Food by Chef Sisters - Borivali West, Mumbai

We sail to the farthest ends of the ocean for good grub so when I saw a mark at the very edge of this ocean's map, I took it as a challenge. Rough waves, sea monsters, Ship Jams(Those dense sailors congest narrow lanes) and bad directions did not deter me from reaching me destination. This was almost a new frontier for us. The islands over here were much different from those in the southern seas, but eh true adventure lies in the unknown.

Borivali West is not your typical food district. The food is very local, the crowds are harsh and its out of reach for most people living south of Andheri. However, there have still been a few legends in this area on the food scene. City of Joy/Zip Zap Zoom for example was an iconic place. All residents of this side probably know about this. However, old legends die and new players take their place. The newest player in this part of town is "Chef Sisters - The freshtraunt."

The place may look like any local Borivali eatery from a distance but upon closer inspection one can find an attractive patisserie and a cafe within. I had walked in not expecting much, but came out as happy as I was after visiting places like Skyview Cafe, Firki or Spices & Flavors.

The place is helmed by two cousins who are both Chefs, Hasti and Hiloni. Hasti takes care of the patisserie while Hiloni takes care of the grub. Both cousins have worked hard to adapt Mexican, Chinese and Italian cuisines to the typical vegetarian eating populace of Borivali west. But this place is far more than the local Shiv Sagars and sandwich shops. The food is good, like really good.

As the meals were being prepared, I was treated to this shot platter by Chef Hiloni Goradia who is one of the Chef Sisters. The platter known as Volcano shots uses dry ice to create the namesake effect. The other five tubes have different flavored virgin shots. Orange, Raw Mango, Strawberry, Pineapple and blue Curacao. They all taste like liquid candy. For INR 120 this is quite a treat.

Tibetan Thukpa Soup is a vegetarian rework of a popular soup found in North east India. As per visuals, the soup is a good emulation of the original. Just that it is a little greener. That largely owes to the fact that its a pure vegetarian version without meat and more greens. The soup has an earthy flavor and savory spicy undertones. It has noodles and garden vegetables inside it. I think its quite a good soup for cold climates. Makes one feel warm inside. Its served with a side of fried noodles which in my personal opinion does not pair well.

Masala Cheese garlic bread contained more than just cheese and garlic. It contained spiced and finely chopped vegetables which added a Mumbai street food like touch to it. It tasted like a fusion of Cheese-Garlic and Bhel Puri.(Or a fusion with Pico de gallo - take your pick.) This was much more satisfying than the run of the mill Garlic breads.

Bianca Pizza is a snow white pizza which naturally is vegetarian even in good ol' Italy. The version here appeared slightly greener and had large chunks of Pineapple in it. The fusion of white sauce, pineapples, herbs and Jalapenos was quite a unique mix of salty, savory and sweet. Chef Hiloni combined Western with Indian quite well. The end result was amazing. Its difficult to describe the flavor here and one must visit the place to sample it for themselves.

Moroccan spiced vegetables with garlic rice. This was a mix of a Moroccan base recipe with a lot of Indian(prominently Gujarati techniques). The end result was an addictive curry and rice. While the rice on its own tasted a little better than boiled rice, the magic lied in the curry. It was smooth, savory and full of flavor. It was great on its own but pairs well with the rice too. It is quite a designer option against the same old home made Dal Chawal. This was me favorite among the mains.

Captain : I decree that we will use this Moroccan curry. No more lentil that makes us mental.

Crewmate : Quite a rhyme, its cheesiness makes it a crime.

Captain : Watch yer tongue mate, now yer gonna wash the toilet.
.

Pasta with smoky mushroom sauce was quite a delight. It was as good as the Moroccan dish. This was smooth Pasta with a cheesy sauce mixed with mushroom bits. The smoky flavor was not perceived instantly. It was an undertone sensed at the end of the bite. The pasta offerings at Chef sisters are quite diverse. They have ten different variants and offer Jain customizations as well.

Its easy to overlook the desserts inside the restaurant due to the attractive pastry case at the patisserie outside. But great are the rewards for those with patience. Sample this Rabdi Cake for instance. Its a visual treat. This large chunk of cake sits in a Rabdi pool. Pastry Chef Hasti has perfectly fused Indian and Western together.

The sweet Rabdi, the delectable milk soaked cake, the cream above and the terrace made out of white chocolate ganache completes this saccharine structure. Its sweet, aromatic and possibly one of the best sweet dishes I have ever had.

The Rabdi Cake is unique to this place so Chef Sisters is your destination, if you are cravin' . Before I forget to mention, this thing costs only INR 180(210 in the indoor A/C area). Desserts of similar size and caliber usually cost over 250 INR in other places.

Captain : Did I mention about my duel with Captain Bellamy?

Crewmate : That isn't possible unless you are over three hundred years old...wait.

Captain : The bastard wanted me pearly Rabdi cake. I fought hard for it but he ran away with it anyway. Now I finally see it again. And its beautiful.

Crewmate : Cool story Bruh.

The service is decent and my server was genuinely concerned that I might let my food get cold getting caught up in photography.

The pricing is very easy on the pockets. It is quality food at suburban prices. It seems to be targeted towards the student crowds. For working white collared folks, these prices are almost nothing.

Since I did mention the patisserie outside, I managed to steal a few shots. Trust me it looks better in real.

Captain : O_O :)

Crewmate : O_O

Captain : O_O :Dp

Crewmate : We should totally plunder that case.

Chef Sisters has the potential to be a local legend. It is a gem in a coal mine. This side of town was in need of a famous landmark other than Sanjay Gandhi National Park. This little cafe can be the answer. The owners are doing well and can do better. Meanwhile, Captain says give Chef Sisters a try. Ya won't be disappointed unless yer heart is two sizes too small.

The journey to the other side of town was well worth it. 

The Captain's Score : 8/10

"Aye Lads, we should have raided that patisserie. But lets leave that for next time."


Map Co-Ordinates
Chef Sisters
7 & 8, Hari Om Apartments,
S. V Road,
Borivali West, Mumbai.


-I was invited by the Restaurant's PR to meet the owners and sample the grub. However, my review is neutral and free of any biases. I genuinely enjoyed the food-




 

Ebony Fine Dine, Kandivali East, Mumbai

After sailing for days without any land in sight, I finally spotted an island in the distance. However, it did not look very impressive to me. There was something about it that put me off. A few Captains had praised it, so this Captain decided to trust their word. Without any other place in sight, there wasn't much choice anyway. I set course for Ebony unsure of what my decision will bring.

The restaurant wore a vacant look for lunch time especially when nearby eateries were closed due to elections. After casting my vote, I searched for a place to satiate my taste buds. Most options were closed and not scheduled to open till the evening. A few big restaurants were open and Ebony seemed like a good choice. It had many rave reviews to support its selection. However, tastes differ from person to person based on experiences. If I have to say it in short, I'd say Ebony is a very average restaurant. It lacks everything that one would expect in a true fine dine.

Crew mate : Captain, it be nice that there are only a few patrons in this place. We get all the service to ourselves.
Captain : I won't celebrate just yet lad. These patrons are no sailors. And then there are far too few of them.

The service is average. The server had absolutely no answers for the simplest of questions. What is the house specialty? What do you recommend ? Can you suggest boneless Chicken dishes ? The answers he did have were ambiguous standard answers often given by diplomats when they lack a proper answer. The serving time was average - neither slow not fast. I really can't think of some thing good to praise about the service.

We placed the order and I took time to take in the ambiance. Ebony stands today at a place where a good fine dine called "Tandoori table" once existed. Tandoori Table died and Ebony rose in its place. However, the ambiance doesn't quite live up to the class that "Tandoori table" had. While I do agree that Ebony's silvery grey ambiance looks much better at night, it should have still stood up even during the day. It looked very ordinary. They should have put some curtains on the windows and controlled the flow of light. At night the curtains could be off but at day time the curtains should have been there and drawn. The sunlight was intense and the restaurant lost the sheen that it was supposed to offer. It felt more like an airport lobby.

Finally our food arrived. We had ordered for a peach ice tea, Chicken Haara Pyaaz (Chicken with spring onion greens), Rajma Masala (Red Kidney beans with spices)  and Naan-Rotis.

Crewmate : Captain, this is no tea. Do you think the mixer made a mistake?

Captain : Let it be lad. Its a trifle.

The peach ice tea had absolutely no tea in it. It was plain sweetened peach juice. I immediately caught this but decided to let the matter pass. I needed a sweet drink at that point of time so I didn't care much.

Its a shame that no one here asks how the food is and whether the patrons enjoyed the food or not. There seem to be no Captains as well. The Chicken Haara pyaaza was nothing like the real thing. There were huge chunks of chicken which appeared to be undercooked. The taste of the gravy had not quite sunk onto the chicken which had no taste as I chewed it. It felt rubbery. There was far too much hot spice in the gravy as well. We had specifically asked about its spice levels and we were told that it would be moderate. The Spring onion greens were far too less than expected. Tokenism to live up to its namesake. There was no mustard as well. Its appearance also suggested the presence of artificial food coloring. It was almost red. Artificial food coloring is usually abhorred in fine dines.

Captain : Water ! I need water.

Crewmate : Captain, your mouth is red.

Captain : Colors and chillies ! I swear , it be the real name of tis' dish.

Next up was Rajma Masala which was perhaps the only saving grace of my Ebony experience. Though it too appeared to be full of food coloring, its taste was appropriate. It was lightly spiced, savory, salty and aromatic. Despite being a carnivore, I found myself enjoying the Rajma Masala more since the chicken dish had gone off script. It however was by no means stellar. It tasted exactly the same as it does in smaller restaurants. The dish was very oily. One should better hide their calorie counter when eating this.

For Breads to accompany the food, we had ordered Butter Naan, Butter Roti and Missi Roti. The flat breads were fine but nothing I would rave about. They seemed to match the general food standard that I experienced over here.

The tab came to INR 615 which would have been appropriate if the food was good. Usually, all North Indian-Mughlai places in the area offer the same pricing. It's around the same as "The Avenue" on the other side of the highway. However, the food over here was a lot more disappointing. When I entered, I expected more of a Zaffaran or Delhi Darbar standard. What I left with was pure disappointment.

Clearly, a lot needs to be done before this place can brand itself as a true fine dine. The food needs a lot of work.The guy making the drinks should probably try Ice tea somewhere to know what it is supposed to taste like. The ambiance needs more creativity and the staff needs more training regarding the menu. Presence of Captains would also be a good step. The place has so much potential but yet its not been put to good use.

Score : 6/10

"We should leave this place as soon as we can lads. Full speed ahead. Until next time."

-I walked in and paid for my own meal-