Cafe Lalten, as fresh as it gets!

Cafe Lalten is an innovative name and goes well with the ambiance of the cafe. The decor is chic though very homely at the same thing.

A make shift library adorns the walls on one side of the restaurant while the other side is stacked with Cafe Lalten mugs and bottles and other accessories. One can pick up any book and spend hours reading and subsequently forgetting about hoohalla outside. Infact, while we were seated there, we had enough of privacy along with a sense of tranquility that resulted in us losing track of time and reaching home late!

We were sitting in the AC section while most of the crowd was in the non-AC section probably for the WIFI available here. Probably that was the reason for the enhanced privacy, if I can say so. Oh my friend also noted that a lot of people who come to Lalten areaantels (slang for intellectuals) probably for the awesome ambiance and the WIFI.

Anyways, back to Lalten, we ordered for Watermelon Juice and Shaadi Walli Coffee. The watermelon Juice was fresh and extremely refreshing in this hot and humid weather. The coffee, besides being very frothy, wasn’t much different than a normal Nescafe coffee.

We also ordered for a Chicken Kebab Sandwich and an almond brownie. The Sandwich was fresh. It tasted fresh. The veggies were freshly cut, the bread felt fresh (and not microwave reheated bread) and the chicken was soft and tender. One single sandwich made me a fan of Cafe Lalten.  Nevermind the great ambiance and the WIFI and the hours and hours one can spend here chitchatting. The almond brownie was a first for me! And they were very liberal with the almonds which truly made it an almond brownie and not just a brownie with a couple of almonds attached.

The food was good, the drinks were refreshing and the ambiance was pleasing. The pricing isn’t too bad either and easily affordable. Lalten also serves Chaat items which is what I really wanted to try but couldn’t as the counter was closed that day! Probably will keep it for my next visit!

AER Bar and Lounge, Thumbs up for the view of the city!

Aer Bar and Lounge, on the 34th Floor of Mumbai’s Four Seasons hotel, is perhaps the roof of the city. This open air lounge makes for a perfect setting for a romantic date or a business meet or a romantic date (more suited for this, hence the weightage) or just hanging out with friends. Since it is located in Four Seasons, or rather, on top of Four Seasons, Aer boasts of well-heeled clientele. Now now, I wouldn’t say I  am one amongst the well-heeled but heck a special occasion called for a special place. And besides, find me a place that gives a 360 degree view of City.

The ambiance, is governed by the weather. If it is hot, you are not going to enjoy sitting here but if it nice and breezy then there is no better place. I guess, this is why the place opens only at 5:30 PM in the evening. Makes for an amazing place to watch the sunset.

The place is set up pretty well. The bar area is surrounded by 2 pax tables while the rest of the place is a mix of group seating and some cosy seating for couples. The setup is really good but it isn’t something that will make one go ‘WOW’. But the view, well, that is something you do say WOW!

But the same cannot be said for the drinks. We ordered for a couple of mocktails. There was nothing special about the mocktails and my companion even joked that the same can be made at home very easily! Well that was true. How difficult is it to make a Mojito? The other drink was titled Blue, made of Lychee Juice, Mint Leaves and Blue Curacao. Again, nothing special. Move on.

While we sipped on our drinks, we were still going WOW at the view. Haji Ali on one side and the Bandra Worli Sea Link on the other was one thing, but imagine seeing the Powai Lake in all its glory? To give a perspective, it takes an hour to reach Four Seasons from Powai Lake which is about 30 kilometers away from the hotel. (assuming all roads are empty and all signals are green!!!).

As the sun set, lights started to come on – one by one. Street lights, followed by a few residential complexes, the city was being transformed. Living here for 25 years, this was the first time I saw such a transformation on such a grand scale. The city lit up slowly and if the view during sunset wasn’t pretty enough, with the lights on, the city looked beautiful, almost sexy in many ways!

Again, the panoramic view was a sight to behold. Mumbai, officially, looks pretty at night.

But before I bore you more with this, I ordered for a New York Cheese cake. The cake was accompanied by the strawberry and cranberry sauce and strawberry ice cream. The first thing to note here was that the strawberry ice cream wasn’t pink like it is in most places. Second thing, the cheese cake wasn’t heavy. Probably used Parmesan cheese but not sure of it. It was a pretty good cheese cake!

Overall, the drinks disappointed but the cheese cake was the saving grace but what really gives this place the charm is its view. Come here after 7 pM and you will not be disappointed!

Poptates, Mulund – Nice Environment

Poptates was a long due meet for me and a friend of mine and what better way to celebrate the long overdue meet than with some drinks and fish cigars!! Located at R-Mall, Poptates shares space with other eateries owned by the same guy. It is quite a big place, decent ambiance, hospitable waiters and good food. Since I had two females with me drinking as well, we are asked to provide age proof which the girls obliged, much to the relief of the managers (and to me!). Afterall, me drinking alone wouldn’t really be a nice thing to do!

Anyhoo, we ordered for 2 smirnoff and one margarita followed by Peshawari Chicken Pizza, Garlic Bread with spicy cheese and fish cigars. While the first round got the women high (while according to them they were pretty normal and that I was buzzing instead!),  we went ahead with another round to prove our ‘stamina’. Anyways, coming back to the food, the peshawari, spicy like it sounds was ordered by my friend who cannot take spicy food. I think it was the drinks talking when she ordered the spicy pizza! The pizza was good though and so was the spicy cheese garlic bread.

Then came the fish, my southie friend cannot live without fish and she has to have fish when she goes outside. And what better than fish cigars which was nothing by sheesh kabab! The cigars were good! we even acted like we were smoking cigars!!!! I think fish cigars is definately one of those things you have to order if you are in Poptates.

Another thing I noticed about the place was, that there were couples, friends, families – people came to have a few drinks, some just came to eat and have a good time, children were there as well! That ascertains that Poptates has created an image of a restaurant that caters to anyone and everyone. They even have special birthday celebrations upon request.

A very good place to hang out and have a few drinks. Not the cheapest of places though as we three spent INR 1355 collectively on food + drinks.

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

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)