Java Green vs. Mocha Shoot – Who is better?

Been to Java Green and Mocha a few times already so though of doing a shootout. Read on to find which is better.

Mocha is a well established coffee house, well know among the urban youth. It is more than just a café as alcoholic beverages and hukka is also served here. These two put together put the vote in favour of Mocha. Don’t forget the coffee they serve here is far better than any other café in Mumbai. Try out the Brazilian or Colombian coffee or just the espresso. Coffee here is as good as it gets.

Java Green on the other hand has coffee that I would  call ‘average’. It won’t keep you awake late in the night but that is not the point here. Coffee is cheap here but the flavours aren’t as diverse as what one may find at Mocha.

Coming to the food well it is a tie in that case. Though Java Green has far better Chicken Crispy Panini than Mocha. The bread is crispy and the chicken is tender. More important the chicken pieces are bigger than at Mocha which is a real disappointment. Overall, the food is better at Mocha.

Lastly, the ambiance at Java Green is no match for Mocha. At Mocha, one feels like spending time, chill out, relax, drink coffee and have conversations. Java  Green seems more formal and the seating isn’t as comfortable here.

Overall, Mocha is excellent for Coffee, Hukka, Booze and Ambiance. Desserts are excellent here and as well as at Java Green. Prices are on the higher side at Mocha so if you are in the mood for some cheap food, coffee and desserts than Java  Green is the place to be.

For those lazy to read, check the rating graph below.

Coffee:  Mocha (M) – 9/10 | Java Green (JG) – 6/10

Food: M – 7/10 | JG – 7/10

Desserts: M – 8/10 | JG – 7/10

Ambiance: M – 9/10 | JG – 6/10

Service: M – 8/10 | JG – 8/10

Price: M – 6/10 | JG – 8/10

Merhaba – Gourmet Cafe

Discovered this outlet while on my way to Turner Road through the bylanes of Bandra starting from Carter Road! Located in the quiet Sherly Rajan Road, it is not suprising that no one knew about this place. Since it was around 11 PM, most of the shelf was already empty with only a couple of chicken and mutton cutlets remaining. Giving them some company were the pastries which were at the other end of a very long shelf! This rectangular shaped ‘cafe’ doesn’t have seating space, making it essentially a takeaway or a free home delivery option (which it does have).

Now, you will not associate a takeaway with an extensive menu. Normally, what you see is what you can get but here its something different. An extensive menu, with exactly 250 items (They have numbered every item in the menu. Did you really think I would count all 250 of em??), makes me wonder how they can manage to offer so much. If you look closely at the menu, it is easy to figure out that this place primarily serves Lebanese.

Alright then, since it was late night and most of the items were already over, I decided to try the Mutton Cutlet which was covered with Vermicelli – making it a crispy delight. The presentation was a bit different wherein the cutlet wrapped around a thin stick in a way similar to the way chikken tikka is served in the many takeaways in Bandra. The cutlet wasn’t a hit with my taste buds. Maybe it was because the cutlet was made in the Lebanese style – less oily and less spicy – which was a bummer! Though less oily is a winner in my book, less spicy isn’t!

Merhaba extensively serves Lebanese and is the first such place I came across which does so. Otherwise, for instance, for Falafels you need to go somewhere and for Shawerma somewhere else! I am definitely coming back to try out their many dishes on offer.

Update: Went again here and ate a chicken shawerma. The shawerma was strictly ok. The pita bread was baked just about right and wasn’t hard to chew. Gotta give them that  – they do  know how to bake a pita bread to perfection! Though the chicken was a downer here. A bit too try and overcooked! There was a paneer shawerma that my friend had and she seemed to like it thought I couldn’t get to taste it!

Address: No.4, Hardik Villa, Sherly Rajan ROad, Bandra West, Mumbai 400050

Ph: 9222384321 | 9222394321