" list then. They have limited and basic menu in terms of offerings but I am not complaining, because I had a mexican appetizer (nachos), then the chikka tikka hummus ( Lebanese) and Pasta ( Italiano baby!). So what reason does one have to complain??!! I have grown up in the middle east, so I am very very particular about the Lebanese food served, and if its not right, its not right. But I have got to say, like most of the other times where I always end up saying, " I shouldn't have ordered this". Here, I went "I am so glad I ordered this and the chicken tikka spread out in the hummus, just adds to the flavor.

Yes, I have had better nachos and better pastas, in other places, in the price range, it was worth it. The cheese spread on the nachos was what made me go ga-ga on the otherwise plain nachos ( Any thing that has cheese, can never ever be bad - Its the law :P). The sauce in the pasta was a little thin than my general preference but, it no where affected the taste and my friend was savoring even the last drop of the sauce, so I just can't bring myself to say anything even remotely negative about it. 

Overall, its the perfect place to hang out with your friends after college or after coming out or the theatre ( Regal cinema is just on the opposite end, and I for one always go looking for a place to eat after a movie :D) or even after a long and hard day at work. so the next time you find yourself low on cash (or otherwise even) , you know where to head. - :) at Chikita Mumbai.

WHAT WE HAD - Nachos & Cheese with Jalapenos ( Did you read the law?)

                           Penne Pasta in Alfredo sauce ( Yum)

                           Hummus with chicken tikka Platter ( Yum to the power of 10)

                           Iced Tea (I can drink gallons)

WHERE - CHIKITA CAFE, Opp. Regal Cinema, Colaba Causeway, Mumbai.

Damages - RS 510 ( For 2) ( Did I mention, cheap?)