Global Chaos - Fort, Mumbai

There are restaurants which have multiple cuisines on their menu but end up making things taste similar. Won't it be a luxury if one could eat a Kebab Appetizer, a Chinese main, an African second course and an Italian dessert? Won't it be even better if all of these tasted authentic? Well this gets taken care of at a great extent in Global Chaos.

Though the name says Chaos, it does not literally mean that. The menus are easy to navigate through and you can form an opinion quickly. The only chaos exists in the form of choice. With so many delights on the offering, what does one choose?

Located in the crowded but posh locality of Kala Ghoda in fort, the place could initially be a little hard to spot. The ambiance is reminiscent of a typical fine dine restaurant. It has a formal vibe to it and most of the patrons seem to be office folks from nearby places. Judging by the large number of six or more seater tables, I assume that they get lots of large groups at prime time. The place feels more lounge like at night when the lights become more prominent.

Shellfish Bisque soup is based off Creamy French soups. This had a smoky, creamy and savory flavor to it. The Shellfish added umame to the mix as well. It wasn't salty and its flavors felt like the deep sea. It also a had a sweet undertone due to the usage of brandy in the preparation but this can only be felt at the start. It was a proper French soup if you ask me, a good way to kick off the meal.

Cheesy Chicken Tikka had a lot of chatpata powder and chaat spices. The onion was also coated in a bit of pickle adding a bit of an "achari" flavor. Though the cheese wasn't perceivable, this kebab was creamy, spicy and felt like a fusion of chaat and Tikka kebabs. An interesting flavor, but the chaat masala suppressed the tikka spices and the cheese.

The Burnt garlic chilli noodles was a good main with the flavor of burnt garlic and basil acting as an earthy base. The Chili however was not properly married to the dish with the chef simply peppering it with paprika flakes. Powdered red chili would have worked better, paprika simply add a different kind of flavor.

Sichuan Chili Chicken curry was spicy, loaded with sauces and had a delectable aroma. This was on par with the curry served at other Chinese Fine dine restaurants. Barring the paprika flakes, the other elements worked well for the curry and noodles. The two complemented each other well as a main. I would recommend this combination to the reader.

Blueberry Panna Cotta was absolutely the best panna cotta that I have had in Mumbai. It beats all previous favorites easily. It had a thick consistency, was creamy and boy did it jiggle like a jelly. The flavor was appropriately sweet and it pampered my taste buds gently. My compliments to the chef for this. Note that The panna cotta was a regular vanilla panna cotta, the blueberry compote was just added for aesthetics.

The service was a bit problematic - while the Captain level staff was professional and displayed proper etiquette, my server made a lot of mess ups. Instead of getting noodles, he got rice. His sleeves touched the curry while serving. He did not ask for nor recommend any drink. He was not informed that the restaurant was out of stock on pork, took him twenty minutes to find out and relay it to me.
So I suppose this area can be improved a bit.

The pricing is similar to most casual diners in the area. The foods quality justifies the prices for most cases in my opinion.


The multiple cuisine offering seems to work well for Global chaos for now. One hopes that they will maintain food standards and only improve in times to come. Would I visit again? Most definitely, I would hope though that the service is better and that they have pork next time.

The Captain's Score : 8/10

Map Co-Ordinates
Global chaos,
Mistry Mansion,
Opposite Mumbai University, M G Road,
Fort, Mumbai



-I was invited to sample the grub. My review however remains objective.-


 

Grillin it up at the Zulu Terrace - Andheri West, Mumbai

The day was hard as me men fought the dastardly Kraken which was trying to rob me ship's possessions with its many arms. We managed to sever many of its tentacles and forced it to retreat. But we know that it will raise its ugly tentacles again someday. An epic battle however demands an epic meal. Me men were tired as I took out me looking glass to scout for places in this part of the sea. 

I saw something in the distance. Located on the top of a house was a rooftop restaurant. Fancying the need of good grub with some fresh air, I fired a roped harpoon from my ship till it stuck to the side of the restaurant. Then I turned to the lads "Fancy climbing across the ropes?"

Zulu Terrace is located in the food district of the Southern Suburbs, Andheri West. Its near Lokhandwala and Fun republic. It could be difficult to spot the place since it lies inside one of the many lanes adjoining the  main road. So that certifies it as a hidden place. But is it a Gem or something else? Well, read on mate.

Zulu Terrace is a rooftop cafe on a small building. So its not a place for the view. Its a place for the feel. Being surrounded by trees gives it the feeling of being surrounded by a forest. Though, I am pretty sure that is not what inspired the Zulu name. The restaurant serves Shisha(hookah), drinks and good grub. One can say that it has everything under one roof. Or over one roof ha.

I was invited by head chef Dionysus Lobo to sample some of the grub and he personally curated a course for the good ol' Captain.

Orange Melon Cocktail was made by mixing two fruit juices. It was sweet, tangy and rather refreshing. It even looked colorful to top it all. One could say that this was the perfect drink after an excruciating trek in the urban jungle.

Captain : In the Jungle, the noisy jungle, the lion sips tonight.

Linguist : Isn't it mighty instead of noisy and sleeps instead of sips?

Captain : Stop ruining my clever word plays lad :(

Chicken Espetada is a chicken version of a famed Portuguese dish (The original has beef). The minced meat skewers tasted wholesome and flavorful. Being grilled on a charcoal spit rotisserie also infused the flavor of an outdoor barbecue onto these. The aroma was "ah so divine". This goes very well as grub on its own but is the perfect thing to pair with Beer or whiskey. It was the ideal thing to eat on a machan during a night safari.

Peri Peri Chicken is a dish that is African at heart but colonial at creation. This dish was made by Portuguese colonials in Angola using the Pili pepper found in Africa. For us Indians, this pepper is relatively tame. It tastes like a savory herb which boosts the flavor of anything its rubbed on. This Afro Portuguese dish was thus a twist to the satay like chicken strips. It was mildly spicy, pleasantly fragrant, savory and had a bit of Thyme sweetness. Great grub to offer to the chiefs of the opposing tribes or your office mates on a break ha.
 

Hazari Kebabs. These soft four hour marinated chicken kebabs melt in one's mouth coloring the palate with cream, cheese, powdered cashews and spices. Have these and you would never want to eat other kebabs again. These kebabs were a divine sensation for me tongue. Ahh, I salivate as I write about them. Works well as a reward after a long hunt in the suburbs.

Captain : This one is for me, This one also for me and this again for me.

Linguist : Why don't you leave me a piece too, old chap?

Captain : I did leave you a piece. Here.

Linguist : But that's just a tiny sliver of onion. Not even a Kebab.

Jack Daniels burger. This burger had a sauce which was fashioned out of Jack Daniels whiskey hence the name. It was full of fragrant sweet jus which came out as I took a bite. The burger was messy but full of flavor filled meat. It was priced slightly more than the Dunkin Donuts Tough guy burger but was several levels above it in flavor.

The only problem that I found with it was the liberal use of thick onion and tomato slices. These tend to interfere in an otherwise pleasure filled burger experience and thus the slices used must be kept very thin. Served with a side of fries, it makes the ideal grub before a long noon in the Savannah.

French Rolls. This Chicken and spinach concoction rested in a bath of delectable and creamy Ricotta. This was part of a special "dish of the day menu" at Zulu Terrace. It tasted similar to Roulade and was full of proteiny goodness. Though this has no connection to the Jungle, it serves well for the soft footed tourists on elephant backs.

This was but a small part of the grub menu at Zulu. The whole menu is massive and there is something for everyone. Whether you are a hungry lion or a raging Rhino, the menu will always please you. Currently the only thing that the menu lacks is a dessert section but I am told that the management will introduce that shortly.

The pricing is very affordable. It is cheap for the good quality of food served. It is the kind of place where one can chow down on fine food everyday without burning a hole into their pockets.

I cannot comment much on the service since I was invited to have a meal here. But it seemed to be satisfactory from what I could observe on other tables.

Despite not being a fine dine or a place with an elegant ambiance, this place had a special charm to it. As I mentioned earlier, the trees made me perceive that I was on a machan in the midst of a tropical Jungle. The food was better than most similar places that I have been to. It was good enough to plan a second trip here. As a suggestion, the management could add a bit of some Zulu music to really get people in the mood. And perhaps a bit of bush crickets.

The Captain's Score : 9/10

"Its time for the hunt lads. We are back in the big game. Harpoons out and let's challenge those Krakens and Leviathans."

Map Co-Ordinates
Zulu Terrace
Next to Barbeque Nation,
Off New Andheri Link Road,
Andheri West, Mumbai


 -I was invited by the Head Chef to sample the Grub. My post however is neutral and based off what I felt.-