Busago, Mumbai

Busago, BKC

I have a love-not like (hate is too strong a word, and for food? Never ) with Pan Asian Cuisine, some of it I absolutely love and some of it is I just can't manage to stuff down my throat. I guess, it's about development of taste buds and what you are and aren't used to. If it is a little too authentic with clear broths, or has no spices what so ever, then I can't eat it. If it has some hint of spices whether it is the use of coconut, coconut milk or tangy Chinese style sauces, I will devour it. Like is the case of Lemon Leaf, I was fascinated with it for a long time but when I finally did try the food there, not my cup of tea. But that doesn't mean the food was bad, I could tell it was qualitative, just not suitable for my taste buds. And hence, even though I had been pay visit to this place, I always had second thoughts but like always I made it! Der aaye, durust aaye! 

This place is pretty near by to home and hence became a lunch spot for catch up session with a dear friend who worked in the vicinity and I having an off. I was almost doubtful if even she would like it. It's a small joint, so expect it to be full, but you will find a table just as quickly. Basic interiors but I loved the little wall hangings. Quirky. Simplicity some times works wonders.

You will find the staff to be very pleasant and accommodating. However, be prepared for a good wait when you place your orders. We had wanted to try the baos as my friend hadn't had it before but it was unavailable on the day and they didn't have many options in the Appetizers section and hence, we were left no choice but to order the Tibetan Momos. But turned out to be a blessing in disguise, because these were definitely the best I have had yet. It looked so delicate, I had thought it would break apart if you so much touch it but not so much. It was made of stronger stuff and even beautiful flavors. Then for the mains we ordered the Cambodian Chicken Curry and from their Specials menu - Spicy Prawns Curry. Both were served with steamed rice on the side and were delectable. The Cambodian curry had made use of coconut milk and seemed a little borrowed from Thai food or at least the Thai food I have had before. If I had to choose my pick between the two, even though it's pretty darn difficult, i would go for the Cambodian curry, it makes your heart warm. However, there is one thing that takes away from it, is the chicken pieces used. We only ate the veggies from the curry and avoided the chicken pieces as it seemed under cooked. Way under cooked. I am thinking this was an honest mistake because the same was not the case with either the momos or the prawns. The Prawns were perfectly cooked and very spicy. So spicy it will make smoke come out of your ears. Probably why steamed rice works best in combination with it. My friend though favored the Prawns dish over the curry. Though we both loved all the items as such, but don't we all have our preferences. For the dessert we went for the Flour-less Chocolate cake  because I needed some chocolate in my life right then and it was so good that if I wasn't full already, I would have wanted to order another one. Dark dark chocolate, melted away, and oozing with chocolaty goodness. I was truly in heaven. If all chocolate cake tasted like that, it would give tough competition to my obsession with Cheese cakes.

Also, this place won't pinch your pockets. What more reason do you need?! I would definitely be paying more visits to this one.

WHAT WE HAD  - Tibetian Momos (Heaven)

                            Cambodian Chicken Curry (Yumness minus the chicken)

                            Spicy Prawns Curry (Yumness)

                            Flourless Chocolate Cake (Heaven)

                            Peach Iced Teas (Refreshing)

DAMAGES - Rs 1200/- (Approx)

WHERE - Ground Floor, FIFC Building, Bandra Kurla Complex, Mumbai

                            

Wok Express, Mumbai

WOK EXPRESS, BKC

This was a chance taken by me fueled by my sister's good review and for the fact that every other food blogger seems to be advertising it, but some times, just some times, you need to go with your gut feeling and not listen to food bloggers, me included! (Though, I am yet to be a real blogger, whatever that means!). We all have different preferences and some times what I say or some one else says might not be right for. It is kind of like life we live and the choices we make in them! To each his own. Getting philosophical here, aren't we??!!

Well, since the place seemed to be everywhere I looked, I finally decided to give it a shot. Pan Asian Cuisine is the new thing that everyone seems to be doing. Their new outlet opened in BKC, very close to home and convenient too. Hence, one fine evening, me, my darling sister and my dearest friend stepped in here to satiate our taste buds and fill our stomachs. It is more or less designed as a fast food chain. So nothing fancy in decor or otherwise, the basics, but clean and neat place. So that's good enough for the category it falls in.

Their service is quick, their order placement is on the lines of a subway - choose your protein, choose your veggies and the sauces, all laid in front of you and put in a box and handed over to the kitchen to shake it up (cook it as well). Kinda neat that way. Swift and smooth. It is either picked up from the counter or some times they even go beyond the call of duty and actually serve you at your table. Sweet that way.

The food is where I how ever was not completely impressed. As I have said there are many Asian cuisine restaurants setting shop, so you have many to compare with and some times at a lower price range as well. We had ordered a bao - chili basil chicken and I am going to outright say that I was not a big fan. It was loaded with spices and not the one that makes your tongue burn, just too much masala which is very different from the ones I have tried before. From the Woks, I had the Prawns with Teriyaki Sauce, and my friends had Hot Crispy Garlic and Khow Sey. In order of preference, Khow Sey wins. Khow Sey is the dish that would pull me to this place the next time. The balance of the flavors was great. Also, maybe that it is not generally seen on other pan asian wok restaurants. However, the strange thing was that it was little on the spicier side, and this time I mean the hot chili types spicy. You will not feel it while having, but it hits you after you have swallowed a spoon. I didn't mind it being a little on the spicier side. However, I am unaware if Khow Sey is supposed to be on the spicy side. The Teriyaki was fine, it wasn't the best I have had, and the tanginess that I at least associate with teriyaki was missing. The Hot crispy garlic was way too spicy for my taste buds but my friend said it was fine, but then this your regular hot-sweet-spicy garlic, so if you are a fan, Go Ahead! We had also ordered two drinks - Peach Iced Tea & Minty Mojito which are both bubble teas. This is where they actually win my heart. I think I am a little obsessed with bubble teas at the moment, so maybe that could be it but these are freshly brewed and packaged and served. You could take it as a "TO GO" which you can't in many places and priced at just Rs 90/- they are something I would definitely think of picking up. 

Also, they give you complimentary fortune cookies! I think you would want to try this place out even for those if like me, these little perks attract you. It's an add on to the experience after all. Their fortune cookies taste amazing though don't say anything on your fortune.

WHAT WE HAD - Chili Basil Chicken Bao (Not my Cup of Tea)

                           Burmese Khow Sey (Yumminess)

                           Teriyaki Wok (Yum)

                           Hot Crispy Garlic Wok (Average)

                           Minty Mojito (Yum!)

                           Peach Iced Tea (Bubble Tea - Yum!)

DAMAGES - Rs 1100/- Approx

WHERE -  Wok Express, Ground Floor, Shop 1, Urban Plaza, Plot C-5, GN Block, BKC, MUMBAI

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

5 SPICE, MUMBAI

FIVE SPICE 

I think it has been exactly a year since my last visit here. The last time too I had been here with my Sister and a friend, This time it was just the younger cousins, not so young anymore but we are still the generation today and we came here at ten in the night. Be sure of one thing when you step foot in Bandra on a Sunday Eve looking for a decent enough place to beat the hunger - You have got to have made a reservation or be prepared to wait! That is what we did, we gave our names, parked the car and put our feet up till they ringed us up. Then we ran for our lives before they gave away our spot to the next in line. My cousin Brother in particular was like I have never seen girls being so excited and eager for food. Well, the one thing I like about my family or rather how I like to refer to it - Chidiya Ghar (out of affection only! Well, most of the time at least! :P) is that we don't shy away from food. We love our Biryani and Kebabs and are not scared of taking a second or third serving even! 

This place has 2 levels to it and even then has a long-waiting list, so you can imagine the popularity of the place. Families, friends, couples, you will find them all here. Though I generally don't do fine-dines unless I am with family or else it will lead to uncomfortable situations where my parents or some elder will be gawking and making faces at a couple who might be cozy and not ashamed of some PDA. I have made the mistake of that and since then have sworn off those places when with family. Better be safe than sorry. Point? My cousin Bro though the youngest us of all, is a little like that. Which is probably why I suggested this place. That with craving some chineeese! 

Five Spice is generally crowded even on Week day lunches, so you can imagine what Sunday evenings would be like. But no complaints, once you are seated inside it is all so so worth it. Moreover, since we had like a half an hour wait, we had already utilized the time to decide on our menu before hand instead of being seated and then taking half an hour to decide (The wonders of Zomato!). Yes, we are that people. Plus the menu has so much in it that it can get so very confusing, should I order this or that? or maybe that? and it never ends. So with pre-decided order, it took us hardly 5 minutes to give our order. One more thing, as tempting as it is don't order more than you can have especially since this place is known for the quantity they serve as well. Lets just say 1 fried rice would be more than enough for 3 people or 2 and a half. Depends on your appetite. So keeping this in view we ordered for 1 rice based dish, 1 noodle based and 1 gravy on the side. Yes, I know 2 for 4 and as a result we had to take what was left over as take away. Though that's not a bad thing either. I have always said, food cooked today, always tastes better when reheated tomorrow. :P

Initially, when we got the seat in the secluded corner, our hearts screamed with joy. But it did not last so long. The place might have been ideally the best on the floor, no over-hearing of conversations, you can do your own thing, seated next to the glass overlooking the huge chandelier. The only problem? All the attendant on the floor? Pay no heed to you and it will be quite the task asking them to even re-fill your empty glasses of water. But our excitement was not to die down or so we had decided and so we put up with it. After all our stomachs were growling. 

Our Order for the day was Spicy Pot Chicken, Crispy Chicken Rice and Prawns Hakka Noodles. Though I was tempted to order a starter too, my sister gave me the eye which translated to you are not going to be able to eat all of that. So with a sad face, I kept to the three and my sister indeed was right, when the food did come, I was like Are we going to finish all that?!! As soon as the food was served, we dug in like we had not had anything to eat for days probably. The Crispy Chicken Rice was topped with a sumptuous quantity of what do you know? Crispy Chicken! :P In General, I am not a fan of Hakka Noodles as I like my food to have a little spice to it, and Hakka Noodles is plain bland, I generally say, if it is actual Chinese, if it is road side, then its another thing. But here I actually savor the Noodles. It might be devoid of traditional spices but it is not devoid of flavor. It is subtle but it hits the right spots on your flavor palette, I mean the tongue. Generally, I do like the gravies that are served here. But this day, very honestly I did not. I felt like it was something that is served to the sick who are bed ridden and even though it is a source nourishment then, I was not bed ridden or sick. I would just say that I ordered wrong and should have stuck to the Wok. Another thing, that you have to have at 5 spice is their dessert. Well, you will be tempted to as the first thing you see when you enter is the dessert counter. Nice strategy I would say. Just reading it off the menu is not as effective as seeing it all there, calling out to you, waiting to be had. Hence, it was decided that we would have dessert. Being a cheese cake loyalist and well, nothing tastes better than cheese cake, I did indeed stick to cheese cake. The question was, which one? Since they had 4 different flavors in those itself. My cousin being a chocolate addict, stuck to chocolate. So 1 death by Chocolate and 1 strawberry cheese cake it was. To be split among 4. As much as it killed me. I hate sharing cheese cake. If you asked me cheese cake was the winner, if you asked my sister, chocolate. So you can pick.

Most of you have probably already been here. Because who hasn't? The food here is simply delish! Add to it the generous quantities. You have got a clear winner.

WHAT WE HAD - Crispy Chicken Rice ( Double the Yum!)

                           Prawns Hakka Noodles ( Double the Yum!)

                           Spicy Pot Chicken ( Avoid)

                           Strawberry Cheese Cake ( Marry it!)

                           Death By Chocolate (If you are a chocolate addict!)

DAMAGES - Rs 1500/- (Approx)

WHERE - 5 Spice, 3/4, Dheeraj Pali Arcade, Dr. Ambedkar Road, Pali Naka, Pali Hill, Bandra (W), MUMBAI

FIVE FAT MONKS, MUMBAI

Well , the first thing that had attracted me was the Name. Different, isn't it? and quite quriky at that. The name and then the concept of eating out of the take out boxes was what brought me to this place. I had always seen in a lot of hollywood movies since childhood, where every one would eat out of these boxes, and for some reason I always wanted to experience it. It always looked so cool, twisting your chopsticks in position and taking noodles out of the box and savoring it in your mouth. So other worldly. Even though I grew up and now I dont generally opt for take outs, I love the dining in experience. But I guess, eating out of a box idea stayed with me and hence the minute I saw this place, I just couldn't contain my excitement (Yayyy! I finally get to eat out of the box types!!!)

One of the things that I liked most about this place is how the server as soon as you enter and are seated, presents you with this sheet where the menu is printed, and all you need to do is to tick your choices. This adds to the experience as I believe that offering the customer something novel even if it is simple, always win brownie points and this place does it exactly for me. They also have " a make your own" option available where you can customize your order into exactly how you like your meal ( which sauce? which vegtable? what garnishes? etc) I think most who come in here, opt for this as once again, you can have it exactly how you like it. Brownie Points Again. 

The food was yum! and exactly how each of us liked it. What can be better than that?!! The only down side was the dumplings, which seemed sort of plain in comparison to the ones we have had before. 

Overall, the experience left us feeling fat but satisfied. If only, they had more outlets so that one could order in. Because as my friend put it "eating out of a box in your PJs is the ultimate experience" (I probably still havn't gotten over it :P)

What We Had - Chicken Momos
                       Rice (Sapo Sauce)
                       Noodles (sweet & Sour)
                       Noodles (Hunan)

Where - Court Yard Area, R- City Mall, Ghatkopar

Damages - Our bill came Rs 1275 ( For 3)

 — at Five Fat Monks