Foodgasm, Mumbai

Foodgasm, Bandra

I have come to half realize that maybe small places are better at making your taste buds dance than their heavy counterparts. I was almost hesitant to try this place out because of this factor. It's a small, how would the food be? What if it's not worth it. But after the meal, all I can say is after quite some time, my stomach has felt as happy as it did. The real sign for being blown away by a meal is when the hunger has died in your stomach but stays alive in your eyes. (Aankhon ki bhook). This was that place.

Small place tucked away in Reclamation, Bandra. Mostly residential area as I couldn't really spot any other outlets or shops around. A serene feeling at that because no crowd. The place is pretty small, with two indoor sections, one has around 4-5 tables and the other 2. The inside was already full and hence, we were made to sit on the outside wala inside.

The service is at par. the waiting staff know the menu, and have the ability to recommend what would suit your taste buds well, a quality I appreciate because most of the time (even if I don't admit to it) I am confused with all the stuff on the menu. They welcome you with a red color drink with basil seeds (I think! the one we use in Falooda? If you know what I am talking about) served in shot glasses. It tasted like a version of hajmola in your glass and was actually kind of nice , after my initIal hesitation and almost wished I could have a few more of these to down. Then came the appetizers and mock tails - Foodgasm wings with Iced Tea and Fruity Mojito. The wings were Ah-mazing. I don't remember the last time I had such good chicken wings. Most places them seem to either not have the correct sauce, is bland  and etc. This was covered in sauce and you could feel the juiciness and the bbq sauce in every bite of the chicken. I would probably go back for these alone. The iced tea was again one of the best I have and I have had too many from too many places. The mojito was almost avoidable as it didn't really click with any of us. For the mains we ordered the Chicken Shawarma  and Basil Infused Chicken with soft butter noodles. I have been cursed here as my quest to find the perfect Shawarma just doesn't seem to end. No, even though everything else was on point, the shawarma left me disappointed once again. If you called it a wrap, I would say it did well for itself but not as a Shawarma. Just because you are using pita bread and adding tahini and grilled chicken to it, doesn't make it a shawarma. (The only place that made shawarma as it was supposed to be but since their management change, nothing is the same). They had served this with a side of sweet potato fries which was something new to me and even though I hadn't been completely on board with it, it did make for a good change. The basil infused chicken with butter spaghetti, was a class apart. There seemed to be two types of spaghetti mixed in this and the spaghetti on it's own would make for a great meal, so with the basil infused grilled/roast chicken it was just something else. I don't know how else to describe it. Generally, I am so full by this point that I skip the dessert, not today. The Bugs Bunny cake was what we ordered. You should know I am not a fan of carrots, no where close to it i.e. when they are row. Cook it up and I am their biggest fan. Whether they are used in Sambhar, gajar ka halwa and the carrot cake. I have grown up on carrot cake. My mom used to bake a lot of cakes and carrot was my favorite. But put it in a salad, and I won't touch the salad. I know, I am weird.  This was one of the softest cake and topped with vanilla ice cream, is like a match made in heaven. I almost wanted to order a second one but that would have been too much. So, foregone for the day.

To anyone who prefers to eat healthy or are very diet conscious, they have a range of healthy meals as well. So it's a place for everyone. 

WHAT WE HAD - Foodgasm Wings (Ah-mazing)

                          Chicken Shawarma (Average)

                          Basil Infused Chicken with Soft Butter Noodles (Yumness Personified)

                          Bugs Bunny Cake (Yumness)

                          Fruity Mojito (Avoid)

                          Iced Tea (Yumness)

DAMAGES - Rs 1500/- (Approx)

WHERE -  Foodgasm., Shop 4, Ankleshwar Building, ONGC Colony, Near IES College, Reclamation, Bandra West

                           

D:OH, Mumbai

D:OH!, Lower Parel

The sort of not so steep pricing, the ambiance and the freak shakes is what had attracted me here. Everyone around seems to be doing freak shakes and this place's looked insane and had a mention in quite a few articles for where to go for freak shakes. Me being me, had to try it out. 

Located in the Kamala Mills Complex (How many restaurants does this place have? and every few weeks you see one more opening up? Where do all of them fit??!! ). I love the ambiance of this place, and if you love taking photos of your good self, second favorite hobby of mine ), then you will too. They have huge jhulas (swings) for seating against the walls. They also have high chairs on another side, but it's the jhoola that is what attracts me and that is where we chose to be seated. The place has a little raw appeal with uses of wooden elements, bricks, white and hues of blue. 

It's self service where you order what you require and they hand you over a buzzer and will buzz you once your order is ready to be whisked away. A pretty clean system. The one thing that I am not a fan of with self service is long queues (I would crib if the long queue even led to Shahrukh Khan! So queues not my thing, And even worse is no queues which leads to chaos). Hence, I appreciate this slick buzzer system. Hassle Free. 

When Ordering a freak shake, it's always for two, because well it's quite a lot on your own, but my friend wanted to have the chocolate and I wanted to have the caramel (majorly because it was garnished with a slice on cheese cake on top. Ek teer se do nishana types ). I am going to admit to it and say that was a mistake on my end. Or rather on theirs. It didn't really blow me away and after reading all the articles I had, I had expected it to. The caramel on it's own seemed good, but wasn't wow. The cheese cake, as much as I had to say it, is probably the worst I have had. It was hard, stale, lacked taste, the softness was missing. Definitely didn't seem fresh either.  The chocolate one was better, but then again, didn't wow either. Since the freak shake on it's own is too heavy, we ordered somewhat lighter food. We ordered the crispy sriracha chicken tenders and peppered mutton stew. All items on the menu are designed for one. The chicken tenders were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, exactly how they said it would be and for that I am grateful. If it's fried, then I prefer the outer parts to have that crunch. (I liked even my bread to have a little crunch. A little lunatic, that way). The star of the day was the Peppered Mutton Stew. It was like a home-coming meal. After a long journey home, when your mommy dearest serves you fresh food cooked with her own hands. It evokes those kind-of feelings when you have the very first bite. Mixed with exotic veggies (So exotic that I was left guessing what it was, though all good!), served on a bed of brown onion pulav. On a side note, I love brown onion or what we call Biryan. It elevates the flavor of the rice. The mutton pieces were melt in the mouth. The mutton gravy was served on top of the rice itself which can go wrong if one is less or more. Here, the ratio is perfect. 

The more I be to places, the more I realize I should stick to my own gut feeling than go with what dozens of articles. I liked the place quite a lot, but I would avoid the freak shakes and rather dig into the food.

WHAT WE HAD - Choco Freak (Okay)

                           Freak Cake - Caramel (Below Average)

                           Crispy Sriracha Chicken Tenders (Yumness)

                           Peppered Mutton Stew (Yumness Galore)

DAMAGES - Rs 1500/- (Approx)

WHERE - DOH All Day.Ground Floor, Unit 2B, Trade View, Kamala City, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel, Mumbai

212 - All Day, Mumbai

212 - All Day, Phoenix Market City

There is always a pro and a con to everything. When there is a movie theater so close to your place that you can just leave home 15 minutes prior show time but when you want to eat out post the movie session, everything is so far away and you are left with not many options but to look for places in the mall and frankly, I have never really felt that pull to any of the places here. But 212 has always intrigued me, so I finally was like let's give it a chance, mainly due to the very mixed reviews I have seen on the place. 

One attraction to this place would be the boards games they have on option and which you can opt whilst either enjoying your drink or meal, whichever would be your preference. Mine is food, if you hadn't guessed already and conversations which are like food for the heart. The service is the usual meet, greet and friendly smile, so pretty standard which is good enough.

Since, it was end of the month (Well, as per my company's salary cycle), I decided we should forego the appetizer options and just jump to the mains. I was more than a little confused if I wanted to have a burger or something from the mains.But in the end I decided to go for mains, because if it's a burger, I wanted beef and you can be fined upto Rs 5 Lac Now for having beef (I just had to say it because well, it's kind of ridiculous and has started to make me question, do I really want to stay here??!! Just so you know I LOVE this place but still you know what I mean) and a chicken burger wasn't holding my interest on the day My friend and me, we were both confused over the same thing. However, she chose to have the club sandwich then and I went for the Chicken Zurichoise. I had literally kept my fingers crossed, because I would be so disappointed if it didn't satisfy me. I was looking for some comfort food, something that warms the heart and the soul. Yes, a meal can do that. And you know what? This actually did that. I am completely in love with this dish. The balance of the flavors, the right amount of creamy and cheesy. Almost, like sitting in your blanket while it rains heavily outside. That it the kind of emotions it brought out and I frankly couldn't have enough of it. The Club Sandwich? another story. A club sandwich may seem like one of the easiest things around, layers of just vegetables and whatever you fancy. Yet it can be one of the plainest things if not done right. And if I wanted plain, I could have done it at home? Yes, I could have. (The one things I am good with is breakfast, and I always experiment with my sandwiches on the weekends). So, this was just plain Jane. Also, the fries felt a little stale. They lacked the crispiness of fresh fries and fries are meant to be consumed immediately. It never really is the same. 

If I had to I would give a 4 or the dish I had and a 2 probably for the sandwich and hence, I am actually left a little confused. Maybe you can try your luck. We also ordered for a lemon soda (for me) and a Sangira (Happy Hours) for my friend. 

WHAT WE HAD - Chicken Julienne (Heaven)

                           NV Club Sandwich with Bacon (Average)

                           Sangria, Red Wine 

                           Lemon Soda (Refreshing)

DAMAGES - Rs 1500/- Approx

WHERE -  212 All Day., F-97, First Floor,Phoenix Market City, LBS Road, Kurla, Mumbai

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

Cinnabon, Mumbai

Cinnabon, R City Mall

Though I am not a huge fan of sweet dishes and stuff, I had had very strong cravings for something sweet for almost 2 weeks. I was first thinking of having some freak shakes from some where and they are everywhere now. Then, decided let's give a shot to something different. Well, not completely different, because I have had Cinnabon before. Not just in India. I think Cinnabon outlets keep opening and closing. My vague memory tells me there was one in Bandra a few years ago, though I am not too sure. Even the one in R City had been closed in between. So whenever I thought of actually visiting (Bandra and then R City), the place would be shut? Does that mean the crowd of Mumbai hasn't really taken to Cinnabon? Well, they should i.e. if they haven't.

I had given a break to the foodie in me after Dubai, rest period, but now I am full fledged back in action. I have eaten 5 times out already in the last 9-10 days, which is every alternate day.

This outlet based in situated in the midst of R City Mall. I love places, like these placed in the middle of Malls, from where you can see everyone rush past, while you stay still. I have mentioned this before. But it had to be said again. It's not exactly a proper outlet or a restaurant but a little take away cum sit-down type place with no defined walls marking territory, a kiosk, if you please. (I really didn't know how else to describe it. ) 

I like my dessert warm, from gulab jamuns to cake that has just been taken out of the over, they taste infinitely better than after being kept in the freezer, except cheese cakes. Cheesecake is Life! So when you order a cinnamon roll from cinnabon, it's presented hot, so it automatically warms you up. I went for the Caramel one while my friend opted for chocolate. I will take caramel over chocolate any day. Even though I don't like things to be overtly sweetened, I strangely love caramel and nothing gets more sweeter than that. The Caramel one had nuts drizzled, with a little cream and generously slathered with caramel. Sweet Heaven. That first bite, even thinking of it now takes me back to that moment. You can't have enough of it. The chocolate one was drizzled with chocolate sauce and was equally lovingly made. Only, like I mentioned, I like my chocolate i bits, and not too much at one time. Very rarely will I go all out with chocolate.

Well, I for one really hope, this outlet doesn't close down any type soon, because whether or not I sit down for it, I will definitely be picking some up time and again.

WHAT WE HAD - Caramel & Nuts (Sweet Heaven)

                          Chocolate (Heaven)

DAMAGES - Rs 300/- 

WHERE -  Cinnabon India,Ground Floor, R City Maill, LBS Marg, Phase 2, Ghatkopar West, Mumbai

Gustoso, Mumbai

Gustoso, Lower Parel

Can one ever have enough of Pizzas? No. And now that the Gourmet Pizza trend has caught on in this side of the world, there is even more no stopping us Pizza Lovers. Although my main reason, for visiting this place was the pasta and not the pizza. Though obviously, I would dig into scrumptious pizza as well. So, Win Win!

A catch-up session with 2 dearest friends brought us here and the one thing I like about being in my position i.e. loving food as much as I do, I am always the one deciding on the place. And hence, I fulfill my all places to be list from here. I will make sure, it's a place that is on my bucket list. Though, the bucket list only increases. So one fine day, we landed here much to my delight. I am glad they didn't abuse me for selecting a place so far away from where all of us live. 

The one thing I love about Bombay is the many restaurants in practically every nook and corner of the city and what it has to offer in terms of ambiance. The interiors speak volumes for the places here. This place speaks Italian. From the way the tables are designed to a Vespa placed in the middle of the restaurant, not to forget this cozy corner with a round table and a huge chandelier lighting it up, the bar and most definitely the little garden type out door seating. We decided to take the party outside as we wanted a quieter place, where conversations take over and it was a pleasant day! Nothing quite like it. Bliss. 

The service is warm, the attendants know the menu well. So even if you don't know how to pronounce half the stuff (like me )or understand the ingredients well, the staff will come to your rescue. 

So we started off with the appetizers or antipasti - Arancini & Involtini Di Pollo (Sounds like the name of some sexy brooding painter  The arancini is fried balls consisting of arborio rice, mushrooms and mozerella. In short, a risotto fried into balls. Sounds good right? It is and goes wonderfully with the truffle aioli. I have a thing for aioli. I have a thing for anything that is creamy and cheesy. The involtini is chicken roulade (Why won't you make my life easy and just call it chicken roulade?! ) and is again stuffed with Mozzarella (Long Live the Italian for using cheese and letting us have cheese!). The roulade is swimming in lemon mint sauce, and I almost wonder if you are supposed to be drinking this. I am guessing that would look weird. But it does add an extra edge to the dish. Though I do wish the chicken was just a little more juicier. Then for the pizza, as recommended by the attending staff, we ordered the Stella Pizza which is shaped like a Star. It does look beautiful, the dough bread is the softest I have encountered, to the point where I have to be careful holding it. The tanginess of the tomato sauce is just right and everything is almost perfect but for the ricotta cheese used. I had kind of imagined that it would be either in spread form or melted form or something and not just blocks of ricotta cheese put on the pizza.So that was a tad bit disappointing. 

Then let's talk of the highlight of the meal, my reason for dragging my lovely friends here - Tagliolini Bombay. I don't know what's Bombay about it. So what's so special about this? They makw this in front of you. They take Pasta, flambe it, in a cheese wheel, in actual bowl which is a bowl made of cheese, toss in as much cheese as you desire and serve it to you. Lo and Behold! Do you see my eyes popping out? Watching it is an experience in itself. I would also want to share a little experience. Always, always take charge of capturing such epic moments yourself, do not pass off the responsibility to a friend, no matter how much they mean to you. They will screw it up. Especially if you have my luck. We took the entire video and by the end of it my friend realized she hadn't even clicked on record. You can't even begin to imagine my grief at this moment. I am not instagram crazy. Well, maybe, a little. But this is one of those moments that you do put on Instagram! Why wouldn't you let me have my moment of glory or show off??!!  I got over it, a little grudgingly. After everything said and done, the pasta was cheesilicious and that's what matters. We had a few mocktails as well, Frozen Currant, Into the Blue and Iced tea. Strangely, the Iced tea was not my order this time. I opted for the Frozen Currant, which is like an ice slush of black currant. I like slushes. The other two were refreshing as well. Looked Pretty too. 

WHAT WE HAD - Arancini (Yumness)

                           Involtini Di Pollo (Yumness)

                           Stella Pizza (Yumness Personified)

                           Tagliolini Bombay (Yumness)

                           Frozen Currant (Yum)

                           Peach Iced Tea (Yum)

                           Into the Blue (Yum)

DAMAGES - Rs 3500/- Approx

WHERE - Gustoso., Plot 109, Kwality House, August Kranti Marg, Below Kemps Corner Bridge, Mumbai, Kemps Corner, Mumbai

Coffee by Di Bella, Mumbai

Coffee By Di Bella

I think Di Bella is synonym for waffles. They are known for their waffles and probably the first to introduce the trend. You will find them everywhere now, but a few years back Di Bella was the only chain or rather the only place that was affordable. Hence, college kids and everybody else would flock alike to this place. Point being? Let's just name them Di Bella Waffles. It's fine either ways. Also, they are still my favorite. Though I have tried from quite a few places by now including the savory kind. 

Di Bella also is one of those places where I frequently visit. Even on broke days, which is I think more than half the time. However, the experience I am going to mention today is sort of bitter sweet, one is from when I paid visit to the Bandra outlet which was very welcoming and the other is almost next to my place in Equinox, BKC where I vouch never to return. 

Bandra

You will Find this place quite crowded and a waiting time almost always, because, well it's Bandra and this is where the action is. Whatever that means.

Even though we had to wait for almost 30 minutes to get a place here, we were more than happy to do so. Our names were taken down, the service staff ensured that we didn't feel uncomfortable and genuinely seemed like they cared about creating a place for us. Apologized, even though it was no fault of theirs, that we had to wait for an extra 15 minutes. Initially, we were told 15 minutes only. Quite courteous, in general. This is one reason why I keep going back to Di Bella, the warmth that you feel. 

Since freak shakes are the craze everywhere now. Di Bella has done their own version of it, which I had been dying to have and I finally did on this blessed day. We ordered for the Gold Coast Shake and the Melbourne Shake. One had a more caramel texture to it and the other was chocolate divine. My preference leans towards everything caramel so my obvious choice was the gold coast. They topped this one with caramel sauce, whipped cream, pretzels, twix and WAFFLES! What more do you need in life? The outside of the glass was lined with nuts and drizzled with caramel sauce. Now here, I actually wonder, is one supposed to have this or waste it? I am a strong believer that you shouldn't waste food but you can't even try to scrape this off and eat. So I am guessing it's more for show. Though i wish, it wasn't. The Melbourne is almost dark chocolate and my sister and friends preferred this more. So if you worship chocolate, this one's for you.

Over All, I would say you go back more than just with a happy and satisfied tummy. You go back with a fat one. I wonder how many days you will have to run to burn this off??!! Not even 3 hours in the gym could fix this.

DAMAGES - Rs 1000/- Approx

WHERE - Title Waves, Ground Floor, St Pauls Media Complex, 24th Road TPS III, Pali Hill, Bandra West

Equinox Center, Kurla

I have been here once before and almost had  a similar experience. I put it down to a one time off thing but unfortunately, this time I don't think it's a one time off thing. I almost wonder how can one outlet be so welcoming and the other put you so off. 

I had come here so happy because Hey! Waffle time. I happily even placed my order for blue berry waffles and a Junglee Chicken Sandwich because as much as I love waffles, I need to balance the sweetness with something savory. Everything seemed to be going well till this point. It was downhill from here. It took more than 30 minutes for the waffles to be served, and when inquired after about 20 minutes, we were met with a very cool "it will take time" and back to work. I tried spotting a smile but it wasn't found to be found for miles. We went back to pur place and patiently waited. I told her at least serve the sandwich, since all you need to to is heat it up. But I think she had forgotten that we had ordered that even. Never the less after the reminder, the sandwich arrived. And in another 5 minutes the waffles came piping hot. Half my mood had improved, only to be crushed again. The waffles had the side of whipped cream and ice cream missing. Once again, I was like but what about the whipped cream and the ice cream? I was met with a blank stare. Almost, like I am asking for something that is no where on the menu. At this point I was a little pissed. It is only when I clearly stated that you are supposed to serve whipped cream and ice cream on the side, she acknowledged. It was kind of like if you didn't know this piece of information, she wouldn't serve it to you. There after I was very curtly informed that the whipped cream was not available, she would instead give me 2 cups of ice cream. (Why does this store never have whipped cream? It didn't the last time I was here which was almost 1 and a half years back!) The ice cream finally came to us and it was not even in the china ware that they generally use, it was in those take away ice cream cups? Shortage of utensils even? Who ever is managing this store needs to seriously pull up their socks. If you think that these little things don't matter, THEY DO! Dining out is an experience. 

If this was not enough, I just want to add on to something me and my friend overheard happening at the table next to us. The girl had placed order for one type of waffles. Let's even assume that the girl ordered the wrong kind. Why I say this is because when the girl asked for her order and repeated that this is what she wants, she was met with a "No, you ordered this!" It seemed more like she was ordering the guest rather than the other way round (Guests are not supposed to be rude either, just to clarify. Ever heard of guest courtesy? Even if she hadn't ordered the particular waffles, you could have politely explained the situation to her. The girl (guest here) almost seemed startled and with a very meek "okay" said fine bring the ones that was ordered or something along those lines. Also, please note that the waffles were not even made at this point. Because, we could see her pouring the waffle batter from where we were sitting. 

I normally don't do this. I let it slide. Attending staff are not exactly in the high income bracket area. I am not even saying that this girl should be dealt with seriously or something. But please, please teach your staff, a little about guest interaction. Give them training on it. If they lack confidence, it's one thing. Being rude and blatant is another. 

Even though I would come back to Di Bella. Definitely not stepping into this place.

DAMAGES - Rs 800/- Approx

WHERE -  Coffee By Di Bella., Equinox Commerce Centre, Tower 3, Lal Bahadur Shastri Road, Kurla West, Kurla, Mumbai