Location: Next to Kora Kendra, Borivili West
Overall rating: 2.5/5 stars
Food rating: 2.5/5 stars
Service rating: 2.5/5 stars
Ambience: 2.5/5 stars
Prices: Not expensive. Meal for 2 under Rs.500.
Recommendation: Worth a try. On the healthier side.
Googled to check which restaurant I could go to and found an unheard of one -- Granville Green. It is part of the Hotel Granville. It is a huge open air place with umbrellas (I believe they have an A/C version in the basement). It is not a new place. Seating being 4 cane chairs around a big table. The huge shadi ka fans blowing on you from both sides
I liked the way their Menu has been structured simply. For each cuisine, there are just a few dishes. The cuisines they have are: Indian, Chinese, Mexican, Italian, and Continental. Remember the menu items are not extensive.
We went in for Mexican.
(Good -- is used in this article to refer to food that is above average. Sort of 2.75/5. Not really recommending it, but saying that you will not be disappointed if you try it.)
Cream of Red Bean Soup -- Decent
I love bean soups. This was a fairly decent thickish red bean soup. A few crushed red beans could be found at the bottom.
Mexican Salad -- Good
The quantity was very good for its low price of Rs.75. Red and yellow peppers,lettuce leaves, rajma (red beans), fried taco bits (like fried papad ka chura), with oil and lemon juice dressing. Quite tasty.
Mexican Bhel -- Good (from nutrition point of view, taste was OK)
Red beans, fried taco bits, corn. Absolutely heavy -- so calling it a bhel is rather a misnomer. Price: Rs.105. I think it is a good side dish to fill you up and pretty nutritious.
Tacos -- Good
3 corn(+maida) tacos filled with -- yes, you guessed it, red beans paste -- and finely shredded cheese. Served, interestingly, on a bed of shredded cabbage. Rs.140
Enchiladas -- Good
2 enchiladas with, yes, you guessed it, red beans filling. There was a topping of cheese that had melted and with tomato sauce. Rs.240.
Nutrition notes: Mexican cuisine seems to be a healthy cuisine which is full of tortillas (corn or wheat flour) and rajma and veggies. One must go a little easy on the cheese to make it even healthier. Like any cuisine, this one also has been messed up by the Americans (Tex-Mex) and everything is fried and more cheese is added -- so such dishes need to be avoided.
Overall experience: It was a reasonably good experience for a reasonable price. (Rs.545). Service was OK. What I liked about the meal is that is was on the healthier and nutritious side. Taste-wise it was OK. Not a bad place to have a meal once in a while. There are so many other cuisines and dishes to try. Notable about this place is that we get these, er, exotic dishes at a reasonable price in Borivali!
Showing posts with label restaurant reviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label restaurant reviews. Show all posts
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Italian FPSM at 360°, Vikhroli
Fixed Price Set Menu at 360° for Rs.99!
(Please read earlier reviews for more details of the place and experience.)
BTW, OK/Average is a rating of 2.5/5.00, which is not a bad achievement.
Minestrone Soup -OK/Average
Surprisingly, it was thin. Minestrone in Italian means big soup! Big soup = thick soup. But here it was water thin! Had some 50 per cent veggies -- that is what I like about the soups here. More of cabbage. Tomato flavoured soup. Had bits of parsley, I thought. Quite a decent soup with a nice tang (specially for the low low price). Strange that they don't serve the soup HOT! It is merely warm and almost ruins the taste of a good soup.
Cucumber and Dill Yoghurt Salad -- OK/Average
Cubes of cucumber in dahi with dill. Surprisingly, I could not taste the dill. Served cold, it was a bit of a nuisance having it with hot fettucine!
Fettucine ala Sorento -- Average/Good
This was an excellent fettucine pasta in pesto sauce. It was actually Good -- but surprisingly, the salt was very uneven. Some portions were salty and some almost devoid of salt. Vegetables were also a bit less and overcooked. Could not really taste the pesto. Served hot. Sorento btw is a very famous Italian area/style of cooking. They also had a Fettucine alla Verdure (Fettucine Pasta with Vegetables) for the non-veg part. Fettucine as you know is the tape pasta.
Fruit Salad with Vanilla icecream -- Good
This time, it was a bit cold. The fruit cubes were of different sizes. 3 Fruits = Melon, Papaya, and Pineapple. I love this fruit salad.
Overall
From my past reviews, you can make out that I am very fond of this place, specially the CHEAP promotional price! Each of the item is worth nearly Rs.99 and yet we get all (including a soft drink!) for just Rs.99! Today, was a very average experience. Is it diminishing marginal utility? The more ladoos we have the last one does not taste as good as the first one?
(Please read earlier reviews for more details of the place and experience.)
BTW, OK/Average is a rating of 2.5/5.00, which is not a bad achievement.
Minestrone Soup -OK/Average
Surprisingly, it was thin. Minestrone in Italian means big soup! Big soup = thick soup. But here it was water thin! Had some 50 per cent veggies -- that is what I like about the soups here. More of cabbage. Tomato flavoured soup. Had bits of parsley, I thought. Quite a decent soup with a nice tang (specially for the low low price). Strange that they don't serve the soup HOT! It is merely warm and almost ruins the taste of a good soup.
Cucumber and Dill Yoghurt Salad -- OK/Average
Cubes of cucumber in dahi with dill. Surprisingly, I could not taste the dill. Served cold, it was a bit of a nuisance having it with hot fettucine!
Fettucine ala Sorento -- Average/Good
This was an excellent fettucine pasta in pesto sauce. It was actually Good -- but surprisingly, the salt was very uneven. Some portions were salty and some almost devoid of salt. Vegetables were also a bit less and overcooked. Could not really taste the pesto. Served hot. Sorento btw is a very famous Italian area/style of cooking. They also had a Fettucine alla Verdure (Fettucine Pasta with Vegetables) for the non-veg part. Fettucine as you know is the tape pasta.
Fruit Salad with Vanilla icecream -- Good
This time, it was a bit cold. The fruit cubes were of different sizes. 3 Fruits = Melon, Papaya, and Pineapple. I love this fruit salad.
Overall
From my past reviews, you can make out that I am very fond of this place, specially the CHEAP promotional price! Each of the item is worth nearly Rs.99 and yet we get all (including a soft drink!) for just Rs.99! Today, was a very average experience. Is it diminishing marginal utility? The more ladoos we have the last one does not taste as good as the first one?
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Jiggs Kalra's Punjab Grill, Palladium, Phoenix Mills
Review of a restaurant where I have not eaten...
Tried out only one drink here -- Aam Panna!
Food: 2.0
Ambience: 3.0
Service: 2.5
Location: Palladium, 3rd Level, Phoenix Mills
I have the knack of landing at restaurants when they have just opened. So a month or two back, I landed at Phoenix Mills to check out Palladium. It is one of the poshest, hippest malls in Mumbai. It spells million bucks! The only thing I could afford in this place is the ice cream and maybe the chocolates (however expensive they may be for suburbie!)
We spotted the word Punjab Grill and my eyes lighted up! Then we saw the words Jiggs Kalra and my eyes shone like strong flashlights or a 1000 watt bulb (make that 500 watts -- let us save some electricity.)
Just this morning I was trying to figure out who is the culprit who has been responsible for making me into an incorrigible foodie or a foodomaniac (trying to say, a nymophaniac when it comes to food). The big name that came to mind is Busybee aka Behram Contractor. I think he is the one who started it all with his Round and about or was it called Eating Out. He wrote such detailed, wonderous accounts of food and restaurants. He grew, and grew and grew in stature as a writer and I am sure he made the whole nation into foodies! On second thoughts, there were other culprits too -- Jiggs Kalra, CY Gopinath (still remember his poetical Samosa review -- I remember rushing to the joint in Worli and trying it out!), Gul Anand, and then Karen Anand, Prahlad Kakkar, et al. I am not sure whether I would include Rashmi Uday Singh in this list of guilty!
Jiggs Kalra with his food writing really turned us all into food junkies/gluttons or gourments or gastronomes (hey, I am a French to English translator and still have to go back to the dictionary to figure out what is the difference.) So those two words (Jiggs Kalra) made me step in.
As usual, as in all such posh places, there were 2-3 security guards or guest executives. They were very helpful and we were ushered in. (We had already eaten our lunch, then had a snack below -- so stepping in, was just paying obeisance (matha tekne ke liye -- brushing our foreheads) to this temple of food!)
We were escorted to a nice table and someone came and checked whether we were comfortable. A plate was kept in front of us and a white longish tablet placed on it. The server poured water over it and magically the white tablet turned into a fluffy white paper towel! We religiously washed our hands and faces with it. Quite refreshing.
We ordered two drinks. My drink was Aam Panna -- my all time favourite drink. Don't remember what my wife had -- Kokum Sherbat. I specifically asked the server to make my Aam Panna with less sugar (after having confirmed that that was possible). Guess what -- when it came to me, it was sweet as sugar syrup! I protested and they said that they would retry! I had a feeling that it would get messed up with the addition of water (if that is what they would have done). So I politely declined and swallowed that horrible glass of sweet syrup!
This was a solid goof-up and Punjab Grill is not on my list of restaurants to visit! I recently went there to check out some other restaurant and Punjab Grill did not even come to mind!
I know it is a little harsh! But let me be honest, I feel very stifled in snooty places or appearing to be snooty places. I have a mind to avoid all restaurants which insist on a reservation or have security guards at the entrance. Give me a Punjabi Dhaba any day. In Thakur Village, we had a small little Punju Joint (forget the name) with a chef from Punjab. It had really nice rustic taste to it. I really used to enjoy the food! Alas, it is closed. Now, I think there is another Punju joint! It is just a poor imitation of the original.
In her review, Rashmi Uday Singh makes a point that Punjab Grill does not look like a Dhaba. Yes, that is a good point for a restaurant in a posh place. Yet to me -- even symbolisms and tokenisms may make me feel at home. I love the atmosphere at Urban Tadka and Pappa Pancho da Dhaba (menus on slates, cheap glasses, rustic atmosphere -- and above all matching good food).
Also, give me some bhangra-shangra music (Daler paaji, Mika paaji, et al) and I think any shortcomings in the food will be overlooked! I loved the nice Marathi music played at Divya Maharastracha. The music was good, but the food was outstanding. I could visit that place several times.
Punjab Grill -- will I visit again. Maybe? Even though it is too classy for me!
Tried out only one drink here -- Aam Panna!
Food: 2.0
Ambience: 3.0
Service: 2.5
Location: Palladium, 3rd Level, Phoenix Mills
I have the knack of landing at restaurants when they have just opened. So a month or two back, I landed at Phoenix Mills to check out Palladium. It is one of the poshest, hippest malls in Mumbai. It spells million bucks! The only thing I could afford in this place is the ice cream and maybe the chocolates (however expensive they may be for suburbie!)
We spotted the word Punjab Grill and my eyes lighted up! Then we saw the words Jiggs Kalra and my eyes shone like strong flashlights or a 1000 watt bulb (make that 500 watts -- let us save some electricity.)
Just this morning I was trying to figure out who is the culprit who has been responsible for making me into an incorrigible foodie or a foodomaniac (trying to say, a nymophaniac when it comes to food). The big name that came to mind is Busybee aka Behram Contractor. I think he is the one who started it all with his Round and about or was it called Eating Out. He wrote such detailed, wonderous accounts of food and restaurants. He grew, and grew and grew in stature as a writer and I am sure he made the whole nation into foodies! On second thoughts, there were other culprits too -- Jiggs Kalra, CY Gopinath (still remember his poetical Samosa review -- I remember rushing to the joint in Worli and trying it out!), Gul Anand, and then Karen Anand, Prahlad Kakkar, et al. I am not sure whether I would include Rashmi Uday Singh in this list of guilty!
Jiggs Kalra with his food writing really turned us all into food junkies/gluttons or gourments or gastronomes (hey, I am a French to English translator and still have to go back to the dictionary to figure out what is the difference.) So those two words (Jiggs Kalra) made me step in.
As usual, as in all such posh places, there were 2-3 security guards or guest executives. They were very helpful and we were ushered in. (We had already eaten our lunch, then had a snack below -- so stepping in, was just paying obeisance (matha tekne ke liye -- brushing our foreheads) to this temple of food!)
We were escorted to a nice table and someone came and checked whether we were comfortable. A plate was kept in front of us and a white longish tablet placed on it. The server poured water over it and magically the white tablet turned into a fluffy white paper towel! We religiously washed our hands and faces with it. Quite refreshing.
We ordered two drinks. My drink was Aam Panna -- my all time favourite drink. Don't remember what my wife had -- Kokum Sherbat. I specifically asked the server to make my Aam Panna with less sugar (after having confirmed that that was possible). Guess what -- when it came to me, it was sweet as sugar syrup! I protested and they said that they would retry! I had a feeling that it would get messed up with the addition of water (if that is what they would have done). So I politely declined and swallowed that horrible glass of sweet syrup!
This was a solid goof-up and Punjab Grill is not on my list of restaurants to visit! I recently went there to check out some other restaurant and Punjab Grill did not even come to mind!
I know it is a little harsh! But let me be honest, I feel very stifled in snooty places or appearing to be snooty places. I have a mind to avoid all restaurants which insist on a reservation or have security guards at the entrance. Give me a Punjabi Dhaba any day. In Thakur Village, we had a small little Punju Joint (forget the name) with a chef from Punjab. It had really nice rustic taste to it. I really used to enjoy the food! Alas, it is closed. Now, I think there is another Punju joint! It is just a poor imitation of the original.
In her review, Rashmi Uday Singh makes a point that Punjab Grill does not look like a Dhaba. Yes, that is a good point for a restaurant in a posh place. Yet to me -- even symbolisms and tokenisms may make me feel at home. I love the atmosphere at Urban Tadka and Pappa Pancho da Dhaba (menus on slates, cheap glasses, rustic atmosphere -- and above all matching good food).
Also, give me some bhangra-shangra music (Daler paaji, Mika paaji, et al) and I think any shortcomings in the food will be overlooked! I loved the nice Marathi music played at Divya Maharastracha. The music was good, but the food was outstanding. I could visit that place several times.
Punjab Grill -- will I visit again. Maybe? Even though it is too classy for me!
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Copper Chimney -- Oberoi Mall, Goregaon
Food: 2.75
Ambience: 4.0
Service: 3.0
Location: Oberoi Mall, Goregaon East.
Copper Chimney opened its new branch at Oberoi Mall yesterday. It is right next to Cream Centre, which I like! Both have a different approach to their cuisine. Copper Chimney is traditional, mostly Mughlai and Punjabi cuisine. In the good old days, Copper Chimney was the place to celebrate as there were hardly any other class places then. Kwality's was another, I think. However, I do not remember any of my food experiences then. Vivek, my brother, reminded me that the Worli branch, had a live counter where you could see chefs throwing/swirling the Roomali roti. Yes, that was fun! Roomali roti was such a novelty. I think during those days, that was the default roti I ate.
As it is a new place in the fairly swank Oberoi Mall (one of my regular haunts), Copper Chimney is also swank and plush and cool. There are two guards at the entrance, I mean two charming girls, to check your entry. I gave my name and I was escorted to the lone table with two chairs. At 7.30 pm, when there are hardly any guests, on a Monday -- why should restaurants treat lone guests as pests? Why can't they seat you wherever you wish? I have always felt good when I was led to a good place -- rather than seats reserved for two!
At Sanjeev Kapoor's Yellow Chilli on a weekend at around 7.30 pm when almost all the tables were taken -- I was royally led to a very nice table! I politely declined and took the two seater table at the entrance! I really love the Yellow Chilli and its tasting menu!
Having been accustomed to this rudeness or lack of mehmaan-nawaazi, I quietly accepted the table. The guest lady professionally put the napkin for me. We spoke in English. Everywhere the language is English. To be honest I feel uncomfortable -- I feel it is a bit snooty. Not talking about Copper Chimney, just a general rant.
I asked for Chaas (butter-milk) and I was asked whether I want it Sweet or Salted! Small discussion follows. I opt for Masala Chaas. A nice tall glass of it with quite a lot of foam at the top. I hate the foam! Chaas is pretty good. The consistency is just right, there are bits of ginger. The flavour is mostly a delicate roasted zeera (cumin seeds) and light salt! Perfecto! is the word that comes to mind!
Roti is also Perfecto! It is a brownish, thinnish roti, which is rather crisp. It is chewy and tasty -- just the way I like it! You can sort of taste the wheat and its tandoori origin.
Mirch ka Salaan is one of my favourite dishes ever since I heard that it is the favourite dish of a prince from the Holkar family. He was a film star -- Vijayendra Ghatge! I must have tasted this dish at least 10 years after the interview! BTW, ITC has a fairly OKish (tending towards OK) packet Mirch ka Salaan which you can buy from any hypermarket! The MKS gravvy was quite tasty with the right amount of tang, but a little lacking in heat (teekapan). I did not get the peanut taste (not saying that one should get it!) as the recipe requires it.
Google detour: Just checked from Tarla Dalal's site that indeed it is made with peanuts! She also says that it is a Hyderabadi saalan (vegetable curry).
The Bhavnagari mirchis in the saalan had a decent amount of teekapan (heat). I loved it! I don't know why in Indian cooking (or should we call it Indian overcooking) there is so much of overcooking. The mirchis were almost wilted completely (now, try to understand that!) The ITC packet stuff is even more wilted! If I try this recipe I would sort of leave a lot of life in the mirchis!
Vegetable Biryani was quite good. Really long grain, reddish coloured rice with lots of vegetables. The biryani was tending more towards pulao. If the spiciness was any less, I would have called it a pulao. (Don't get me into a debate on the difference between Biryani and Pulao! I am not yet clear!) BTW, I had this as a take-away -- so I am not sure whether they give any accompaniments with the Biryani, like raita or a smallish curry.
Navratna Korma is one of my slip of the menus (like slip of the tongue). I always order it, forgetting that I will always be disappointed. But mind you, this was was quite palatable, even though very creamish and almost sweet. One had to search for the vegetables and it was almost only gravvy, fairly waterish (sort of sauce consistency) at that. It was a mistake ordering it, but it made a good substitute for raita with the biryani. I am in an eternal search for a good korma! Navratna is a restaurant code for cream, rich, and sometimes fruits!
Interesting, I was not asked for dessert!
Bill (for 3): Rs.975 (including service charges and VAT). Not bad at all.
Will I go there again! But, of course!
Confession time: Chef Sanjay Malkani walked in when I was seated. I greeted him and remarked that I did not know that he was associated with the restaurant. I am a fan of Sanjay Malkani. I liked his cookery demo. I would like to re-affirm that this review has in no way been biased by my acquaintance of the Chef! (He is the big chef and he oversees all the operations of Blue Foods!)
Feedback form: I dutifully filled up the form. It was nicely designed -- you could either say it was excellent, good or bad (my words). I chose excellent for all.
One of the marketing executives chased me outside the restaurant and asked me for feedback. I was delighted to give him my feedback. I told him that I would write a review and he could see some finer points (barikiyaan) in the review. BTW, I make it a point to compliment chefs or point out my preferences and opinion. I am not sure whether any of them takes me seriously.
Ambience: 4.0
Service: 3.0
Location: Oberoi Mall, Goregaon East.
Copper Chimney opened its new branch at Oberoi Mall yesterday. It is right next to Cream Centre, which I like! Both have a different approach to their cuisine. Copper Chimney is traditional, mostly Mughlai and Punjabi cuisine. In the good old days, Copper Chimney was the place to celebrate as there were hardly any other class places then. Kwality's was another, I think. However, I do not remember any of my food experiences then. Vivek, my brother, reminded me that the Worli branch, had a live counter where you could see chefs throwing/swirling the Roomali roti. Yes, that was fun! Roomali roti was such a novelty. I think during those days, that was the default roti I ate.
As it is a new place in the fairly swank Oberoi Mall (one of my regular haunts), Copper Chimney is also swank and plush and cool. There are two guards at the entrance, I mean two charming girls, to check your entry. I gave my name and I was escorted to the lone table with two chairs. At 7.30 pm, when there are hardly any guests, on a Monday -- why should restaurants treat lone guests as pests? Why can't they seat you wherever you wish? I have always felt good when I was led to a good place -- rather than seats reserved for two!
At Sanjeev Kapoor's Yellow Chilli on a weekend at around 7.30 pm when almost all the tables were taken -- I was royally led to a very nice table! I politely declined and took the two seater table at the entrance! I really love the Yellow Chilli and its tasting menu!
Having been accustomed to this rudeness or lack of mehmaan-nawaazi, I quietly accepted the table. The guest lady professionally put the napkin for me. We spoke in English. Everywhere the language is English. To be honest I feel uncomfortable -- I feel it is a bit snooty. Not talking about Copper Chimney, just a general rant.
I asked for Chaas (butter-milk) and I was asked whether I want it Sweet or Salted! Small discussion follows. I opt for Masala Chaas. A nice tall glass of it with quite a lot of foam at the top. I hate the foam! Chaas is pretty good. The consistency is just right, there are bits of ginger. The flavour is mostly a delicate roasted zeera (cumin seeds) and light salt! Perfecto! is the word that comes to mind!
Roti is also Perfecto! It is a brownish, thinnish roti, which is rather crisp. It is chewy and tasty -- just the way I like it! You can sort of taste the wheat and its tandoori origin.
Mirch ka Salaan is one of my favourite dishes ever since I heard that it is the favourite dish of a prince from the Holkar family. He was a film star -- Vijayendra Ghatge! I must have tasted this dish at least 10 years after the interview! BTW, ITC has a fairly OKish (tending towards OK) packet Mirch ka Salaan which you can buy from any hypermarket! The MKS gravvy was quite tasty with the right amount of tang, but a little lacking in heat (teekapan). I did not get the peanut taste (not saying that one should get it!) as the recipe requires it.
Google detour: Just checked from Tarla Dalal's site that indeed it is made with peanuts! She also says that it is a Hyderabadi saalan (vegetable curry).
The Bhavnagari mirchis in the saalan had a decent amount of teekapan (heat). I loved it! I don't know why in Indian cooking (or should we call it Indian overcooking) there is so much of overcooking. The mirchis were almost wilted completely (now, try to understand that!) The ITC packet stuff is even more wilted! If I try this recipe I would sort of leave a lot of life in the mirchis!
Vegetable Biryani was quite good. Really long grain, reddish coloured rice with lots of vegetables. The biryani was tending more towards pulao. If the spiciness was any less, I would have called it a pulao. (Don't get me into a debate on the difference between Biryani and Pulao! I am not yet clear!) BTW, I had this as a take-away -- so I am not sure whether they give any accompaniments with the Biryani, like raita or a smallish curry.
Navratna Korma is one of my slip of the menus (like slip of the tongue). I always order it, forgetting that I will always be disappointed. But mind you, this was was quite palatable, even though very creamish and almost sweet. One had to search for the vegetables and it was almost only gravvy, fairly waterish (sort of sauce consistency) at that. It was a mistake ordering it, but it made a good substitute for raita with the biryani. I am in an eternal search for a good korma! Navratna is a restaurant code for cream, rich, and sometimes fruits!
Interesting, I was not asked for dessert!
Bill (for 3): Rs.975 (including service charges and VAT). Not bad at all.
Will I go there again! But, of course!
Confession time: Chef Sanjay Malkani walked in when I was seated. I greeted him and remarked that I did not know that he was associated with the restaurant. I am a fan of Sanjay Malkani. I liked his cookery demo. I would like to re-affirm that this review has in no way been biased by my acquaintance of the Chef! (He is the big chef and he oversees all the operations of Blue Foods!)
Feedback form: I dutifully filled up the form. It was nicely designed -- you could either say it was excellent, good or bad (my words). I chose excellent for all.
One of the marketing executives chased me outside the restaurant and asked me for feedback. I was delighted to give him my feedback. I told him that I would write a review and he could see some finer points (barikiyaan) in the review. BTW, I make it a point to compliment chefs or point out my preferences and opinion. I am not sure whether any of them takes me seriously.
Monday, April 12, 2010
KOMALA'S -- South Indian Fast Food
Food - 2.25/5.00 (Nearing Average)
Ambience - 2.0/5.00 (Average)
Service - 2.25 (Nearing Average)
Location: KOMALA'S, next to Sai Service, Phoenix Mills (Below PVR and behind Food Bazaar)
Sorry, if that is sounding very harsh. But your mileage may differ! You may actually find all about it good!
Maybe the problem was with my expectations! When a renowned gastronome(heart = fan of!) pointed out this restaurant, I thought it would be one of the posh places. A few weeks back I had been to Jiggs Kalra's Punjab Grill (heart)next door and felt that it was very, very posh! In contrast, Komala's look like ...(chodo...see it for yourself). It turned out to be a fast food restaurant (I think we should stop using the word restaurant with Fast Food.)
It is a self-service place. I hate such places! They have a quaint system -- you pay, give the bill to another counter, which gives you a token on a stand, you go and sit at your table with the token stand on display. After some time, you get the food delivered on your table! WITHOUT WATER! I hate the McDonalidazation of our restaurants! Imagine, for each dish I ordered I had to ask for water! (Guys -- please go to any Udupi restaurant -- you will have a continuous supply of cold water!)
I had a Rasam Vada (Rs60) -- one of my favorite menu items to order in a South Indian restaurant -- something which I invariably order. It came in a biggish plastic container -- I was delighted by the size. Finally, the restaurant had got something right. Vadas floating or swimming in the rasam! The vadas were pretty OK, so was the watered down sambhar, ops, I mean rasam!
Honestly, I don't really know the difference between rasam and a sambhar*. But my suspicion is that this was a watered down sambhar. I did not get that zing or the burn of the pepper at all!
*Google Detour: Here is the answer: more pepper! http://akshayapaatram.blogspot.com/2008/08/rasam-powder.html
But to be fair, the Rasma Vada was pretty OK. (Sorry, but I am one of the khadoos teachers who gives good very sparingly!)
Next, after taking a small walk around the mall, I returned to this place again. Naturally, they were delighted to see a returning customer! I asked for their recommendation. Malabar parotta! Another -- Onion Masala Dosa (OMD).
OMD was pretty average. The triangular dosa was rather on the dryish side and a tad burnt at the top of the triangle. Could see a lot of black burnt spots! The good part about the dosa was the plentiful onions which were semi-fried. I really loved them! The potato bhaji was the pits! Very watery and pasty -- just like the one's you get on the roadside! (BTW, roadside dosas are fantastic!) Tasted pretty average. Dosa was very thin and not crispy -- something interesting, but not to my liking. Most people I think prefer it crispy. Even though I prefer it non-crispy, I did not really enjoy this one!
The dosa was served on a real banana leaf! Chutneys were served on one tiny and one smallish plastic container. The red chutney was average, and so was the white chutney. In any restaurant in Mumbai, this would be the minimal standard!
Like in any McDonald restaurant, here too they were promting "Any drinks, Sir?" So the second time around I opted for Filter coffee Rs25) ! The Coffee was good! (I am being a tad generous!) It was served in a rather large thermocole cup, filled right upto the brim. When I poured in the sugar and the spoon, the coffee spilt out! My mistake -- according to the waiter -- I should have used the stirrer! Indeed, he was right! Yet, I would maintain that any drink should never be served upto the brim (My friend Vasu has a solution! Sip it before serving it to your hubby -- it is a sign of love! Er, try this ONLY at home!)
The coffee was nice and thick, a tad less thick would have been better. It did not have that true zing of freshly ground coffee! BTW, this too was from a coffee machine! Really surprised that you can get decent coffee from a machine!
KOMALA'S apparently is a big name and surprisingly with a big history. So it is all the more disappointing for me. Here is their link: KOMALA'S. My only hope and prayer is that they improve! I feel commercialization has ruined our hotel industry!
Ambience - 2.0/5.00 (Average)
Service - 2.25 (Nearing Average)
Location: KOMALA'S, next to Sai Service, Phoenix Mills (Below PVR and behind Food Bazaar)
Sorry, if that is sounding very harsh. But your mileage may differ! You may actually find all about it good!
Maybe the problem was with my expectations! When a renowned gastronome(heart = fan of!) pointed out this restaurant, I thought it would be one of the posh places. A few weeks back I had been to Jiggs Kalra's Punjab Grill (heart)next door and felt that it was very, very posh! In contrast, Komala's look like ...(chodo...see it for yourself). It turned out to be a fast food restaurant (I think we should stop using the word restaurant with Fast Food.)
It is a self-service place. I hate such places! They have a quaint system -- you pay, give the bill to another counter, which gives you a token on a stand, you go and sit at your table with the token stand on display. After some time, you get the food delivered on your table! WITHOUT WATER! I hate the McDonalidazation of our restaurants! Imagine, for each dish I ordered I had to ask for water! (Guys -- please go to any Udupi restaurant -- you will have a continuous supply of cold water!)
I had a Rasam Vada (Rs60) -- one of my favorite menu items to order in a South Indian restaurant -- something which I invariably order. It came in a biggish plastic container -- I was delighted by the size. Finally, the restaurant had got something right. Vadas floating or swimming in the rasam! The vadas were pretty OK, so was the watered down sambhar, ops, I mean rasam!
Honestly, I don't really know the difference between rasam and a sambhar*. But my suspicion is that this was a watered down sambhar. I did not get that zing or the burn of the pepper at all!
*Google Detour: Here is the answer: more pepper! http://akshayapaatram.blogspot.com/2008/08/rasam-powder.html
But to be fair, the Rasma Vada was pretty OK. (Sorry, but I am one of the khadoos teachers who gives good very sparingly!)
Next, after taking a small walk around the mall, I returned to this place again. Naturally, they were delighted to see a returning customer! I asked for their recommendation. Malabar parotta! Another -- Onion Masala Dosa (OMD).
OMD was pretty average. The triangular dosa was rather on the dryish side and a tad burnt at the top of the triangle. Could see a lot of black burnt spots! The good part about the dosa was the plentiful onions which were semi-fried. I really loved them! The potato bhaji was the pits! Very watery and pasty -- just like the one's you get on the roadside! (BTW, roadside dosas are fantastic!) Tasted pretty average. Dosa was very thin and not crispy -- something interesting, but not to my liking. Most people I think prefer it crispy. Even though I prefer it non-crispy, I did not really enjoy this one!
The dosa was served on a real banana leaf! Chutneys were served on one tiny and one smallish plastic container. The red chutney was average, and so was the white chutney. In any restaurant in Mumbai, this would be the minimal standard!
Like in any McDonald restaurant, here too they were promting "Any drinks, Sir?" So the second time around I opted for Filter coffee Rs25) ! The Coffee was good! (I am being a tad generous!) It was served in a rather large thermocole cup, filled right upto the brim. When I poured in the sugar and the spoon, the coffee spilt out! My mistake -- according to the waiter -- I should have used the stirrer! Indeed, he was right! Yet, I would maintain that any drink should never be served upto the brim (My friend Vasu has a solution! Sip it before serving it to your hubby -- it is a sign of love! Er, try this ONLY at home!)
The coffee was nice and thick, a tad less thick would have been better. It did not have that true zing of freshly ground coffee! BTW, this too was from a coffee machine! Really surprised that you can get decent coffee from a machine!
KOMALA'S apparently is a big name and surprisingly with a big history. So it is all the more disappointing for me. Here is their link: KOMALA'S. My only hope and prayer is that they improve! I feel commercialization has ruined our hotel industry!
Friday, April 9, 2010
Comparing Foodie Notes
Hi again,
Here I go again. I think foodies love to eat. But we also love to talk about food, interact about food, learn about food.
The number of food blogs on the Internet is amazing!
Confession -- I have always wanted to be a food critic. I gave up this idea after listening to Rushina Munshaw Ghildiyal, Vikram Doctor and two others at the Kala Ghoda Festival. Imagine going to a restaurant a couple of times to review it! Most restaurants today are so, so average that honestly I feel like puking.
After listening to these greats (in fact there were two other greats, don't recollect names easily), I even gave up the idea of becoming a food writer. Hey, I am a vegetarian and with not much knowledge about food, and even less knowledge about nutrition.
Coming to the point -- well, notwithstanding everything, I can blog. I can always write a blog on food and it is out in the world to take it or leave it.
So here I am again.
I have fallen many times in the blogsphere. But I have always risen again some time later.
Hope this time it is for real. So welcome to my blog.
Love.
Guru
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