Firstly a mention and thank you to @zomato for their blessings in the form of vouchers for the Sunday Brunch gig by Citibank. After taking a brief look at the options available, A not so typical Sunday Brunch location was selected - Blue Frog.

Your mind has these pre conceived notion of a party hub right ? Dim lights, Neon lines and in general chaos. Then you begin to visualize the same space in bright daylight ready for a meal and importance being shifted from music and drinks to food and service. It's quite a transformation to be true. One look at the Sunday Brunch setting at Blue Frog and you're convinced that its gonna be a great afternoon. Live band strumming tunes on guitar and those circular cocoon's filled with groups of people enjoying the food is a quite a comforting sight.

Assorted Tapas :

Started off with the Tapas bar that features quite some refreshing salad in Chicken, Lamb, Seafood & Pork variations. The hearty lamb shred salad was my pick of the lot since it gave an unrestricted flavour of the meat to the palate followed by some greens and carrots. The Bread & Cheese basket is mildly addictive with its range of breads, buns, crackers, cheese, red grapes and dried apricots. One last mention from the assorted tapas goes to the delectable and pulpy Pumpkin & Dill Shots.

On Order :

Pancakes, Waffles & Poached Eggs dishes all are well executed with adequate portion size and complimenting compote, cream and sauces. The mains were not too over the top, vastly came with a generic base of zucchini, carrot, broccoli, mash of potatoes and topped with the hero component. The grilled Tiger Prawns were contained with minimal seasoning and tasted moderate. The Chicken fillet too was a descent affair. The one that stood out was the Pan Seared Fish with Orange Butter. The Basa fillet was cooked to perfect moistness and drizzled with a zesty orange butter juice. Mushroom Risotto was ordered to satiate our desi stomach that craved for rice of some form. Again, Just like the other mains this one too was a descent fare. On an average the dishes on order proved to be neutral on satisfaction level. It is a good thing when you actually think about the variety you consume than re-ordering the favourite one yet again.

Desserts were the usual suspects of brownie, custard & cakes heavily laced with whipped cream. The sweet selections could have been lesser in numbers yet inviting had they provided Creme Brulee or Molten Lava Cake on order.

In all, it was a fun-day lunching at a gig specialist enclosure with live music and diverse spread of consistent quality. At 2500/- per head (with unlimited drinks) this may be a stellar deal for the guzzlers while others may feel a pinch at 2000/- just for the modest food.

You can book and enjoy your Sunday Brunch by visiting the website - www.sundaybrunch.co.in

PostedApril 18, 2015

AuthorAssad Dadan

CategoriesReviews

TagsSunday Brunch, Sunday, Brunch, Mumbai, Blue Frog, Gig, EDM, Indie, Blue Fro, lower parel, Mathuradas Mills, mumbai

Our first visit to Floyd Cardoz's lavish canteen in Lower Parel.

PostedApril 5, 2015

AuthorAssad Dadan

CategoriesReviews

TagsBombay Canteen, Bombay, Bambai, Mumbai, Canteen, Floyd Cardoz, Chef Thomas, New York, Top Chef, Masala Chai Popsicle, Guava Tan

Summer has just begun to peak in here in Mumbai, stifling heat and people are looking up to restaurants for respite in the form of light salads & berry coolers. Chili's at Powai is doing exactly the opposite, bringing more meat to the menu ! How thoughtful of them to reassure us with Buffalo meat while Beef has been done away with.

Unfold the discrete menu and the foremost sight is plethora of world beers. That's a welcome addition. The beer based concoctions like Watermelon & Beer, Raspberry & beer & Frozen Beer Rita although sound innovative, should be best kept at arm's length. The watermelon one is marginally acceptable but the raspberry is a strict no no and so is the Beer Rita.

The better part of the menu begins from this point onwards. The Chicken Mince Burger is sure to wow anyone and everyone with its thick juicy patty. The crunch element which was until now restricted to crispy iceberg lettuce is a notch higher due to the addition of thin crisps. The new assorted set of sliders are equally remarkable. We sampled two of their variations - Buffalo Meat and Chicken. The subtly flavoured red meat patty was almost medium rare cooked while the Chicken sliders were yet again tucked with a couple of crisps to provide a different texture.

A few light eats now make an appearance in Chili's menu via the grilling process. Aimed at providing one person gourmet meal, this section is bound to work with health conscious folks. We sampled a gorgeous fillet of Mango-Chile Basa which was glazed with a spicy habanero mango sauce and garnished with chopped avocado and mango. The flaky fish fillet was cooked to perfection while its taste oddly complimented the glaze on top. The side serving of Chipotle Rice though flavourful does not work well along with the mango and the fish. The dish is also available in a Chicken variation. Grilled Chicken Salad & Margarita Grilled Chicken are the other dishes from this section.

The desserts gets a minimal revamp with addition of moist Carrot Cake while the Molten Chocolate Cake makes way for a Cinnamon Molten version. We called for the latter and were taken aback by its aroma as it sat on the table. The caramel drizzle, upside down cake and scoop of vanilla are all plated up meticulously for a vote gathering Instagram post. Cut the cake and out oozes the cream. The flavours are just stupendous leaving no human senses untouched.

The changes to the menu are most welcome. Not only is the menu redesigned with an ease to identify various sections, it is also better organized with fewer images. We really hope that some of these dishes are carried forward to the main permanent menu.

*This visit to Chili's was by invitation.

PostedMarch 30, 2015

AuthorAssad Dadan

CategoriesReviews

Tagschilis, chili's, powai, hiranandani, mumbai, tex mex, Burgers, Sliders, quesadilla, Nachos

Me : Hello !

Other end : Hello !

Me : I’m standing close to Joey's Pizza. Could you help me locate your restaurant please ?

Other end : Sure, Continue down the same road once you pass Joey's and take left. First building on the right hand side, That's the one. We're located at the back side of that building.

Few minutes of walking aided by trusty Google Maps, we arrive at the back side of this building to locate 'Frisbees, Pie in the sky'.

Me : Is this Frisbees Burger joint ?

Guy in the head chef kinda attire : Yes, this is Frisbees. So, Did you have difficulties locating us ?

Me : A little. Then you guided us right.

Guy in the head chef kinda attire : Actually we're running an offer this week; if you manage to reach here without asking us for directions, then you get a 20% discount on your burger !

Me : *Rolling eyes* Like really ! Why did you answer that call? Should have just let it ring !

Continued by little laughter and chit-chat leading to the order.

*Frisbee's original lamb burger & original chicken burger.*

The picture above doesn't particularly feature an idealistic burger, but yes that's what i could manage inside a running kitchen in between flying tickets and no place to sit.

A brief look at the menu and my eyes told me where to look at - Frisbees original beef burger ! Sadly, the Maharashtra Government has declared the lovely protein to be debarred from any kind of a sale. So moving on, between the two of us we ordered a Original Lamb Burger & a Chicken Burger each. The place is full of offers and discount throughout the week. We got Milkshakes at a discounted rate along with our burgers.

The Good Stuff :

The buns are made fresh & in-house. Not your average sized buns but a much larger one that will surely not win a beauty pageant but nevertheless and more importantly tastes fresh. Patties are freshly grounded and made to fit the large bun well. Overall, the substantially sized burgers are devoid of any gourmet detailing and difficult to pronounce ingredient names. Buttered halves are followed by sliced tomatoes and iceberg lettuce topped by their patty and drizzled with house dressings.

The understated glass of milkshake turned out to be a rather wild card winner. The Gulkand, Brownie and the Marshmallow flavours all taste rich and thick. Really appreciate that some extra thoughts have been put to stay away from the run of the mill banana, chocolate & strawberry flavours.

The Debatable Stuff :

Size - At burgers averaging 250-270 bucks from a take away place seems a bit unfair. Even if they are using some blend of slightly expensive herbs still the price seems a tad bit over the margin considering the following factors - No sitting and just an acceptable neighbourhood. An average of 200-220 bucks would make for a stellar deal.

Fries though fresh and crisp are heavily spiked with hot spice. Not sure how that would turn out after reaching the customer in a 20-30 minutes delivery period.

Perks :

Well, A lot of perks ! Daily discounts and combo offers are just ways to pamper you. You can add extra patty and super-size your burger too. We've seen one getting parcelled and it had to be precisely laminated and stuffed in that card paper box.

Fin :

Almost a year old brand, and it's barely mined by the locals. Do try them out if you're located in their delivery circle (Lokhandwala, 4 Bungalows, 7 Bungalows, Veera Desai Road etc).

They may not be an epitome in the burger scenario of suburbs, but there is a genuine attempt to satiate those burger cravings of people in it's vicinity. If Joey's Pizza is considered an Andheri legend then Frisbees surely can be it's prodigy in the making.

Location : Shop 37, Andheri Shiv Shakti CHS, Municipal School Road, Indira Nagar, Andheri West

PostedMarch 20, 2015

AuthorAssad Dadan

CategoriesReviews

TagsFrisbees, Burgers, Pie in the sky, Pizza, Joeys, Lamb burger, Beef Burger, Chicken Burger, andheri, andheri west, versova, lokhandwala, veera desai road, fast food, takeaway

This latest Mediterranean entrant parks itself into the heart of an evergrowing hub of culinary choices - Bandra. At a location that already makes people overindulge into radical salads from Bombay Salad Co. and the legendary Biryani in earthen pots from Khan-e-khaas, Cairo Grill must bring their culinary aces to the table in order to make a mark.

Drawing direct inspiration from the popular New York food truck 'Halal Guys', Cairo Grill brings gyro cart food in the form the meat & rice, pita & hummus, shawarma, and a little more. The food is aimed is to be quick takeaway affair just as their tag line goes - Fast, Tasty & Mediterranean. Having sampled almost all of their menu in the past two weeks, the signature dish - New York style Chicken & Rice takes the 'Popular Dish' vote while the lettuce, croutons, chicken induced 'Shawarma Salad' takes my vote for being the heartiest. The contents of the tangy rich white sauce is something of a myth just as it is back in New York. It was mentioned to us that it contains only a little mayonnaise for the sake of consistency while most of it as we inferred should be sour cream coupled with Tahini dressing.

Cairo's shawarma appears well textured on the outside with crisscross grill marks on the pita. The succulent chicken meat ticks all the right boxes, though it's the filling that seems sparse and one gets an immense portion of the pita in each bite and quite less of the inner goodies. The Falafel mixture itself needs a lot of work as the end deep fried product tastes more of a desi imitation with irregular chunks of peas in each bite. On the other hand, their Hummus is impeccable with the right consistency of all ingredients. We ordered the Chicken & Hummus plate and it was finger-licked in no time. The deep fried garlic topping is a nice touch and adds a crunchy dimension to the paste like texture.

Oreo Nachos, the only sweetened attribute is a not so convincing affair of deep fried pita chips sprinkled with a mix of crushed Oreo, Cinnamon and Sugar.

To sum it all, Cairo Grill though fairly new to the scene does pack enough Mediterranean punches in the right places with its hearty portions of salads, flavorful gyro meat and more importantly tempts you every time with the red & white sauce laced Chicken & Rice. The 'Halal Guys' would definitely have to worry about yet another imitation brand if they ever decided to come down to Mumbai.

PostedMarch 11, 2015

AuthorAssad Dadan

CategoriesReviews

Tagscairo, cairo grill, grill, egypt, egpytian, cuisine, lebanese, meditteranean, shawarma, gyro, gyro food, street food, mumbai, Bandra, New York, New York Chicken & Rice, Halal Guys, Bombay Salad Co, KhaneKhaas

Location : Zapata's, Shop 13-14, Pleasant Park, Link Road, Opposite Movie Time Theatre, Malad West

Firstly to get the mood going let's listen to some pop from 80s. Yazoo did this amazing track which i only heard now in 2015 while watching a sitcom #TheAmericans. If you haven't seen it then do check out this thrilling CIA vs KGB drama that has unfolded cautiously over three seasons.

So moving on from Russians to Mexicans. On researching a bit over the internet it was found that Zapata meant an occupational name for a cobbler or shoemaker and also that 'Emiliano Zapata' was prominent figure from the Mexican Revolution. This Malad based eatery paints a different picture altogether. When conversing with one of the expat partner during our chef's table, he felt that Mexican food was not that greatly accepted here in Mumbai and with Zapata they wanted people to get comfortable with their asado style of cooking, tostados, ceviche and more that they have to offer.

Zapata's opens into a mix of high stools and cozy chairs enveloped in a wooden overtone. There's an yet to be complete artwork on one of its wall representing Mexico’s mafia in the form a dog smoking a cigar wearing a sombrero (very 'Snoop Dogg' i would say). My preferred ambiance will definitely be the open patch. The inside is such a stark contrast that it makes you feel you made your way from Mexico to Cuba.

Staff is well dressed with a smile. Makes you feel at ease throughout the meal.

Let me quickly run through the dishes that we tasted at the chef's table :

Drinks menu is up-to the mark like any other eatery with signature cocktails and other concoctions. Our White Sangria with pears was perfectly suited for the afternoon.
Nachos de zapata's - This large plate of concentric nacho rings came on a bed of minced chicken and refried beans with topping of fresh 'pico de gallo' salsa, guacamole, olives, jalapenos and sour cream. A supremely filling dish and perfect for a large group, though they do have smaller portions for a couple.
Tostadas - Presentation and stacking is precise. The use of microgreens is definitely appreciated. Tortilla crust was perfect, but the dish was vastly let down by the bland chicken meat. The dips will surely be of all help here. A roasted vegetables variation is available too. Portion size seems small for an appetizer worth upwards of 300 bucks.
Taquitos - These mini tortilla snackers with a softer crust are available in Asado Lamb and Beer-battered (Basa) fish variations. Take it with a squeeze of lemon and both of them will surely tantalize your tastebuds.
Burritos - We tried the Chipotle Fish variation which is plenty in portion but each bite rendered a lot of tortilla roll than the inner stuffing.

Having gobbled a lot of tortilla and nachos, we gave the next section 'main course' a miss. If Fajitas, Enchiladas or mixed platter is your game then you can surely go for it. With least regret in the stomach, we knew a better pasture was waiting for us. A dessert platter made its way on the table.

Desserts - Tres Leches & Churros are impeccable in taste and texture. The Flan was bit stiff and reminded me more of the pudding that mum makes at home. Having no previous taste memory of an 'Empanada', this one seemed more like a diwali karanji filled with caramelized nuts. The first try felt descent while the next one when accompanied with a little dollop of ice-cream and chocolate sauce made a small impact to the palate.

Zapata's will fare well from a corporate dining standpoint or weekend social gathering. The food though mostly flavourful and visually inviting still draws only a caricature of the Mexican culture. Nachos, Quesdillas, Fajitas and more has been done repeatedly by Chilis, Sammy Sosa, Sanchos and a few more. Mexican cuisine is not restricted to nachos, but consists of a lot of more like Mole Poblano, Tamale and Torta which can bring a lot of variety to the table than repetitive tortilla based dishes.

Folks staying in the final third of Mumbai - If sipping on strong concoctions and binging on typical Mexican food is what you're looking for then surely this is your place. Baba's & Baby's of South Bombay and Hipsters of Bandraites are certainly not missing anything by giving this place a miss.

PostedMarch 2, 2015

AuthorAssad Dadan

CategoriesReviews

Tagszapata's, zapatas, zapata, mexico, mexican, tex mex, nachis, nachos, quesdillas, sombrero, sangria, tres leches, tortilla, french fries, fast food, malad, mumbai, flan, churros

Blue Frog Sunday Brunch

The Bombay Canteen

Chili's - Summer Menu

Frisbees Burgers

Cairo Grill

Chefs Table at Zapata's