Hola Amigos!

Amigos! So around few days back I read a post on twitter about a new Mexican restaurant opening up at Versova and was thrilled and couldn't wait to try it out and managed to visit the place one week after its opening.

We went there around 7ish so none of us were really hungry, so we decided to go with a light meal and called for a Braised Chicken Quesadilla and Chile Re-lino - Spiced Chicken which came along with Lime Cilantro rice and French fries.

First came in the Chicken Quesadillas which looked and tasted nothing more than Parotha with stuffed minced chicken and the white sauce that came along complimented it well by tasting like Dahi. In short a complete disaster.

                                        This is not the actual picture, but this is something 
                                                               what is  looked like. 

And then came in the Chile Re-lino - Spiced Chicken with the Lime Cilantro rice and french fries. The only thing that actually did stand out were the french fries, which were crispy and Masala-e-Daar as we Indians would like it, but of course there was nothing Mexican about it.The spiced chicken had barely any chicken honestly and it was honestly a pain to even eat it. And as far as the Lime Cilantro rice is concerned, very average. Well so we were glad that we restricted our order.

                                       Chile Re-lino - Spiced Chicken with Lime Cilantro-rice
                                                                  and French Fries

Talking about the ambiance, its hard to decide if it looks more like a Goa shack or a Diwali party (thanks to the over dosage of Diwali lights)The music also wasn't good. So it does not really give you a fine dining experience.

The service however was rather good, the waiters were friendly and alert. But again maybe that's because the place was empty.

Our total bill for the two came to Rs. 650 with tax. I would rather spend that much and have a good Mexican meal at Sammy Sosa instead and would recommend you to do the same.

The bar rates are decent for a dine in place and on the same lines as their competitor next door, WTF.

I would rate this place a 1/5

Contact Number -  022 42669249 
Location - Jewel mahal Shopping Centre, Near Nana Nani Park, JP Road, Versova, Mumbai 

Hello There.

Hey Guys! I'm a terrible person for being away for so long from the blog that I love so much. I honestly have no excuses of being busy because I very frankly was doing nothing but being lazy which is why I was missing for this long.

I have a few half done reviews which somehow I don’t feel like posting now because the content has lost its charm. One of them was Starbucks, which then was the new thing in town.  Just to give you a quick feedback about the place,  I did not fancy the food too much, they had gone over board with the indianisation of it. Though the White Chocolate Mocha was absolutely brilliant. It’s priced sensibly, the staff seemed quite confused since I visited the place on the very 2nd day that it opened up at Oberoi Mall, but hopefully that has changed now. Do let me know what you guys thought about it btw.

Also right after that I visited Abu Dhabi where I went ga-ga over the food as usual, I almost had everything that I had recommended on my Abu Dhabi post. Though my pick for this trip would be Cho Gao which is located at Crowne Plaza.  They serve brilliant Chinese/ Thai food.

I also want to talk about a not so popular place called ‘The Bubblegum Route’ – Andheri , that I went to right after my trip to catch up with a few friends over a glass of beer. They have happy hours on till 8 pm which they extend to about 8.30 ish :D I had no plans of dining there but got a little hungry so called for the Thai Green Chicken + Rice here and was shocked to see how less the quantity was, which led me to almost scream at the waiter to call for the manager, now I was all set to argue with him but before I could say anything, he said ma’am I will get you more, to which I couldn't say anything :) After about ten minutes he got me exactly double of what was already present  and we finally tried it, I absolutely loved it. Now this isn’t a place you really expect too much out of Thai food, but these guys did a good  job. Also I have heard their No Nonsense Burger is really good. Its priced quite reasonably btw.  Just don’t forget to ask for extra the next time you are there ;)

                                                             Thai Green Chicken


Also lastly a quick mention about Alfredos – Andheri , I used to really like this place until I visited it last week to find a cockroach fall on my hand and a dead fly on the table which totally creep ed me out. This place is a sure no-no from now on. I would also appreciate you commenting about a similar experience you may have had else where :D

I think with that I’m done with my very random post. Just thought of all that I did for the past 2 months and jotted down whatever came to my mind.

P.S I’m thrilled to be back :D

Cuppa Joe

Hey guys, how u all doing? I'm doing great and not been dining at to many places lately for 2 reasons. 1 being that am experimenting with food at home (thanks to my new cook) and 2 that am pretty broke (thanks to excessive shopping) but Cuppa Joe is a place whose menu I have been eyeing on Zomato for a while now and had been wanting to visit the place since really long.

So finally I decided to visit the place and before I could even get there I knew what I wanted to order, since I had already spent ample time looking at the menu over the net.

I called for a Butter Beer, Grilled Chicken and Ham Sandwich and an Ultimate Red Velvet. While my friend ordered for a Mocha Flavored Snow Frappe and a Dijon Mustard Chicken Panini.

To start with the Butter beer, now this was something I was perhaps the most excited for, had read way too many nice things about the drink so was thrilled to try it. It’s basically a soda based drink with a special syrup as they would like to call it which tastes something like a mixture of vanilla/caramel. Now honestly appearance wise it looked more like Ganne ka juice (sugar cane) than Beer but I ignored that and finally tried it and somehow did not fancy it much, as in it was good but over hyped! This was priced at Rs.130. Definitely not worth it.

Moving on to the chicken ham sandwich, this was brilliant. I asked the guy to remove the tomatoes from the sandwich however. It has mustard and mayo in it which did fit in well with the chicken and ham. This was priced for Rs. 120 which is quite good for a sandwich.

And then came the scrumptious red velvet cake and I know why it’s called ULTIMATE Red Velvet, it’s truly out of this world. I don't have words to express how brilliant this was. You have to visit Cuppa Joe for this. Also it is priced only at Rs.150. Totally worth it.

Oh and they also have Red Velvet Frozen Yogurt that I asked for a trial and it was quite decent.

I also managed to try the Mocha Based Snow Frappe which was really good. Wasn't too sweet  nor was it too rich in coffee so it worked well with me. They also have a Bubblegum Flavor Snow Frappe which sounds exciting and hopefully I get to try it soon.

I also tried the Dijon Mustard Chicken Panini which I liked quite a bit. Definitely not the best I’ve had but good for a quick bite.

The ambiance however is where this place falls short; they should make it a little more colorful. I love the colour scheme (pink & orange) they have in their logo and think they should experiment with these two colours for their interiors.

Overall food wise, I would say not bad at all. Would rate it a 3.5/5 and increase a .5 more for that amazing red velvet cake and make it a 4/5 :D

Lastly this place also gets plus points for being so active and interactive on social media.

Follow them on twitter here - https://twitter.com/CuppaJoeIndia

And on facebook here - https://www.facebook.com/CuppaJoeIn?fref=ts

P.S My phone memory card got formatted and am not able to upload photos that I clicked but tried looking up the net for whatever photos I could find. Sorry guys :( 

Phone number - 022 26494040

Location - Off Carter Road, Next to Yogurtbay, Bandra West, Mumbai

Sun Moon & Potatoes

Hey Everyone, Hope you all are doing great and welcoming the festive season with some great food and lots of Mithai. So thanks to Ganesh Chaturti, me and my brother had a long weekend and decided to catch up on a movie (Heroine) which was disastrous but thankfully we decided to have a quick dinner before the movie, so we decided to go to Sun Moon and Potatoes which luckily wasn't bad like the movie. I have visited this place years ago before I started my blog and had the chicken sizzlers and from what I can remember, it was quite good.

Sun Moon and Potatoes offers a wide range of multiple cuisines such as Italian, Chinese, Mexican and European.  We ordered for Chicken Quesadillas, Cream Cheese Chicken Pasta and Cheese Garlic Bread.  Yes cheese is our high.

So first came in the Cheese Garlic Bread, which appeared and tasted as though it was homemade, not that it’s a bad thing but obviously you expect better when you’re dining outside. This definitely is something I would not call for the next time am here. This was priced for around Rs. 100

After which came in the Chicken Quesadillas, honestly am a huge fan of Quesadillas and any place I find this on the menu, I have to call for it. But unfortunately I was not having the best luck with them for the past few months, thankfully here at Sun Moon and Potatoes, the Quesadillas were delicious. They looked scrumptious and were absolutely mouthful. It was juicy and tad bit spicy and had fresh melted cheese flowing from it also luckily they weren't too many vegetables stuffed in it. This was priced for Rs.150

Lastly the waiter got us the Cream Cheese Pasta. I had an option between Veg/Chicken/ Seafood and Penne/ Spaghetti/ Fusilli. I opted for the Chicken Penne Cream Cheese Pasta.  It was extra creamy and had the right amount of cheese (or maybe I was almost dead with the over dosage of cheese) and unlike most other places had a good amount of shredded chicken pieces in it which were well cooked. This was priced at Rs. 225

So overall quite a decent meal, the chicken Quesadillas definitely stole the thunder.

Talking about the ambiance of the place, it’s a nice chilled out place, nothing fancy. A place apt for college kids to hang out and grab a meal.  However it’s a small place so they barely have 6 tables inside and around 2-3 outside.  They should maybe consider re-doing the place a little so that it could attract more people.  Also this youth dominated place could think through serving Beer/Wine.  

Nonetheless a good place with good food. Peaceful and Economical.

I would rate it a 3.5/5

Phone number :  022 28814645, 022 65752866 

Location  : 11 & 12, Pleasant Park, Movietime Cinema, Link Road, Malad West, Mumbai    

Yo Go & Big Daddy

Hey Guys! Sorry for not updating my blog for over a month now, was busy with an event I was working on and post that was ill for almost 2 weeks, so yes was not having the best food possible to blog about. Hope you all however have been eating some real good food.

Now while I was sick there were 2 things I was really craving for, Mexican Food and Oreo Cheesecake, so as soon as I got slightly better I decided to grab myself all that I wanted.

Starting with the Oreo Cheesecake, I was actually craving for a pastry sort of thing but what I got to try was Oreo Cheesecake Frozen Yogurt which did sound really fancy to me initially but I was super thrilled to give it a try. A friend of mine had told me about this new yogurt place called Yo Go that had opened up at Andheri -  Lokhandwala, and my reaction instantly was Oh lord, another frozen yogurt place? But he seemed quite optimistic about this place due to the reviews he had heard, so well he did try it and adored it and was kind enough to get me the Oreo Cheesecake Frozen Yogurt. I was undeniably delighted on having it. It was natural in taste and the Oreo mixed in perfectly and it did not have the powdery after taste to it. It was priced at Rs. 140. I would rate it a 4.5/5 and without second thoughts entitle this to be the best frozen yogurt I have had till date. I’m looking forward on visiting the place by my own and trying out their other stuff. The place is also apparently known for their awesome cupcakes. Mmm!

During my research about Yo Go, I found a photo of their Lokhandwala store and completely loved their candy like interior and the cute pandas on their door knob etc. This got me all the more anxious about visiting the place soon.

Location : Unit#07, Greenfields Society, Lokhandwala Market, near HDFC Bank, opposite Hang Out Cakes, Lokhandwala, Andheri (W)

Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/YogosCafe

Next coming to the Mexican Food, I usually visit Sammy Sosa at Oshiwara for the same but due to heavy showers could not go there and also had read about a new place called Big Daddy that had opened up in 7 Bungalows that served Mexican Cuisine so thought of giving it a try. But I had seen the place and there was absolutely NO WAY I could possibly dine their and eat, since the place is surrounded with garages and had the worst crowd surrounding it, so ordering was the only option.

We ordered for Grilled Chicken Quesadillas and Grilled Fish in Butter Garlic Sauce which is accompanied by Pesto Rice and Mashed Potato. But due to the monsoon season we were that seafood would not be offered, so we agreed on Grilled Chicken in Butter Garlic Sauce instead. It took around 45 minutes for delivery to Lokhandwala which was quite decent.

We started with the Quesadillas that were sadly not hot when it reached us but that could be pardoned because of the rains. The chicken was very well cooked and even the cheese savored fresh but it was slightly bland, they could have added a little more sauce to make the quesadillas a little juicier. So overall it was average and could have been lot better. It was priced only at Rs. 140 which I think is very reasonable. Overall I would rate it a 3/5.

After which we had the Chicken in Butter Garlic Sauce with Pesto Rice which somehow reminded us of Thai Green Chicken with Rice due to its green in colour appearance. Here again the chicken was very well cooked just like the chicken used in the quesadillas. The butter garlic gravy was enjoyable. They had also given the garlic sauce separately which tasted rather good. This was priced at Rs.180 which again was not too bad for the quantity they served. It could do well for around 2-3 people. I would rate it a 3.5/5

Overall Big Daddy was a decent experience. It evidently wasn't food that made me go WOW but not a bad option either. They have an outlet in Khar as well.

Location : Opposite Banana Leaf, Juhu Versova Link Road, 7 Bungalows, Mumbai

  

With that I think am done with this random come back post. Hopefully I keep well here after and keep posting.

Take care you all and Happy Eating :D

Sunday Brunch - China 1

Hey everyone

Hope you all had a great Friendship Day/ International Beer Day.

So finally after missing all the planned brunches for the past few sundays, I woke up on time last Sunday and managed to make it on time for brunch. Though renaissance was the actual plan, but we couldn't make it there. Hopefully that visit shall happen soon. So I started looking up the internet for options for a Sunday brunch and after much pondering short listed The Little Door and China 1. But finally made up our mind and went to The Little Door.

We reached The Little door but much to our surprise the place was quite empty and when we saw their menu for the sunday brunch  we knew why. They give you an option to choose just 1 hot breakfast item and 1 main course for Rs. 700 and then you need to add another Rs. 600 for drinks. I don't know somehow that idea did not quite appeal to me. When I talk about a brunch, I need lots of food. LOTS. Don't want to be limited to just one or two things.

So yes we left that place and decided to go to China 1 which thankfully wasn't too far from The Little Door.

So we reached China 1 around 2ish and luckily got seated right away. The place was quite packed otherwise with families enjoying their Sunday and quite a few birthday treats happening. We were quite impressed with the contemporary interior work at China 1. It was quite different from the typical cliché Chinese restaurant interiors. It also is quite spacious, so inspite of it being crowded it wasn't cramped up. Though it was a little too noisy.

                              Taken this photo off the internet just to show you what the place looked like



Coming to the brunch. The waiters initially came to inform us that the soup and starters would be served on the table and asked us what would we like for our 1 complimentary drink. I ordered for a peach ice tea, which was quite refreshing.

Then came in the soup, which was chicken coriander soup. It was aromatic and flavourful. The tiny coriander leaves enhanced the flavor. After which came in almost 8 types of starters they served us 6 non veg starters and Paneer in Chilly Flakes and a Veg Puff. In Non Veg there was Cashew nut Chicken, Fish Fingers, Fish in Chilly flakes, Stuffed Crab, Chicken Dimsum, Chicken Satay and another dish which am not very sure what its called but was similar to a Dimsum.

                                                        Chicken Coriander Soup

Cashew Nut Chicken 

Chicken Dimsums

                                                 
                                                              Stuffed Crab

                                                             Chicken Satay

The Dimsum look alike. 

I absolutely loved the fish in chilly flakes, it was tender and had just the right amount of spice in it. Even the Paneer in chilly flakes was similar, just that it was Paneer ofcourse. Was rather suprirsed to have a veg puff at a Chinese brunch, but it tasted quite good, seemed like it was fresh out of a bakery. The Cashew nut Chicken was a little too sweet. The fish fingers were good, though I was hoping for a tartar sauce to compliment it. The chicken satay with peanut sauce was mouth watering, I think its one of the best Chicken Satays I have had in Mumbai. The stuffed crab and the Dimsum's were very mediocre and could have been better. And the other dish that was similar to the Dimsum was horrible and could be given to someone you are not very fond of.

Finally moving on to the main course, there was a lavish spread of two types of noodles, rice and salad (Veg and Non Veg) and 3 types of chicken i.e Kung Pao Chicken, Shredded home made chicken and grilled chicken in soya. I tried all three, the Kung Pao Chicken and Shredded Chicken were delicious. But the Soya Chicken was horrid, there was more soya, less chicken. Then there were prawns that I tried, it was good but not the best I have had, it was slightly sweet. There was also Lamb, Crab and Lobster gravy but I dint try it since I was already quite stuffed and had a tad bit space left which I reserved for dessert. Though my friends who tried it had good things to say about it. I tried the coriander flavored chicken noodles which was spicy and tasty just that way I like it and also tried the burnt chicken garlic fried rice which was decent. The chicken salad was in white dressing and was fresh so it worked for me.

                                           Just a glimpse of what the buffet looked like 



And now my favourite part, the desserts. There was a huge counter which displayed fruits, fruit custard, caramel custard, blue berry cheese cake, mango pastry, strawberry pastry, strawberry mousse and chocolate/white chocolate cake which could be dipped in their chocolate fountain. And lots of Ice Cream too. So yes I was super excited to try whatever I could and managed to try most of it but before I get to anything else let me tell you all that the blue berry cheesecake was out of this world, I had two in my plate and went back for more in spite of being so full. I would give the mango pastry and fruit custard a miss, since it was very average. The strawberry pastry and mousse were quite nice. And I think a cake in chocolate fountain just cant go wrong, though it did not look as gorgeous as a chocolate fountain usually does but tasted delicious. Did not try the Ice Cream however.

Strawberry Pastry/ Blue Berry Cheesecake / Mango Cake 

Caramel Custard and Fruit Custard 

                                                     The Chocolate Fountain 




The sunday brunch is priced at Rs. 598 / person, which is affordable and totally worth it.

Overall quite a good brunch at China 1, I would rate it a 3.5/5.

China 1 is located at G-05, Morya Landmark 1, Off Link Road, Andheri West, Mumbai
Contact number - 022 30932030 ext:128

Pratap's Dhaba

Hey Everyone,

Hope you all are doing great! Finally am over my Abu dhabi vacation and the food there, and now am back to reviewing places in Mumbai.

So this wasn't my first visit to Pratap's Dhaba, had been there a few times in the past but way before I started my blog and yesterday I visited the place after quite a long gap. Previously this place was quite a hit for me and my family and every time my parents were down, a trip to the Dhaba was much needed but this time I was quite bummed out with my experience

The place is huge so seldom does one have to wait long to get a place there. In spite of being a Sunday we got a place without any delay. You have an option of indoor and outdoor seating. We opted for the outdoor seating.

Talking about the ambiance, it has the typical punjabi dhaba look to it, with charpais, lanterns and statues doing bhangra right at their entrance. And though their wooden benches are really old and almost damaged by the looks of it, it has its own charm and is quite a change from your normal fine dining experiences.

The service was quite good surprisingly, the waiters are usually confused and take forever to bring in the food, but this time it was quick and they were efficient. They bought their cute hand fan shaped menu cards as soon as we settled.

Coming to the food & beverages. We started off by calling for Lassi and Masala Soda to drink and Fish Amritsari, Mutton Seekh Kabab and Masala Papad in the starters. First came in their trademark complimentary Mukka Pyaaz that is smashed onion with lot of masala which was quite good.

                                                               Mukka Pyaaz



Then came in the Lassi and Masala Soda. The lassi was amazing and better than most other places that serve lassi in Mumbai. The masala soda was tangy and tasty, just as it should be.

The Masala Soda and Lassi

After the beverages we were served the starters. The Fish Amritsari was very average, it used to be a lot more better previously, it was tender but some how the chatpata taste it had earlier was missing and the mutton seekh kabab on the other hand was soft and flavorful though it could have been a tad bit spicier. The portions were good, there were around 10 pieces of each suitable for 3 people. And as for the Masala Papad it was a little messy and not as crunchy as it could have been.

Fish Amritsari 

                                                         Mutton Seekh Kabab

                                                            Masala Papad


Put up the photos from my plate itself, since the waiter had already served the food.


Not having a huge appetite that day, we ordered for only 1 main course i.e butter chicken which was by far one of the best dishes Pratap's dhaba used to offer earlier, but the standards had deteriorated, the butter chicken was lousy, I repeat LOUSY! We were shocked, because it was something the Dhaba was rather known for.

Butter Chicken 

Yes the photo looks as bad as it tasted.

Disappointed as we were, we decided not to opt for dessert and called for the Bill. He brought  it and accompanying that was their special pan shot which thankfully was as good it was previously and is the perfect way to end a meal.

                                                                  Pan Shot 



The bill came up to 1400 for three people which was decent but you have a lot more other options that offer punjabi food in the same price range.

Overall wasn't too pleased with my experience here, would rate it a mere 2/5.

I would recommend Urban Tadka if you are looking for good punjabi food, its sasta and delicious.

Prataps Dhaba is located at Link Plaza, Next to Punjab and Maharashtra Bank, Oshiwara.
Contact number -  022 26322323, 022 26362323, 022 26342323, +91 9029072323