Great Punjab Restaurant & Bar

Address: 266 Linking Road, Bandra (W), Mumbai

Tel: 26429846, 26408036

Full Review: I had a few expectations going inside, with the place being so decked up and high-endish and all. Well it was expensive but sadly the quality did not match up. The quantity too was less.
The one innovative thing I noticed was the diet menu for weight watchers. I must say that is a great way to keep patrons hooked on!
Anyways, back to our experience, well, as we entered, we felt like we had entered a hostile country. Wasn’t exactly a warn reception from the waiters. So after a brief moment of hostility we got down to deciding on the menu. We quickly decided on the Paneer Tikka Masala, Naan, Roti and Lassi.
The food was sadly not atall upto the mark. The Paneer was like a rubber, had to use 2 hands to break it and I wished I had shark teeth so I could chew the paneer easily!!! The lassi, expensive at Rs.70, was quite a disaster as well.
The only thing good was the Rs.40 Naan!
Frankly, I thought, this whole ploy was to not make us come to the place again and we will most definitely honour their wish!

Mac Craig

Address: Gaspar Enclave, Pali Naka, Bandra (W), Mumbai

Tel: 26411985

Full Review: Just went yesterday to Mac Craig with a couple of my office colleagues. We ordered for:

3 x Roast Chicken Meal – Rs.180
3 X Lime Water – Rs.60
1 X Water Donut – Rs.10

Total bill amount – Rs.250

The food was of good quality. The chicken was fresh and well cooked. The roast chicken meal comes with gravy and also includes a few pieces of fried potato chips and a garlic bread. The taste was much better than anything i have had at Candies so far. They also have many other meals such as Garlic Chicken, Chicken Tikka and others. The outlet also has a nice variety of desserts which looked and smelled like it was freshly made; maybe we went at the right time there.
Overall a good joint, albeit small (akin to the Candies joint off Carter Road), only has 3-4 tables, so i guess u either take it home or in your car or at Carter Road whilst enjoying the view, the breeze and offcourse the good food.
I’m gonna make it a regular hangout for myself and so should anyone who wants to eat something delicious without straining the pockets too much.

The Banana Bar

Address: Hotel New Castle, First Floor, Above Only Parathas, Khar (W), Mumbai

Tel: 26480483, 26480481

Full Review: Alright, So me and my friend were searching for a place to chillout. Have been to Toto’s too many times, went to Temptation to check out that place which was pretty empty at 8:30 pm (As expected). So we headed out to Banana Bar.

About the Place:

We paid 300 per head as cover charge. On Friday Banana Bar hosts Salsa nights from 9:30-11:30 pm. We were there at 9 pm.

The Music:
The Dj was playing some nice soft rock while I gulped down on some Vodka and my friend on some Beer.
Later at 9:30pm he started pumping out some nice Salsa tunes, believe me i don’t do Salsa but the beats surely got me dancing, albeit by myself only lol. After 11:30 he dished out some house/hip hop tunes which for some reason went exactly in the same order as it did in Hawaiian Shack on Wednesday when i was there!!! Nothing special really when it came to hip hop/house, the same old, the same old choons you’d hear everywhere else.

The Crowd:
Most of the people who had come there were regulars and most knew Salsa too. For the first time i saw a gathering of Salsa dancers, pretty nice sight i must say. People had gathered just for the 2 hours of salsa. Some of them (Well most of them) were like pro’s who must have been coming here every since this place opened!!
The crowd was pretty hip, some very pretty women and cool dudes. What startled me was how quickly the place was deserted when the music shifted genres. But ah well, i guess it was expected.

The ambiance:
A very chilled out place, had two big screens (the challenger trophy was being telecast). Very spacious, to allow for maximum number of people to dance their hearts out, a good thing i must say. The place is divided into two sections : one inside where the actual dancing happens, and another outside overlooking the Linking Road where you could sit and relax and catch up with your folks.
The place wasn’t very dark, a good thing, good lightning and good service too.

The Cost:
Well a Vodka cost me Rs.150.
A Beer cost my friend: Rs.120

Everything ‘food’ there was around 180 and above so we didnt bother eating anything there (Except for the chaklis that was served with the booze).

Other nights:

On thursday’s they got Karaoke nights and from Monday-Wednesday, they got retro nights (rock/hip hop) etc.

Overall, we got bored there cause none of us knew Salsa, and seeing other people enjoy so much made me jealous! It was only when the deejay started dishing out house was when it felt nice. But really, if your a Salsa lover, you gotta make this your regular Friday hang-out.

Definitely worth checking out atleast once.

Mumbai Times Cafe

Address: Crystal Shoppers Paradise, Fifth Floor, Off Linking Road, Bandra (W), Mumbai

Tel: 66711587

Full Review: I was there a couple of weeks ago, went in there to escape the heat. The review below aptly describes the ambiance and the fact that menu left much to be desired.
Anyways, my friend ordered a pint (as it was happy hours, there was a buy one get one free offer). I didn’t feel like drinking so ordered non-alcoholic beverage, so i ordered for a Jumbo chocolate shake ( i think that’s what its called). Well it surely was Jumbo. But here’s the sad part – it tasted exactly like bournvita .
Not worth the money.
There was also a selection of Hukkas in the veranda outside but we didn’t try that out that day. The have a nice array of magazines that you can read while your there, it includes business magazines, lifestyle magazines , women related magaziness etc etc. if your bored you can watch TV too. they got 2 screens and one projector to screen important sports events and the like.

Overall seemed like a nice place to chillout with your friends, but the menu badly needs some more additions. So like the dude below me, i’ll go and check out that place sometime later to see how its progressed so far.

Grill Cottage

Address: Next to Amore, Carter Road, Bandra (W), Mumbai

Tel: 9819530472

Full Review:

About the place:
Its a small outlet with 9 tables (including one which can accommodate a family of 10-15 easily). All tables (Except for the first two on the right) have seating arrangements where u can lie down and eat your food (if u wish too) or just cross your legs, slide back and relax on the round pillows and stare at the stars above you!. its a semi-open place but that’s what you would want in the sweltering heat.
The place feels like your sitting in a village in Punjab in the veranda for a nice cosy dinner. I might add, its a nice place to take your gal (or guy) for a delightful dinner thats not very hard on the pockets either.

About the food:

We first ordered for starters – Pepper Chicken. That alone transported us to what foodies would call ‘heaven’. For a change we could taste the pepper and the chicken tasted like no other.

Then we ordered for 2 half glasses of lassi (glad we ordered half cause its one huge glass!!!) the lassi was thick (but not too think), just the way i like it!
Next we ordered for a Chicken Lahori and 6 tandoori rotis. The quantity was good (a little too much after the lassi and chicken pepper though lol). But what the heck, if the food tastes so good, there is no harm in indulging. Though i though the tandoori roti was a tad smaller than the one i have had @ Pratap the Dhabba.
The cost: Pepper Chicken – 90
6 Rotis – 6*10 – 60
Half glass lassi – 2*40 – 80
Lahori Chicken – 90

Total – Rs.320

Another place added to my ‘To be Frequented often’ places.

Pratap’s: The Dhaba

Address: Shop No 31 & 32, Link Plaza, MHADA Complex, Next to Punjab & Maharashtra Bank, Oshiwara, Andheri (W), Mumbai

Tel: 26322323, 26342323, 26362323

Full Review: I was here on Sunday hoping my friend would give a birthday treat but he didn’t.. sucker..
Anyways I’ll get straight to what we ordered.

Starters – Reshmi Kabab and some Paneer dish (Excellent both of them)
Lassi – err not as great as what I had in Grill Cottage.. and the quantity was almost half of the half glass lassi there!! A big disappointment
Main Course – Chawla’s special.( didn’t want to order a special but my friend insisted so we did) Now this was a big big big let down! The gravy sucked, and was too thin, almost watery!
The chicken pieces were nice and juicy though.. (must be the water that seeped into em lol).
We also ordered a Paneer dish which was way better!! We almost finished that dish first before even starting with the special and to say we we were all carnivores (Except for one)!!
We had rotis didn’t order any rice.

The food was good overall but it was pretty costly too, came to 1.2k for 4 of us!! There are a lot more places where u can get better food and its a lot cheaper too.

Jeff Caterers

Address; 143 A, End of Bazaar Road, Chapal Road Junction, Bandra (W), Mumbai

Tel: 26426518, 26421856, 9820402047

Full Review: I have been to jeff many times before. I love the biryani there and the white chicken breast… Most of the time one piece is enough to fill you up and for 40 bucks a piece its a steal!
A great place to pick up stuff from if your in a hurry and want it good and cheap. ..

Hawaiian Shack

Address: Plot No. 339, 16th Road, Nr. Linking Road, Linking Road, Bandra (W), Mumbai

Tel: 26058753, 26041749

Full Review: I almost made Hawaiian Shack my Adda last month, don’t remember how many times i have been there already but it was a lot of times for sure!
The booze is nice and cold and the food is not that bad either! The music is good though yeah it gets repetitive if u go there too often! lol… I personally like monday nights since they play more of house there which really gets me going.
Overall a good place to hang out with your friends and enjoy the music ..

Jim-me’s Kitchen

Address: 12 St. Peter Road, Bandra (W), Mumbai

Tel: 26426312, 26436301, 65048864

Full Review: OK first of all let me get one thing clear, i ain’t rice fetish but my office colleagues are, so i have hardly had anything from there except for the Rice!
Anyways, Jim-me’s is situated close to office, its 15 minutes walking distance. Since we have been there so many times b4, we call up from our office that we are coming to the place and prepare either Chicken fried rice/Chicken Schezwan fried rice/Pork Schezwan fried rice/Beef fried rice.

The Food – Easily the best Chicken/Pork fried/Schezwan rice i have had till now. Fresh pieces of meat and the rice is also steaming hot! Once i had the Chicken Chilly too and that too was one of the best i have had till date. Good quantity for 2-4 people and the taste, simply amazing
I must add, the quantity is huge! one bowl can easily fill two big hungry buggers!! Though me and my friend have the distinction eating a bowl each!

The price – Pork/Chicken Fried Rice – 70
Pork/Chicken Schezwan Fried Rice – Rs.75
Chicken Chilly – Rs.100

PS: The menu looks sorta expensive but i still have to venture outside the ‘Rice’ domain to know if the rest of the stuff is worth the money you pay.
PS2: There is a pork shop (or whatever you call it) right opposite the place, which explains why the pork fried rice is so yummy .
PS3- i do not own! Thank you

Poison

Address: 001/b, Krystal, 206 Patkar Marg, Bandra (W), Mumbai

Tel: 26423006, 26423007, 9820123177

Full Review: I have been to Poison only on Wednesday nights since all i listen to is Trance/House. I must say the first time i was there was back in 2005 ( I think) when solar stone were down here in Mumbai. Though it was an experience never to forget, the sound system was a big let down. Did not go there for almost a year after that but as fate would have it I was at Poison on a Thursday dancing to Pearl dishing it out! Man O Man was that a night to remember! the sound completely blew me off and yes as someone said here, the bass really makes your hair stand up!!!
The sound system is an absolute treat, amazing clarity. Really makes you wanna let your hair down (unless its not already standing up cause of the bass) and dance your heart out.

Poison is easily the best club in Mumbai. I have seen the pretties women at Poison, which is one reason why i love going there. The booze is incredibly expensive (atleast for me).
A Beer (local) costs Rs.150 while the foreign ones will set you back by Rs.300 and all this for a pint.
Vodka large shot is for Rs.400. A breezer is for Rs.200.

The club definitely has strict entry rules (especially for stags) and the entry + cover sets you back by Rs.1500. Pretty costly but the place is worth experiencing atleast once.

It’s Mirchi

Address: Hotel Ramee Guestline, 462, A.B. Nair Road, Next to Holiday Inn, On the road to Hare Krishna Temple from the J W Mariott, Juhu, Vile Parle (W), Mumbai

Tel: 66905555, 669355555

Full Review: Hotel Ramee Guestline’s rooftop resturant, It’s Mirchi was recently ‘raided’ by me and three of my friends. All four of us are big eaters so a buffet seemed the best way to satiate our desires to stuff ourselves to the brim!
We started around 9, seated on a table meant for 10; lucky for us it was not very crowded, so no one really bothered us with seating issues.
Immediately after we reached there we got down to our business.
While i ordered a Beer, the other guys ordered Ice Tea and Bacardi. The Ice Tea was very good plus much cheaper than many other places!
The drinks were followed by the starters. Each table has a place in the middle to keep the grill where the starters can be roasted/heated to your liking. Very similar to BBQ Nation.
We were served with Prawns, fish, chicken kebabs, paneer and small pellets of palak paste ( i think) with kaju pieces in them.
I liked the chicken, prawns and paneer. Me and my friend only had starters while the other two moved onto the main course.
The main course changes from time to time (or on a daily basis, I am not sure) so it is better to call them and ask about what will be the main course on a particular day.
The main course was pretty minimal, with some mutton and lamb dish and biryani. There was some chicken dish too.
I do not know the names of the dishes in the main course as i was busy hogging on the starters.
I left enough space for the dessert though. Since i was down with a cold i decided to stay away from mango ice cream which tasted like it was bought from Naturals Ice Cream Parlour. The other dessert items include Jalebi and the Gulab Jamun which were both hot and very very delicious. The Gulab Jamun were very soft, just the way i like em. The same can be said about the Jalebi. I am not a big jalebi fan but here i was helping myself for multiple servings of this delicacy from up north.
I must have taken atleast 5 servings of both the Gulab Jamun and the Jalebi. I could not help it, it was just so good!

Well that was the food part, next is the ambiance.
The one reason why i wanted to go there was because it was an open air restaurant. Well, open air, it is NO MORE. This was a big let down for all of us. But even then the over all ambiance was very good. A good place to come with a family or friends or your girlfriend/boyfriend. They have a place for everyone and that is what struck me the most. Nice corner seats for couples and big balcony seats for a family. Will keep this in mind.
The staff was very responsive, always with a smile when serving us. Even though it was a buffet they did not mind bringing the food to us (especially desserts).

Overall it was a good experience. Yes, the food could have been better but i think i would not mind going there again for the same quality of food either. If they do make it open air again then i am there for sure.

The bill came to around Rs.3000.

Here’s a breakdown:
Beer (Pint) – 99
Ice Tea – 60
Buffet – 349
Rum 60ml (large) – 300

(The prices are exclusive of taxes)

Joey’s Pizza

Address: Shop No.6 and 7, Upvan Building, Behind Indian Oil Colony, Andheri (W), Mumbai

Tel: 26304808, 26304809

Full Review: Joey’s Pizza is arguably one of the best (if not the best) pizza joints i have had the pleasure of satiating my appetite.
The place is big enough but i am guessing they make more money by way of home delivery. Good place for a family, friends or a date; they got tables for everyone.
One thing i like about that place is its located in a residential area, pretty quiet, no hustle bustle of commercial district; definitely a great place to enjoy your meal.
Every time I have been there I have always ordered a 12 inch pizza (off course with friends ).

The service at Joey’s is good though off course they take their own sweet time in getting the pizza which sometimes takes more than 30 minutes! (Now you know why they do not do the ’30 mins of free’ deliveries)
Until that time try the cheese garlic bread, an absolute treat!
But the time taken does not matter anymore after u take that first bite after the pizza has arrived! Hot and fresh! One bite and you will swear not to go to any other pizza place again!
The pizza tastes good with a good amount of cheese on it! There are a lot of toppings too. A lot of cheese coupled with a lot of toppings does make the pizza a little too soft for my liking but what the heck the taste is still unbeatable.

The pricing is pretty standard and they got different categories like I, II and III where you get different pizzas for different prices ranging from the cheapest, the basic cheese pizza all the way to the mixed meat pizza!
For first timers try the Category III pizzas (All of them are pretty good)

On the pricing front, one 12 inch + garlic bread plus soft drink will set you back by Rs.400.

Ribbons & Balloons Cake Shop

Address: Sarkar Plaza Bldg, Near St. Peters School, Chappel Road, Bandra (W), Mumbai

Tel: 26511654

Full Review: Ribbons and Balloons needs no introduction. It hosts some of the best tasting pastries I have eaten till now. For a pastery shop its a little big but that also means it has more pastries and other goodies on its menu.
The pastries range from chocolate to fruit flavours along with cakes. It also stocks the general bakery items like Bread.
The one thing i liked about it was the selection of small gifts and decoration items for every occasion you could think of be it birthdays or marriage of a candle light dinner with your sweetheart.
Though yes once we got a big cake from there which was a little old and it wouldn’t even cut with the plastic knife. So it was not very fresh either. That was by far the only bad experience for me in the last 6 months from the date of posting.
Though the pastries are nice you could give a miss to the other edibles available here unless you pick them up mid-morning or afternoon.

Price wise R&B is on par with most bakeries in Bandra with each pastry costing around Rs.40 each. Cakes are expensive starting at Rs.200 going all the way to Rs.500. Though the bad experience makes me not want to buy cakes from there though.
Overall a lovely place which makes you come back for the delicious pastries.

Bling

ddress: Leela Kempinski Hotel, Sahar Airport, Sahar, Andheri (E), Mumbai

Tel: 66911234, 66911219, 66911220

Full Review: Well something about the management first. Its brand new, promoted by Dj Aqeel (and is not handled by the Leela Management).
I was at Bling for Dj Pearl’s weekly house dosage on Wednesday night. Since the disc is in a hotel I think it can remain open till after 4 AM (thought I left at 3:30 AM)
The place is nicely decked up, I loved the ambiance there, almost lounge like though its a Disco. OH! they got a lot of balls (big balls) on the ceiling, almost faking the illusion of a chandelier hanging on top. They got lasers too! A blue laser beam from the left (if your facing the DJ console) stretches all the way across the place (as its quite small).
The DJ Console is closed box (with a plexi-glass so you can see through the DJ) Though the Console is on the same level as the dance floor from the outside, its raised from the inside (heck pearl is not taller than me!). Opposite the console is the bar which stocks quite a collection of booze.
The place can accomodate around 200-250 people. There is seating space too but the bouncers did not allow any to sit as they all had a ‘reserved’ tag on them which is a shame cause for the four hours I was there we did not see anyone sitting on the couch (Except for this couple that was making out right next to the DJ console)

The entry is pretty cheap Rs.500 per person (dunno rates for couples) They got guestlists too (and I was on one of em, so got in free). There was some fight a few nights ago outside Bling so those guys were a bit jittery to let us stags in which they eventually did after we talked to the manager (and being on Pearl’s guestlist did help too)

The booze is quite costly, (offcourse, less the number of people costlier the booze). A pint of beer set us back by Rs.350. Vodka costs around Rs.500. Definitely not in my league (or the other way round!)

Bottomline – You gotta check out this new place atleast once. I think its open only on wed, thurs, fri and sat .

Moti Mahal

Address: 116, Junction of Guru Nanak Road and Waterfield Road, Waterfield Road, Bandra (W), Mumbai

Tel: 26408577, 65738806, 9820177731

Full Review: I have been to many places, and Moti Mahal scored well over the rest in one aspect which was hospitality, A smiling face greeting u at the door and smiles all throughout really made me feel very comfortable there.
From the outside it looks like an expensive place and it is, at least for me. The ambiance is unbeatable. It really makes u wanna sit there for as long as you can. White walls with a tinge of blue and soft music playing in the background made a for very nice lunch experience for me.
Down to the food, we ordered ice tea, Tandoori rotis, Methi Murg and Hyderabadi chicken handi.
The Ice tea was amazing and at 81 bucks it was total value for money.
But the rest of the food frankly disappointed me. The rotis were too small and the food, well I have tasted better. The quantity was quite less too. The whole meal wasnt filling atall (though that was the idea since we didnt want to go back to office with a bloated tummy).
The prices were on the higher side of things. The dishes cost us Rs.200+ each while the rotis were worth 20 bucks a piece if i am not mistaken. The ice tea was for 81 bucks and one of the best i have ever had.
Overall, good hospitality, great atmosphere, not so great tasting food and quite expensive too. I am sure I wouldnt be going there again, there are better places in Bandra that offer better quality, more quantity for half the price.