BURGER KING, MUMBAI

So we have 1 more International Fast food chain that has arrived in India - Burger King and like always I had been keeping a tab as to when would it open up in good old Mumbai and counting days to the opening even, though I never actually go on the day it actually opens up due to one commitment or the other but I do make it a point to visit as soon as I possibly can. I love fast-food as unhealthy as it is, I have grown up on it and was the primary reason why I was an extremely over weight teen. I have learnt to balance it out but my love for it remains. Bad habits die hard. :) So my joy had no limits when I received news from a friend that Burger King is opening up in India. Names like these remind me of home and there are quite a few others that I am waiting with bated breath for. But for now, I will celebrate with Burger King and yes, I will be doing a comparison with Mc Donalds and also with the place that I have grown up in.

I visited the second outlet that they opened up just yesterday in Andheri, Infinity Mall. I expected to get no seat at all and a waiting outside the mall. Well, Thank God there was no such line as waiting is really not my thing especially on a hungry stomach. Have you seen the Snickers Ad for Hunger? I am that Drama Queen. I am anyways a drama queen and so when I am hungry you do not want to mess with me. :P Though the place was entirely full and not an empty seat could be seen for more than 2 minutes. The moment somebody got up, the seat was taken. Fortunately, some one was leaving just as I was arriving and I just rushed before somebody else got there first.

Their outlet is pretty small, and hopefully the next one will be bigger as most other Int'l fast food chain including MC Donalds, KFC and Dunkin Donuts have ample seating which is always a bonus point if you are looking for a good foot fall, because more than take-aways, I at least prefer dining in. The place is done up like most fast food chains, so the interiors arn't exceptional or something but they are attractive. It has my stamp of Approval with one side having sofa seats ( reminded me of Dairy Queen, if you are aware and happen to belong from the middle east) and the other has normal chairs and tables. I guess, for lack of space. The place is done up in red and white mostly with wooden interiors here and there, and I have a thing for the color red. They say, my mom was extremely fond of it in her younger days and once upon a time I thought it to be a color that was hurtful to the eyes, but it has grown on me and how, that I love everything in red now. I guess, like mother like daughter. Okay, back on track. I seem to drift off a lot. Bad Habit. :D

We scrutinized the menu for at least a full 10-15 minutes not because we couldn't understand what to order but rather because we couldn't decided what not to order. Probably because you finally have another option than Mc D, but I wanted to have a hand at everything. After much discussion, we went for Chicken Tandoori Grill, The Mutton Whopper (Because what is Burger King without the Whopper), Chicken Chili Cheezos and the orange and the raspberry blues. Can I just tell you I am going back again? I don't know if it is because of having a change from Mc D or the taste being actually good, but 1 day later and I am already craving some more. The only downer was the size of the chicken tandoori grill, I expected it to be a little bigger in size where as it was not really medium sized even. But when it comes to flavor, you can-not go wrong with Chicken Tandoori, if nothing, the crowds would be making a bee-line for this one and on that I should also say that, now that is what marketing is all about. I have always complained about Indianizing these fast food meals and how I wish they had stuck to the original, but they proved me wrong. It is about selecting the right product and that is what they have done. Chicken Tandoori will go well with anything, you can wake me up at the middle of the night from my deep slumber and I would happily have it. ( The second most loved thing by me is my sleep, you do not wake me up when I am sleeping) So they have won me over and though I want to complain for the size I can't because I will be having more of these no matter what the price. But it is still a recommendation. The mutton whopper is not such a bad replacement for the original whopper and that too in beef. Though, I was slightly hoping they would serve beef because what is a burger if it does not have beef, but I understand. Its like me having beef bacon because I can't have the original one. So I am going to have a second round of this as well. The chicken chili cheese cheezos are basically chicken nuggets with cheese but very frankly I liked them much more than the nuggets served at MC D. I somewhere, they have been able to retrieve some of the originality of the actual Int'l fast food chain and for that I say kudos! Thank you for not disappointing me. The raspberry blues reminded me of my childhood days, drinking all that ice. We also tried the 180 degrees from the dessert section which is basically blizzard of Dairy Queen fame, at least I call it a blizzard. Again, if you are familiar with the blizzard you will know what I am talking about, it is basically ice cream and brownies( because I opted for brownies), mixed up and made into heaven. :P and the USP of this is that when you turn it 180 degree, it does not FALL!! whatever happened to gravity and I am as amazed by this as I was as a little kid and they will show off by showing this little shin dig and I will always look up with eyes open. *MAGIC* *eeeeeeeeeee.....* :D :D

I guess when it comes to pricing, MC Donalds is on the cheaper end, so it is to see if they will be able to capture that segment but when it comes to taste and quality - I would have to say - "why eat with the joker, when you can dine with the king???!!" 

Well, after reading all this, you are still waiting?? Go and enjoy and ask for the free King Hat like I did, which as soon as I arrived home was taken away not by my niece and nephew but by my younger sister. So very grown up we are!!! :P

WHAT WE HAD - Chicken Tandoori Gril (Going back for more)

                         Mutton Whopper (Going back for more)

                         Chicken Chili Cheezos ( Definitely Going back for more)

                         Mango Orange slush ( I forgot the name, but going back for more)

                         Raspberry blues ( Going back for more)

                         180 degrees- brownies ( Def going back for more)

DAMAGES - Rs 700/- Approx ( Please note that we hadn't ordered the meals but rather individual burgers which could also be another reason why the billing was a little on the higher end)

WHERE - Burger King.