Esfahaan – disappointing dinning

Esfahaan is a newly opened restaurant located in Bandra near KFC. The restaurant stands where Sahibaan stood earlier.

An extremely small eatery, it is ironic that the restaurant is frequented by groups of 5 or more. We too were such a group and occupied 1/4th of the restaurant.

Busy chatting and laughing, we had the entire restaurant to ourselves for quite sometime before the crowds started pouring in.

While chatting, we ordered for a couple of drinks including an Ice Tea and Fresh Lime Soda. I think the drinks are expensive for the quality on offer. Though its good, for Rs.90 a glass, other places offer better Ice Tea. The Ice Tea at Sahibaan used to be excellent in my opinion.

Moving on to the starters, we ordered a few of those!

First up for the Almond Smoked Chicken, Cheese Frittas, Fish Fingers, Manchow Soup, Nachos, Murg Malai Tikka and Crispy Baby Corn.
The starters here are extremely good. One should try the Cheese Frittas and the Nachos here. They are excellent especially the Frittas where the cheese is in liberal dosage. The Nachos were accompanied by spicy gravy. However, the tomato cheese sauce was the icing on the cake and ordered for a couple more to be had with other starters!
The Fish Fingers are a bit pungent and sharp in taste which could have been avoided, me thinks! Again, the starter was accompanied by spicy gravy!

The Manchau Soup was a bit different. It wasn’t watery but wasn’t the thick white soup that one generally accepts!

The almost smoked chicken was a delight though. Rich aromas filled the entire room when it was bought and even the veggies thought twice before denying themselves an opportunity to taste this exotic cuisine.

The Murg Malai Tikka was the usual Malai Tikka fare that one gets in most restaurants.

The Veg crispy/Crispy baby corn was good fare too. The baby corn especially seemed fresh.

The main course was a bit of a disappointment. The two gravies we ordered were thin and not exactly what we expected. The meal wasn’t spicy nor tangent and it felt like someone had forgotten to put in enough salt and masalas.

Murg Eshfani Malai was a bigger disappointment than the Murg Shabnami which had a far thicker gravy. However, the good thing was the chicken was soft, tender and well cooked.

The veggies ordered for a Paneer Shashlik Sizzler which was a bit bland for our taste buds. The paneer was soft and the gravy that came with the sizzler was a rich mix of veggies.

Not yet content with the food, me the gluttonous biryani lover ordered for a Chicken Biryani and thankfully I wasn’t disappointed. The biryani wasn’t oily and was good enough for two people. But priced at INR 180, it was far more expensive than Biryani elsewhere which is where the disappointment stems from. Places like Just Biryani offer far better course and are cheaper as well.

Esfahaan is a multi-cuisine restaurant and we felt that it lost the essence of good food by trying to be more than what it had bargained for. A tiny kitchen can only give certain number of items and as for the rest, one has to do with subtle or sometimes major changes. Our biggest disappointment was their failed efforts to add spice to nearly every food item served which ensured that food didn’t taste the way it was meant to! Main Course was disappointment as well, as the gravies weren’t filling nor were they tasty.

Besides not to so good food were the not so good prices. Most starters were in the range of Rs.120-160, main course in the range of Rs.180-250 and the biryani for Rs.180. Clearly, the prices are on the higher side and I fail to understand what they plan to achieve with such high prices. Thankfully, we had Mydala.com coupons so the final bill wasn’t heavy on the wallet.

However, it seemed that the Tandoor items were in great demand here and probably that is something we should have tried out but couldn’t at that time.

My overall rating of this place are as follows:

Ambiance: 2/5 – There isn’t much of an ambiance to speak of here.

Food: 2/5 – I generally don’t give such low ratings but having tried a wide range of dishes on a single day, I have no other choice!

Price: 1/5 – Very very expensive is what I would term it as.

Papa Pancho da Dhaba, bada lassi da glass

As the title reads, Papa Pancho does serve a big glass of Lassi. Served in a traditional way, the Lassi alone can satiate a lot of people, for the quantity is a lot. The only other place I know of which serves a huge glass of Lassi is the now closed down Grill Cottage at Carter Road.

The glutton that I am, a lassi wouldn’t satisfy me. So I ordered for a Bhuna Gosht Meal and a Lachcha Paratha. Since it was two people sharing the meal, my first impressions was that the main course quantity was low. No complains with the food though. We thoroughly enjoyed the red meat (mutton) which was succulent. The Lachcha Paratha  was one of the better Parathas I have had in recent times.

The meal was expensive at INR 250 for the Bhuna Gosht and INR 35 for the Lachcha Paratha. The Lassi priced at INR 85, a bit exorbitant, even as the quantity was  quite good.

Wouldn’t mind visiting the place again to try the chicken fare but that may not happening anytime soon due to the high prices here.

Oh, and before I forget the ambiance here reminded me of Pratap da Dhaba, though on a smaller scale. Though I love Bandra, I rather go to Pratap da Dhaba for some affordable Punjabi Food. Though, I think, I will miss the bada lassi da glass!

WOW at Summer Bliss at 5 Spice

5 Spice serves one of the best Chinese Foods in Mumbai. There is little doubt that good food and great ambiance are one of its biggest attractions. However, 5 Spice also serves excellent desserts. One of them being Summer Bliss. Sinful, to say the least, it is much like a sizzling brownie except it comes in a humongous glass bowl. Brownies, ice cream and a liberal dosage of nuts makes it an excellent dessert option. off course it is for INR 140 but if five people can share it, then price doesn’t matter.

Besides Summer Bliss for dessert one can try out the Spicy Pot Chicken which is a complete meal full of rice, veggies and offcourse chicken! To have along with the Spicy Pot Chicken, one can order for a Lemon Mojito Mocktail which is an excellent cooler for the hot summer months in Mumbai.

Java Expresso, The second visit

The second time around (For the first review read here), visited Java Expresso for its free WIFI. Got a new phone to keep up cricket updates from the Indian Premier League (IPL). But my LG GT 505 ran out juice (hadn’t charged it for over 2 days!) so couldn’t really use the free WIFI. Anyhoo, this gave me the chance to try something new here. So ordered for a Cafe Hazelnut which was really nice. Though, it disappointed a bit since the hazelnut flavour was less and the coffee didn’t seem right.

Besides the Hazelnut coffee, ordered a Java Potato Basket for the gang. You cannot go wrong with the Java Potato Basket, period. Another new coffee we tried was the Iced Caramel. The difference between the Coffee Caramelo and the Iced Caramelo is the ice though the iced version is Rs.10 extra. Wondering how and when water became so costly?

BTW, there is a Java Expresso at Goregoan East as well. Had the Chocolate Excess (pastry) here. Was descent for its price. It is located in the second lane after Oberoi Mall in Goregaon. This lane leads up to to Oberoi Woods, a residential complex.

Takeaways in and around Bandra!

Got the idea of posting a small blog on the many takeaways in and around Bandra that I have either been to or want to go to! Bandra is dotted with such eateries. In every corner, nukkad there has to be one atleast and what is more amazing is how they have managed to sustain themselves!

I have blogged about quite a few of them already.

First up is Mac Craig where I went recently. This small eatery serves chicken, beef, mutton, fish and also desserts! Besides, it also sells wheat bread!

Rating: Food – 3/5

Price: 3/5

Mac Craig, Pali Naka

The daddy of Mac Craig is definitely Candies. Though there is ample seating space many do prefer to order takeaways!

Rating: Food – 4.5/5

Price: 2/5

Candies, Union Park

Then there is the good ole Kalpana Stores at Chappel Road. Cheap and never once gave me stomach problems! Burgers are good, so are puffs and lollies, but only when they are hot!

Rating: Food – 3.5/5

Price: 4.5/5

Kalpana Stores, Chappel Road

Near Kalpana is Jeff Caterers. Been a while since I have been here but the Sheesh Kebab is still as good I hear!

Rating: Food – 3/5

Price: 3/5

Jeff Caterers, Chappel Road

Cheron Caterers on hill road is similar to Mac Craig though is much cheaper. Here sandwiches are good and so is the Chicken Biryani. Also serve Dhansak! I love the Chicken Croissants here. Can never get enough of them!

Rating: Food – 4.5/5

Price: 4/5

Cheron Caterers, Hill Road

Rating: Food – 4/5

Price: 4/5

Then there is Dee Rolls as well. Excellent Chicken Rolls!  but not sure where they are now! Last I heard they had shifted somewhere close to Mount Mary Church!

Rating: Food – 4.5/5

Price: 4/5

Dee Rolls

Another one of the takeaways is Open Bake situated at Pali Naka. Does have ample seating space though!

Rating: Food – 3.5/5

Price: 2.5/5

Open Bake, Pali Naka

Ribbon and Balloons is essentially a a cake shop but does stock up on puffs, patties and similar items. Do not prefer the food here though. They rather stick to making pasteries!

Rating: Food – 2.5/5

Price: 3/5

Ribbons and Balloons, Chappel Road

There is another place I frequent a lot, Carter Blue. One of the best places to have a Shwarma and is considerably cheaper than the competition!

Rating: Food – 5/5

Price: 4/5

Carter Blue, Carter Road

A new takeaway recently opened is Mikneil neat St. Andrew’s Church. Liked the Chicken Sandwich and Beef Pan Roll I had there. They also serve Vindaloo.

Rating: Food – NA

Price: NA

*Only eaten once so no rating here!

Mikneil

An old takeaway place, Hearsche Bakery has never disappointed.

Rating: Food – 3.5/5

Price: 3.5/5

Hearsche Bakery, Hill Road

Opposite Hearsche is American Express Bakery. Been there only once though. Shall try soon!

Rating: Food – NA

Price: NA

*Only eaten once so no rating here!

American Express Bakery, Hill Road

There is another bakery,Venus Bakery that has been at Bandra for many many years now. These guys are known for their Plum Cakes and many other Delicacies.  However they also serve quite a few items such as chicken and veg sandwiches, puffs, chicken wings, chicken fingers and mutton cutlets among others. This is offcourse besides the many cakes and pastries they have in stock!

Rating: Food – 3/5 (While I love the Sandwich I rather pass the rest of the stuff here)

Price: 4.5/5

The last one on the list for now is Grub Corner. Again, I like it for its cheap and gives exactly what it charges! This doesn’t mean that the food is bad but quite the opposite. Try out the chinese preparations here or if you want to indulge in some starters the Mutton Kebabs and Chicken Liver is worth the money!

Rating: Food – 3.5/5

Price: 3/5

Grub Corner, St John Baptish Road

The others I have tried out include Lucky Star near Jeff and the small takeaway outlet of Lucky Restaurant on SV Road. While Lucky Star has become expensive (since I first began going there) lollipthe one to look out for is the Lucky Restaurant Outlet. Wonderful varieties of chicken including Schezwan lollies!

There are few I have missed I am sure but will update this once I visit those places. Anyone else wants to add anything more please feel free to comment!

MacCraig, another one of those takeaways in Bandra

The queen of the Suburbs is dotted with takeaways in almost every locality. Majority of them serve quick bites namely burgers, pan rolls, rotis, puffs, cutlets and so on. Some of them however, do differentiate from the others with Mac Craig being one of them! Even then though, it just ends up being a cheap (price wise and not necessarily in a bad way) copy of Candies.

Mac Craig is located at the Hub of the foodies paradise which is Pali Naka, the Khau Nagar of the upper middle class. It is in the same lane (St. John’s Road) a Cocoberry Frozen Yogurt and Papa Pancho da Dhaba.

One thing I really like about the whole setting of Mac Craig is how inviting it is once inside. You can go on ordering and only later realise how how much you have really eaten!

Something like that happened with me as well! I first ordered for a Chicken Pudhina Roll along with a Mutton Chop. While the Pudhina Roll was strictly ok, the Mutton Chop was good. The taste of the Chop did linger for quite sometime! Following up these two quick fill items, was a Beef Sandwich. Not the first time I ate beef but I am increasingly being drawn to beef or maybe I am just bored of chicken!  Well anyways, I didn’t like the beef sandwich, it was just too plain and dry for my liking. Wouldn’t have hurt to add some sauce I think! In the mean time also took a bite of the Fish Cutlet which is (As the pic above shows) places amongst the veggie items! (I guess it proves the point that Fish is indeed veg in some parts of the world!). Also had a ChickenPuff but sadly the freshly baked and hot puffs I get at Kalpana have really spoilt me to that extent that I do not like puffs anywhere else!

(That is the Chicken Steak my friend had. If I remember correctly, the gravy was a lot thicker two years ago when I first went there).

(The Garlic Chicken above was supposedly very good!. I didn’t want to be tearing meat from bones that day, so opted for boneless starters)

After the chicken, the mutton and the beef, I tried a bit if Aloo Paratha from my friend who flaunts his dislike for vegetarian food as if he is flaunting his 36-24-36 babe (doesn’t have one though!). I though the Aloo Paratha would go well with a chicken tikka or a garlic chicken which is what I had to conclude my meal! Overall, the meal wasn’t pricey (at INR 100) and wassatisfactory to the taste buds! Maybe it could be a bit better, but then again the prices might increase. Even though I was critical about the place, I still liked it. The mutton, fish and chicken was nice and so was the aloo paratha!

Before I forget, also bought wheat bread – thick slices and whole lot of wheat!!. That was on a friday. Its Monday now and I still haven’t finished it!  Chow!

Gostana, Bandra – Huge Burgers!!!

I heard about Gostana from a friend who was eager to try out the burgers here. So we both went along on a sunny friday afternoon along with another foodie to try out this small. First impressions were that the place is very small, looked much smaller than what we had thought, looking at the pictures. Anyways, we and two more patrons were to only customers there at that time. I think the place can seat around 15 people. We quickly got down to ordering a Chicken Steak Burger and an Indian Chicken Burger. What I liked about the order was that the food was made right in front of us which was a delight to watch. The staff was friendly as well and they were eager for feedback which was a good thing. The burgers arrived quickly and we got down to the business of hogging! The Indian burger was rich with spices, though thankfully, it wasn’t teekha. The Steak Burger was rather a plain delight. On a taste scale, I think Gostana Burgers fall behind those of KFC and McDonalds though on the nutrition scale I would like to think that Gostana leads the two MNCs by a fair margin! The burgers were priced at INR 130 (Indian) and INR 120 (Steak). A rather steep price for a burger but given its size (nearly three times the size of a McChicken) it isn’t to difficult to know why! However, I think the pricing is still steep, maybe a burger for INR 90-100 would have sufficed. A INR 90 burger at Mamma Mia is as filling s Gostana and there is no reason why I would want to pay more for a burger here! Overall, I think Gostana is a lovely place to hang out with a big huge burger. The location is nearly perfect and so are the burgers! If only they could reduce their prices it would make me wanna go there again and again!!

Gondala, Pali Hill, Bandra – Worth a Visit!

Paid a visit to Gondola on a Friday evening with my dear friends and wasn’t disappointed one-bit! Primarily serves sizzler, but also has a wide variety of delicious starters and main course meals. Since most of the gang was veggie that day, I decided to tag along as a vegetarian myself!

First up was the Fried Crispy Crunchy Veg (cauliflower) which was good though I think next time I am ordering the same thing in chicken! That was followed by a cottage cheese dish, Dragon Paneer – wasn’t as fiery as I had imagined it to be. But delicious nonetheless. Plus, with the addition of sauces, it tasted even better. For main course, we had Paneer Shashlik Mushroom and Cheese which included paneer pieces, mushrooms, some green vegetable, french fries, rice and a single slice of cheese. It would have been better with a lot more cheese than that single slice (I assume it was either Amul or Britannia)!! Anyways, the dish was good, well cooked and the paneer was nicely marinated as well.

A meal isn’t complete without desserts! And so we ordered for Brownie with Ice Cream – shame they didn’t have sizzling brownies with ice cream – which is ironic, as you generally see ‘sizzling meals’ on every table at the restaurant!

Overall, the food was bland though the sauces added the extra flavours. Bland, in this case, doesn’t necessarily mean bad, rather different than others. Price was on the higher side (as compared to Saibaan, Turner Road, Bandra) though the quality was definately better at Gondola.

Here is a break-up of the bill:

Fried Crispy Crunchy Veg – INR 130

Dragon Paneer – INR 180

Paneer Shashlik Mushroom and Cheese sizzler – INR 350

Brownie with Ice Cream – INR 100

On the ambiance aspect, it was quite pleasing, aesthetically speaking.

Ending on a funny note, there were times when Gondola resembled a hospital more than a restaurant! Whenever a waiter brought a sizzler from the kitchen, the patrons would start coughing due to the masala-laded steam arising from the sizzlers!

Food hunt

On a late friday evening, a few of us (two is few right??), starving and hungry and ready to devour anything we see, decided to go hunting for that special cheap food item.
Our first stop, interestingly, was Open Bake – a bakery at Pali Naka. Quite a huge place this one and has a seating space downstairs – great for friends to chill out or a couple to get cosy! We ordered chicken croissants, chocolate brownie and a mayonise roll. The best of the lot was the brownie closely followed by the roll. The croissants were, well, nothing to talk home about!

After the quick stop at Open Bake, we decided to head out to Sagar and Hukkas – apparently  a hukka place for the spoilt to enjoy some sinful delights! Most of the crowd was ‘I have a big ego’ but that did not deter us to slyly hide the ‘reserved’ tag from the table we so confidently occupied. Offcourse that meant we got a few looks from the waiter who was quite unsure if he had put the reserve tag on the table! Haha! gotcha there fella!

Anyhoo, we ordered for a half hariyala chicken  tandoori which tasted more or less like the plain old tandoor chicken.  But offcourse, the chicken was marinated with I think some green chutney? Not too sure. That was all we ate there all the while make secret plans to visit again and smoke some hukka!

Our last stop which completed our 3-course meal was this sweets place next to 5-spice! Damned! cant seem to recall the name especially after I have been there so many times! Anyways, I ordered for 2 gulab jamuns while my friend had butter milk. Why buttermilk for desert? hmm thats cause he already ate the chocolate brownie before remember?? (Didn’t mention it back then so I could do it here!). The gulab jamuns were good, not to mention the buttermilk was nice as well. aah! I miss home made chaas!

And so with the last drop of buttermilk guzzled down we ended our food hunt quite contented. Our last stop was made second-last by a trip to carter road where we walked the whole stretch to help digest the food faster (or atleast  that’s what we though we were doing).

With a total expense of around 120 per person, we weren’t complaining, as not only did we eat good food and gobbled down desserts, we also kickstarted our weekend in grand style!

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.

5 Spice

Address: 3/4, Dheeraj Pali Arcade, Dr Ambedkar Road, Pali Naka, Bandra (W), Mumbai

Tel: 26421941, 26421943, 26421949, 26421952

Full Review:

I had heard a lot about the Value For Money aspect of 5Spice and finally got a chance to try it out. Dragged along my office colleagues to this place for lunch. Good thing it was empty and we got a table instantly. I liked the ambiance inside, gave the feeling that it was a very very expensive place. A very helpful staff made us feel very welcome. Offcourse, my friend who had been there for dinner had a different opinion and was soon forced to change her opinion about everything.

Soonafter, we got down to the main bit of ordering appetizers which consisted of Dragon Chicken and Chilly Crispy Potatoes. Honestly, the Dragon Chicken was nothing special and the Chilly Crispy Potatoes were nothing more than french fries dipped in some sauce! It tasted pretty good though! Oh and it wasn’t chilly, but sweet. quite a misleading name, I must say.
Next up, we ordered for main course – Chicken Thai Rice, Chicken Sezchuan Noodles and Roast Cantonese Chicken. Drinks included Lemon Mojito, Juicy Bird, Watermelon Booster and Sunset Margarita.
The main course stumped us all with the quantity, huge bowl of rice and noodles and accompanied by another huge serving of Cantonese Chicken. The main course was really the highlight of the whole experience. Huge strands of rice and noodle did take us by surprise initially but we soon got down to business. The rice was good and made it better with some liberal serving of the variety of sauces on the table (Except for Soy and Sezchuan, I couldn’t figure out what the rest was). The noodles though wasn’t very special, though it wasn’t bad either. The gravy was awesome. I would order just that if I had too!
Amongst the drinks, Juicy Bird was the standout – A must try at 5Spice. The watermelon Booster is for those who don’t catch a cold so easily, I do and one sip was enough for me to go bonkers! But it tasted really fresh and was refreshing as well. Lemon Mojito, well, I have tasted better.
Overall, the quantity was good, thats the USP of 5Spice, but the price was way higher than what you would expect especially when not everything you order stands up to the price it commands. The juices at 130 each were a tad too expensive.
The food was definitely filling and overall quality was good as well. A 3-star rating, maybe a bit harsh but the price is the real turn off here. Besides, the mixed bag, quality of food is the difference maker between 3-star and 4-star here.
Expenses:

Juices: Rs.130 each
Lemon Mojito
Juicy Bird
Watermelon Booster
Sunset Margarita

Appetizers:
Dragon Chicken – Rs.220
Chilly Crispy – Rs. 180

Main Course:
Chicken Thai Rice – Rs. 220
Chicken Cantonese – Rs. 225
Chicken Sezchuan Noodles – Rs.185

I would still go a few more times here, cause the food was not bad atall but just not upto the expectations.