Churchgate Restaurant, Simple name!

Traveling to Churhgate, the southern most tip of the Western Railway in Mumbai, isn’t something I do often. Most of the eating (aka hogging) happens at the station itself. But today, I was here with a purpose. To have a beer and some chicken along with it. The only place I knew which was close to the station was Churchgate Restaurant. Opposite 210 Degrees, this is a quaint little place. Nothing much to speak off as far as ambiance is concerned, there is however, an antique clock hanging next to the TV set, lending a bit of charm to the entire place. The ceiling is high as well, a feature absent from most new structures.

We grabbed the biggest seat there was for the three of us and ordered for a pitcher of beer. It wasn’t chilled but it wasn’t warm either. Ordered some Chana Dal with the beer and for starters a Chicken 65. Was a bit aghast with the quantity which was way too less for my liking. At INR 100, I have had better chicken 65 and in far greater quantity as well.

Next up we ordered for our main course – Chicken Masala Fry. The quantity was less here as well. They do not serve Tandoori Roti so had to do with chapati (which is a thinner version of a Tandoori Roti). The Masala Fry was just about ok. The thick gravy had a consistent flavour which drowned any other flavour present in the dish. In the meantime, we ordered for another pitcher.

Overall, the food is nothing to write home about.  Beer wasn’t chilled but if it was, I wouldn’t be able to have it for my ongoing sinus problems! So no issues for me! The thing is though, sitting at Churchgate and having beer makes me feel ‘cool’. The place doesn’t have a beer bar ambiance but that is a good thing in my book.

Food: 2/5

Ambiance: 3.5/5

Service: 4/5 – Service was excellent. The waiter was busy but he always had a smile on his face and did not hesitate to answer any queries we had. Though if only he had told us, food isn’t so good, we could have gone elsewhere!

Price: Pitcher: INR 190 (INR 130 on Sundays, A real bargain IMO).

Other offers: Chicken Dhansak (INR 110 on Fridays and Saturdays)

Chascaa Multicuisine Bar and Restaurant, Palolem, Goa

My first trip to Palolem couldn’t be complete without trying out a restaurant here and what better than Chascaa, located on the south end of the beach. The view from here is splendid and as the day progressed we found out the food here isn’t bad either!

Hadn’t had fish in Goa yet so couldn’t resist ordering a Fish Tikka and what a good choice it turned out to be! Not sure what fish it was but it was good. Cooked well it did not smell like the way it does in many small eateries. Fish Tikka and beer was enough to make my day! My veggie friend though had a full meal. From Veg Pakodas to Malai Kofta and Rice. Even the veg items were great. Cooked well, the Kofta and Pakodas tasted nice. The combination of Jeera rice and Malai Kofta was good as well. One of the best things at Chascaa was that the flavours came out really nice and none of the dishes had any one single flavour overpowering the others.

Overall the meal was good. In fact I’d say it was excellent as the veg and the non veg items were both very good! An amazing view of the beach and of the ocean coupled with good food makes Chascaa a must visit place on Palolem! Also, the beer here is really cheap, at INR 35, it is the least I have paid for a Kingfisher Pint!

The bonus for me was when the owner played the song ‘bliss – kissing’ twice while we were here. It is one of my favourite songs and its been ages since I heard it last!

Rasoi – Good Food, Great Service!

This past week was a good one as far as finding new eateries is concerned. Rasoi is no different. Until last week, I didn’t know it existed. And on top, Daniel tells me it is a good restaurant. So I had to check out for myself. At first sight, Rasoi comes across as an expensive place. But then again, it is also a bar besides being a restaurant and a makeshift banquet hall.

But since we had travelled all the way to Malad just to try Rasoi, we weren’t going back now. So parked the bike and moved towards the restaurant as we were greeted by 2 gentlemen who led us inside a huge hall with four rows of tables and chairs. Upon request we were guided to table in the corner as opposed to sitting right in front of the exit! This was a good gesture I though as the other table was apparently reserved for someone else.

Once seated, we were greeted by a North Eastern gentleman was kind enough to suggest us some dishes. Infact his friendly nature made us feel comfortable and at home at Rasoi. His first suggestion was the extra spicy Tangdi Kebab followed by the not so spicy Chicken Kadai. Ironic how the dish that is supposed to be spicy was nearly sweet while the Kebab was a spicy affair. In fact, we utilised their promotional offer of one-on-one free beer from the stable of Little Devil. The mild beer perfectly complimented the Kebabs but lost their usefulness once the starters were over.

The main course, Chicken Handi, was good to taste, albeit a bit sweet. The quantity was quite good as we were of the consensus that three can eat from this dish as opposed to the two of us then! Following the Handi were the Gulab Jamuns and the Malai Kulfi. My friend and me are in love with this combo which is akin to having a sizzling hot brownie – the only difference being this is an Indian version of the same! Mix a bit of sugar syrup with the Kulfi, and have the hot Gulab Jamun – the combo is just heavenly!

Whilst we were already contemplating another round of desserts the bill was served. The to

tal meal cost us INR 668 which for just the two of us is expensive! Minus the beer at INR 125, the price was still on the higher side for us (others may differ off course!). The food was good, the service even better but the not so affordable prices at this stage of our lives makes us wonder when next will we go to Rasoi!

Cheap and awesome! – Janata Lunch Home Restaurant and Bar

For a place so famous and so good – this one’s not got enough coverage here! Well I will do my part in making this place famous amongst our fellow Burrpians! I have been here many many times b4. Primarily for the cheap booze but the food here is worth talking about as well. But more on the food a bit later. First the place, three levels, generally jam packed over the weekends and especially when there is some sporting event happening! But it doesn’t have to be sports to make you enjoy your ice cold beer here! The booze here is much cheaper than many other places which is a big plus! You could drink to your heart’s content and not make a big hole in your pocket either! For instance, a 30ml shot of rum/vodka costs approximately 30-40 bucks while a 750ml beer cost 120 bucks (For a Kingfisher). Now that we have wined enough, lets get to the dining part! Janata lunch home offers a wide variety of veg and non veg dishes with most of the dishes being Mangalorean (that is what my friend tells me). You would find most dishes priced around 80-150 bucks with each dish easily filling for 2 people. My group of friends paid approximately 150 each for 1 starter + 2 main course dishes + 1 Jeera rice + 6 rotis! Now that is not a bad amount to pay for such a sumptuous meal! Its not just the food and the booze but the place itself is quite lively. Infact its one of the few ‘beer bars’ where women can go as well’. It is not a surprise to see women at Janata so if you plan to take ur wife along for a drinking binge and don’t want to spend too much, you know where to go then! There are many places which serve alcohol and food but the quality and the price offered by Janata is quite unmatched. This watering hole thoroughly deserves the 4 star rating for serving its patrons with some great food and booze!

Address and Tel:  Dr Ambedkar Road, Pali Naka, Bandra (W), Mumbaihone 26005180, 32515596, 26004049

Pratap da Dhaba

I have been to Pratap da Dhaba quite a few times for its one of those places which offers a killer combo of punjabi food and hard drinks all at an affordable cost. So it was without a flinch that me and my friends decided to go to Pratap da Dhaba for dinner at 8 PM! We were surprised at the crowd turn out at that time on a Saturday night (but it got full and had quite a few people waiting outside by 10PM). One inside we got down to business, ordered for 2 kingfisher mild initially, followed by 3 more later on. Besides the drinks we had a full tandoor chicken which was good but disappointing for its small size! For the main course we had chicken kadai and butter rotis. The Kadai was damn spicy and for me, spicy food just doesn’t go down with drinks. I was praying in hope that I do not puke and make a fool of myself which thankfully I did not! Phew!!!! We paid approximately 500 per person including the drinks which was a fair deal I though.

Somehow, I dont know why, but I thought the food could have been better which is what made me write the review in the first place. Ah well, matters not, we enjoyed, that’s more important.