N Bar & Grill, Mumbai

N Bar & Grill, Chembur

I had heard so much about this place from my friend, that I had over exaggerated it in my head and hence, I just had to be here. I generally don't go to Chembur much, or rather I never go there. Although, I have heard Chembur is slowly picking up and developing on the hang-outs, eateries and bar scene. Though, it still has miles to go.

The place, itself is pretty well done up. The place is divided in two sections - the bar area with high stools and dim lights. The other a proper dining area with proper dining tables, and soft lights. I had initially wanted to take the dining area, but unfortunately, this was fully occupied. However, the blessing for us was that the bar area was almost empty, which meant less noise. Generally, it's the other way round with loud music playing over your head and screaming over each other to be heard over the music. This was not the case here. The entire place has wooden elements made use of and soft dim yellow lights, which gives the place a pleasing look.

Now here is where my sort of disappointment began. The last my friend had visited, there was a continental menu which had no sign of now. Only Indian & Chinese. I had come here for the Continental cuisine, my friend had raved about their continental fare. The photos looked oh-so-beautiful too and I had been dreaming it up in my head. Also, I really didn't want Indian food. I love Indian food but I had been having too much Indian for some days and I really wanted that change. Alas! I almost thought should we go somewhere else? But it was already late in the night and seeking out another place??!! Plus, we were in Chembur, very few options at this hour. So we made the best of what we could and decided to stick around.

To begin with we ordered some classic french fries, because you can never go wrong with them especially when they are freshly made and the Golden Fried Camembert. The French Fries were crisp and the potato was just the right amount of soft, sprinkled with some spices on top. The problem I had was with the sauce served along side it. It seemed to be a mix of cranberry and imli ki chutney. I honestly, can't say I even understood what it was made of. All I can say is it didn't go well with the fries. This also seems to be their favorite sauce, because it was served along with the camembert as well. At least with the fries, it was served on the side, so you can choose to ignore it, but when sprinkled on top of the Camembert, you just can' ignore it. Now, the other slight issue I had was with the Camembert itself. Though, I don't particularly blame anyone for the dish. It is a type of cheese that is fried and served to you. Sounds delicious right? However, it was just about average. You need to have a developed taste bud for this because it's not like your regular cheese. I have realized I like teh regular cheese much better over all the fancy cheese out there. So that's what happened here, I had it but I would have preferred to not have it. Now here is where the service matters. I would have preferred if the Waiting staff educated us on this little fact. It might not have been recommended by them, but some times if you just share what you know of it, goes a long way. People who work day in and out in the restaurant know best after all! For the main course we had an Andhra Style mutton gravy served with laccha paratha on the side. This dish is more than sufficient for two and was the saving grace. The mutton pieces in abundance and just the right amount of soft and succulent. They give you types of curries, one is mixed with the mutton, is heavy and spicy, the other is more of a curry, light enough and as flavorful as it gets (and would have gone wonderful with rice, I was more in love with this). We had ordered Naans on the side as the laccha paratha wouldn't have been enough and it would have been wiser to order some steamed rice. 

I wouldn't mind going here again, but only if they bring back the continental menu. 

WHAT WE HAD - French Fries (Classic)

                           Golden Fried Camembert (Okay!)

                           Andhra Style Mutton Curry (Yumness)

                           Margarita 

                           Peach Iced Tea (Yum)

DAMAGES - Rs 1600/- (Approx)

WHERE -  N Bar & Grill Near R.K. Studio, Sion-Trombay Road, Chembur, 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