The food Studio, Mulund

THE FOOD STUDIO, Mulund

Another strike from my long and never ending bucket list of places to eat. Even though there are so many places I wish to visit, when it comes to actual short listing of places while making plans, it just ends up like there is no good placed to go! Does this happen to anyone else or is it just me?? I have a feeling it is just me, confusion ki potli that I am and factor in that I tend to be very choosy. Yes, even from my own bucket list. Me any factors contribute to this - Occasion, Set-Up, People that you are hanging out with, cuisine, location so on and so forth.

I have been fascinated with Food Studio since one of my friend's had first told me about it. But never really got to go, as it is conveniently located in Mulund which is very inconvenient to me. I had always heard good reviews of the place from a few others, and that's how I was tempted even more to pay the place a visit. Then came the occasion that I was awaiting, Birthday Treat. Yeah! Why should I pay, when some one else can. No, that is generally not the case. This happened to be most convenient to everyone in the group barring one seeing how we are spread across different parts of Mumbai. This fall in the center. So it was zeroed in. 

The place is a fusion of a fine dine and a resto bar catering to families more than youngsters, from what I could observe. Interesting fact, many young crowd come here to celebrate Birthdays, and the cake is always from Monginis, including us I guess there were 3 in total, and every time they played the birthday song, you wonder if its for you! (Even if it does not sound funny, it really is real life. It is. Trust me. You have to believe me. :/ ). The one thing I could advise you is don't bother with the music. I don't even know what they were playing, I did however, feel at one point that they were playing a remixed version of the title credits to Games of Thrones, or maybe it was a figment of my imagination. What I am trying to say here is, the ambiance works fine, if you are looking for close gatherings, but don't if you are here for the oh-so-awesome party scenes or anything remotely close. 

The one good thing that i really appreciate of the place is the fact that they do Mock tails by the Pitcher. No body else does. At least, I haven't come across anyone doing so. This really works for people like me and few others who do not drink. Mock tails tend to be expensive for some reason. I have never understood it. Why is mixing juices expensive? It has zero alcohol content. Then why! But with the Pitcher concept, one can be ordered for the table and it turns out to be nominal. Don't kill me because after going into so much detail over 1 pitcher, I am about to tell you that, that is exactly what we didn't do. We ordered individual mock-tails against the advise of the Manager. Two Reason! Some one else's paying, in fact I think 3 out of 5 were. Hence, Itna toh Banta hai. And we felt adventurous and wished to try different flavors. End Result? They were all almost similar in taste. So much over a mock tail. Hey, no complaints, how much can you do with a bunch of juices. I have realized that it is repetitive almost everywhere. In the Starters we ordered one that fell in the veg and the other in Non Veg Category as, there are always vegetarians around me, they happen to love and follow me around. I love Paneer, so you will never find me complaining about it, infact you would want me to keep my hands off the veg plate so that it's not over before you have even had it (Yes, That has Happened!! :D) In The Vegetarian we had called for the Crackling Spinach with Paneer, and for the Non Veg we had ordered the Kung Pao Chicken. I would start off by saying that the Quantities are really good, where 2 starters were more than sufficient between the five of us. I had assumed we would have to order at least another. When I speak of taste, both the dishes had a flavor of Chinese food. I don't have any complaints as such over the food but at the same time it is not something I have never had before. They were both spot on, on flavors with the right mix of spices and tanginess. Next we places Order for a Desi Pizza, because that is the only thing that sounded interesting in the Vegetarian section, along with melted Bruschetta. With the Pizza, I would gladly say that the fusion worked. A wood Fired base with Makhani Sauce and topped with Paneer and lots of it really does make for a treat. I would order again. The Wood Fired Base happens to be my favorite but it can go horribly wrong if not done right and here, it was just about perfect, the slight crunch at the end giving it the perfect finish. The Bruschettas were again a favorite on the table and was highly applauded by everyone. This is something, because in my head a bruschetta is simply a garlic bread with toppings. Which, it is and yet its more. The balance is important. Not to over do it with the toppings and neither undercooked but just about. In the actual mains we ordered for an Alfredo Pasta and a Prawn Sizzler - Peri Peri Sauce. I think my favorite kind of Non-Veg is Prawns, I can't have enough of it which has become a luxury to me, which once was a norm (Majorly Missing Mommy Dearest Here :( ) You really learn to value the things that once you took for granted, abundance of yummy looking and tasty food always stocked in the refrigerator! The Prawn Sizzler I have to say was my favorite from the Menu. This could be because I was indeed craving Sizzler on the day but the prawns was perfectly cooked, with the crunch quality which also melts in your mouth. The Butter rice that came with the Sizzler was something I wish I could imitate at home. I would much rather not talk of the Pasta. As I had previously mentioned, the Alfredo is something the best of the restaurants in my opinion are not successful with. But I felt daring on the day and ordered for this. Major mistake. The Sauce simply felt like it had gone bad or sour or I don't know what, but it felt not just stale but absolutely inedible. The thought was a chorus on the table and one thing I have to give the Management extra points is for immediately getting it replaced, not only that but changed the order to another Pasta of our liking. Highly appreciated. Its small things like these that will stay with you long after everything else. So Kudos!

With or Without the family, this place will not burn a hole through your pocket, at least not a big one, and can prove to be the king of good food Times! Always brimming with people, it can be an eventful experience, you do not want to miss!!

WHAT WE HAD - 6 Mocktails (Just go for the Pitcher)

                           Crackling Spinach with Paneer (Yumness!)

                           Kung Pao Chicken (Yumness!)

                           Desi Pizza (Favorite!)

                           Bruschetta (Yumness!!)

                           Alfredo Pasta (Red Alert - Avoid!)

                           Pasta in Red Sauce (Okay!)

                           Garlic Prawn Sizzler (Star!)

DAMAGES - Rs 3200/- Approx (For all that, its worth it!)

WHERE -  The Food Studio., Opp. Runwal Green Project, Mulund Goregaon Link Road, Mulund (West), MUMBAI

Good Vibes Cafe, Mumbai

GOOD VIBES CAFE, Mulund

I am brutally honest but at the same time I am extremely sweet and am going to avoid every which way to hurt your feelings. It is a difficult task, trust me. But I would like to believe I manage to do it alright. Here, however is where I am going to choose to be brutally honest with no intention of hurting anyone's feelings but probably am going to do so. Apologies in advance.

This place was first brought to my attention by a friend, who wanted to try their breakfast variety and my first reaction was there are so many good places for breakfast in this part of the town, and you want me to travel all the way to Mulund??!! Early in the morning??!! Not happening. However, what had caught my fancy was the edible chocolate cups they have included their menu. For this and this alone, I did want to give this place a try. The rest of the items on the menu seemed good enough to try, the usual pastas and pizzas and a few Indian Tandoori items thrown in for good measure. Is it me or does it feel like all the places around have started to have the same variety. You should note I am searching for good places to try out, which has something different to offer and if any one who has bothered to read this, knows of any such place, write to me and you will make me a happy woman! (Please don't say Masala Library, I am not rich enough yet! :( ) One fine day, when I had headed to my jhalli friend's home for lunch on her promise to feed me Paneer, we landed up here in the evening for an early dinner and Boy! I wish I had chosen any place but this!

The ambiance is much more inviting in pictures than in real life, where in everything seems to be just randomly put together, the lighting is extremely bad. I would go on and say that it looks like an old shed converted into a restaurant and they never bothered redecorating. The Kitchen stays hidden behind, a curtain, or maybe I should say almost hidden. Though, it didn't look unhygienic, it didn't particularly look hygienic as well. I still sat down, having bothered to come all this way and maybe, just maybe the food would be the showstopper. Oh! How wrong, I was. It was a series of disappointments put together into a meal. We placed order for a Carbonara Pasta and Bruschetta with Chicken and Jalapeno accompanied with an iced tea and hot chocolate. Except for the Hot Chocolate, pretty much everything was not worth having and a waste of my hard earned money. I was really intrigued with the Carbonara which on several level reminded me of the egg-cheesy maggi I used to make at home. Yes, I was infatuated with that egg maggi, I made, but that cost me tops 25 rs! if you count, the cheese, maggi and egg in. Moreover, I have out-grown it. So when I am paying 259 Rs + Taxes for this, I feel robbed. What do I have to say on the Bruschetta? It was a piece of french loaf cut and topped with roasted chicken and jalapeno. Simply put bread and chicken. I liked bread, I like chicken. Many a time, when someone cooks chicken Tawa in the house, the boneless chicken is first shallow fried in garlic paste, and I almost always remove some and experiment with it in one or the other form, and for snacking before the meal is actually ready, it seems good enough, but for an actual meal ? Big Fat No + my variations always tasted better. The Hot Chocolate went untouched. Bournvita/Horlics is what they should have named it. I have always found little short comings in a lot of places, but this was on several levels, a disaster. I believe this was not enough for me and I had to go ahead an order some kind of a chocolate cake, because it did look good on the outside. I had wanted to have the edible chocolate cup, which was the whole point of coming here but they didn't have it in the menu. That in itself, got me furious. But since the chocolate cake did look appetizinf and fancy, I went ahead and made another blunder of ordering. Monginis makes better cake than this. The cake had no moisture, was very dry, and worse then the chocolate cakes available in local bakeries. I will never come here again. Not even anywhere near by. Especially since I went all the way to Mulund for this.

This experience was such that I didn't wish to relive it, even bother to write about it becomes that much bigger a task. All I can say is you have been warned!!

WHAT WE HAD - Carbonara Pasta (Avoid)

                           Chicken and Jalapeno Bruschetta (Red Alert!)

                           Hot Chocolate (You can buy an entire box of Horlicks instead)

                           Iced Tea (Even the Iced Tea couldn't save this meal)

                           Chocolate Cake (Go to Monginis instead)

DAMAGES - Rs 800/- Approx

WHERE - The Good Vibes Cafe, Shop No. 1, Mulund-Goregaon Link Road, Next to Runwal Green, Mulund (W), MUMBAI

R Steam Hot, Mumbai

R STEAM HOT

Are you addicted to cheese? Have you been looking for a place that serves unlimited cheese. Though you might have come across several places that serve cheese in pizzas, pastas, french fries, dumplings, pav bhaji, dosas and even rice (Yes, I have once had cheese on pulav and well, not bad ;) ) I think there is no food item that has not been experimented with cheese and cheese makes everything, better! :D I might be a huge fan of Pizza Outlets like Domino's who are not stingy in their use of cheese, but its never enough is it ?!! Then I was introduced to a place that serves cheese in all its food items almost and you can see the cheese oozing and flowing on top. I have found heaven. Cheesy Heaven.

Steam "R" Us is not a new outlet, it has been there for a while, but only in the past few months did I get introduced to the place, through my friend. Since she lives near by, we decided to catch-up and she suggested this place, her exact words were, they have great sandwiches but don't look for ambiance, just sit and enjoy your meal. I was disappointed thinking that this might be one of those several typical sandwiches that are present every galli-nukkad pe. And again, when I first had a good look at the place, it seemed like one of the many local restaurants that serve idli-dosa and vegetable sandwiches, and I thought to myself, this? really, this??!! How very wrong I was and I admit to that with great joy because I have finally come across a place that comes close to all the cheesy food fantasies I have had.

The place has a wide menu consisting of so many different types of sandwiches, open ones even, pizzas, rolls etc. Their Specialty lies in the cheese, you order almost anything and you will be sure to find it soaked in cheese. The menu looked good to me by then, still a little hesitant though, but my friend being a regular ordered for all 3 of us. We began with a 2 in 1, which is 2 varieties of open sandwiches in one. I have to tell you, it was love at first bite. The bread that they used in the sandwiches was so soft, that it can give tough competition to Fast Food chains which claims the same. If I had to be honest, I don't remember which were the toppings on the Open Sandwiches, one was corn and the other one was Chili Flakes. But except for this I don't remember anything. There are certain types of food in which you remember every little detail, every little ingredient, because the taste remains with you long after the meal. The there is the other type, in which you forget everything, I call it the Ramesh-Suresh Type. If you have seen and you must have, the Five Star Chocolate Ads, that the chocolate in question is so good, that you don't remember anything, in a good way, in a really good way. This is the category that the food at this place falls in. We ordered garlic breads, which is simply the best Garlic Bread I have had so far, this is how you should be making garlic breads. ( Pizzerias around - Take Note). We experimented with the next item, taking a risk, ordering a pasta-pizza, which is pasta on a pizza base. I wouldn't say it was altogether bad, but again, I would rather have had the pasta without the pizza. This makes me question as to why do they not have pasta on their menu? Because the pasta on the pizza did taste good, only it didn't go well with the Pizza Base combo. I can imagine how good the pastas would be if they included it as well, how cheesy the pasta would be for starters and it would make a change from all the Bread combinations. Another point that I would want to bring upon is that they should probably introduce some hot beverages on their menu. I had a sore throat on the day I visited the place, and more than that I was craving some hot chocolate or masala chai, but all they had was shakes and faloodas. Though I love milk-shakes and wouldn't have minded on any other day, my voice-box which was already on strike on the day would have died an unfortunate death if I had had anything cold and I was really craving hot chocolate. Yes, I know, I have already mentioned it. But then that is how much I had been craving it. :P 

If cheese is equivalent to true love to you, then this is not a place you should be missing!! and I love my friend for taking me here, I would have been living in ignorance otherwise. And that my dear friends, is the worst way of living, isn't it??!! ;)

WHAT WE HAD - Toast with Melted Cheese, 2 in 1 ( 7th Heaven!!)

                           Melted Garlic Bread ( 7th Heaven, or even above that)

                           Pasta Pizza ( I wish they did pasta without the pizza)

DAMAGES - Rs 650/- (Approx)

WHERE - R Steam Hot (Rasna Juice and Snacks), 1, Reva Estate, MG Road, Paanch Raasta, Mulund (W), MUMBAI

WATERS PUB & GRILL, MUMBAI

It is quite a task searching for even a slightly happening place in this part of the city i.e. Thane, and it has become pretty crucial for me as I spend more time here than anywhere else and its convenient to travel directly after office hours. As it is after office hours, you feel dead tired and if you have to go out and about, the thought itself is dreadful because it involves traveling by trains and who wants to ruin a good outfit by doing that. Hence, as a rule I avoid pubic transport on holidays and Sundays but there is no option if its after office, but fortunately for me, it was a car day. The joys of having a friend with a car in a city like Mumbai is truly a blessing.

The occasion was a colleague cum friend's birthday and since this particular friend likes happening places more as such, it was quite a task. After shortlisting 3 places, this is one she settled down for and we were va-va-voom to go! 

Since it was not a weekend, the place was didn't have much of a crowd, but that didn't get us down anyway, because the music just gets you going, so I can imagine what it must be like on the weekends, and we did indeed ask, and we go to know there is mot much of seating arrangements on the weekends as everybody is on either on the dance floor or near the bar. Today there were a few other groups enjoying their dinner. 

The place I hear is probably the only decent pub in this part of the city and the first one if I am not wrong. This place is located in Mulund, and having a car to our aid, I did not mind at all. The place is all grey, yet it creates the right ambiance and does not actually make your mood grey in any which way which I expected so. I was particularly in love with the way they had done u their ceilings, using these white rods (I have no frickin clue what they are called) and the little light bulbs and it makes a good background for photos (Yes! you can capture them in the back ground for the many photo sessions you will have, as it does, when there a gang of girls! ). Infact even, the server was kind enough to get a group shot of ours with ensuring that the background as well looked good and added to our photo. There a re very few who do so, mostly it seems like a bother to ask them, so I was mighty impressed.

We wanted to use the high bar stools in the middle rater than the corner normal sofa-type seats, but because the table would prove to be small and it is idle when you are there to enjoy your drinks more than the food, and for atleast the night, we had decided to avoid drinks. I know most would go, what is the point of going to a pub then, but for at least me, the teetotaler, I can say that I can say that you don't need a drink in hand to get the rhythm flowing. 

We started off with starters and some mock tails, and as again, we had a vegetarian and a Jain one amongst us, so it was once again quite a task, I love those days when I can order what ever the hell I want, but this was not that day. :P The poor server had a hard time as well customizing our order and was really confused but he did the best he could and the food at the end of the day was totally worth it. So we had ordered cheesy Paneer Kabab and Spicy chicken Sliders ( I have developed a thing for sliders, I guess :D). For mock tails we ordered, a senorita, which was spicy and tangy at the same time. then a red ruby which was tangy and berrylicious like moi ( Finally a drink named after me), thought the one I ordered was a pink lemonade ( I think! :P) , but what ever it was, was gooood and finally the bar tender special which for the night was the mojito with an an apple twist. 

Lets talk about the food now!! The starters - the paneer cheese kabab? I have never had anything like it. The paneer and cheese were grinded and made into kababs, like the seekh kababs we have, and its like more is less. You get the whiff!! :). The spicy chicken sliders was exactly that. Spicy. You know when it comes to sliders or burgers, its all in the pattice I believe and to say I had been bowled over is an understatement. For the main course we had a pizza, wood fired, and cheeeeesseeeyyyliciousss!!! You can see the amount of cheese from the pic, it had so much cheese that with every bite, the cheese kept stretching, you know the way they show in advertisements and the way it is supposed to be! This was also Jain by the way, and next was sizzlers- Paneer in BBQ Sauce. Again, I was floored, on a bed of rice which was buttery and flavorful, I think it was the rice which added favor to the entire dish. I have always said, rice can change the game!! :P and once totally non-jain and non-vegeterian Pasta. Oh-the-joy. But to be honest, even thought the Pasta was great, I think I loved the other items more. Am I soon going to convert into a vegetarian??!! Hell, No! I am not going to let that happen -_-

So be it a weekend, or a week night, whether you want to gulp down some hard drinks or just sit down and have dinner to some lovely feet tapping Bollywood music playing in the background, the place will live up to all your expectations.

WHAT WE HAD - Paneer Cheese Kababs (Yum!)

                           Spicy Chicken Sliders ( Yum! Yum!)

                           Pizza ( Customized, Yum to the Power of 10)

                           Paneer BBQ Sizzler ( Yum! Yum!)

                           Chicken Pasta in Red & White Sauce ( Yum!)

                           Senorita ( Green, Yum)

                           Pink Lemonade ( Berry Lemony, Yum)

                           The Bar Tender Special ( Yum!)

                           Red Ruby ( Berrylicious, Yum)

DAMAGES - 2300 Rs/- Approx (We Were 4 )

WHERE - Waters - Pub & Grill, 36/37 Avior, Opp. Johnson & Johnson, LaL Bhadur Shastri Road, Mulund West, MUMBAI.