Mumbai Vibe, Mumbai

Mumbai Vibe, Bandra

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

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

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

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

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

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

                           Chicken 65 Tarts (Yumness)

                           Spaghetti Bella Roma (Yumness)

                           Chicken Makhni (Yumness)

                           Mocktail

                           Mocktail

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

DAMAGES - Rs 2400/- (Approx)

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

Papacream, Mumbai

PAPACREAM, Churchgate

My third time in the shop, and my second review. The thing that had pulled me back here this time around was a particular ice cream that is being much publicized on social media. While I had wanted to have this before as well, but somehow felt wary about it. I know I love food but some times it's difficult to wary from what you already know of. 

The one thing, I have to say is that the place looked just a tiny bit shabbier from my previous visit. The sparkle that the place had seems to have been robbed somehow. It doesn't look dirty or unkempt but that sparkle seemed to be missing. That extra mile you go to make a place look beautiful. The daily upkeep. The walls and tiles had lost its sheen. And I say this because my first trip here had me in awe of the decor of the place.

So coming to the ice creams we ordered, the much talked about Pani Puri Ice cream and red velvet bubble waffle sundae. There is so much talk on the Pani Puri Icream and this is what I had come to try. Little baskets of puri, though not as thin as the original puri, topped with some Potato mousse (which has a little bit of a mayo taste to it as well), and provided separately a sorbet made out of teekha pani from which Pani puri gets its identity. Be cautious here, and don't overload your puri with the teekha sorbet. Remember this is ice cream and your teeth are going to feel the chill. This is exactly what I did. All I had in my head was pan-puri so I just swooped it in my mouth till I felt the cold hit my teeth and I regretted it almost instantly. Otherwise, it's quite innovative and should be in your list of things to try out. This is probably the answer to all those pani puri lovers who go ''bhaiyya, aur pani do na". There is more of the sorbet than the puri baskets, so you will have a lot of pani to yourself. 

The other item we ordered was the Red Velvet Bubble waffle sundae with Blue Berry Ice cream, topped with some whipped cream, blue berry compote and garnished with cheese cake crumble. Dreamy right? It is or was. The waffle had a crunch at the sides and was soft in the middle which is exactly how I like my waffle. The downer? Didn't really taste like red velvet. It seemed to be almost like a red velvet, because you could find a subtle flavor of it, but then that's not what red velvet is right?! If I had ordered a normal waffle and received this, I would have said on point, but for the red velvet. And I especially minded this a little because my sister who I had brought here is a huge fan of red velvet and keeps telling me to get her some red velvet cupcakes, cakes and everything in red velvet out there and I had wanted to treat her to this delight. But she couldn't even tell it was red velvet and that's how I say that it was slightly disappointing. 

Even though Bombay has gotten innovative in it's dessert and ice cream scence in the recent past, the pani puri ice cream from this place is not to be missed. They also have various other quirky flavors. I would also highly recommend the bubble waffle sundae, the doughnut-wich, the guava sorbet. Next I want is to try is the hummus. 

WHAT WE HAD - Pani Puri Ice Cream (Delighted)

                          Red Velvet Bubble Waffle Sundae (Yumness)

DAMAGES - Rs 500/- (Approx)

WHERE -  Papacream. 18, Cambatta Building, J.T Road, Churchgate, Mumbai