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