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.-


 

Cafe Cubano - Kemps Corner, Mumbai.

That could have been ours I thought as I looked at a wrecked ship that had mysteriously landed in the middle of the street. It was literally thrown by the ocean on to the island or so it seemed. As the local people crowded the structure, we decided to explore the ship. The ship seemed to have been abandoned ages ago. Ship wrecks often give us vital information like the one that gave us the map for the compass ha.

Cafe Cubano is a rather puzzling name as it serves neither Cubanos nor the famous Cuban coffee. The place was on my radar for a while as I had seen a lot of positive reviews by other writers. When the resident PR contacted me, I gladly accepted the invitation to give the place a shot.

The place looks less like a restaurant/Cafe and more like a pub with its dark appearance and industrial ceiling. The ambiance isn't much to talk about though it did feel comforting in the hot afternoon. The choice of furniture seemed a bit odd as it did not match the decor. There were too many different themes talking without any connection with one another.

The bar looked good but it was marred by the presence of the fish tank. This fish tank felt out of place unless one used a lot more of the aquarium tank and made the whole wall aquatic themed. Something like in Singapore's Sentosa. The bar chairs were comfy but one can't help note that they look plain weird, bar stools would have looked more appropriate.

Fix the Bulb. How many Food writers does it take to change a light bulb? One in this case as I fixed the bulb by emptying its contents in me mouth. The flavor was dominated by fruit juice, notably orange. It used Dark Rum and a bit of a flavoring from Elderflowers. The kick was mild and the drink seemed to be more on the fruity sweet side but it provided ample relief to my parched throat.

P.S : One does not need a screwdriver to change a light bulb. These screwdrivers are a turn off and need to go.

Chocolate Margarita was disappointing. It almost had no kick and Hershey's Chocolate sauce doesn't always make the best Chocolate drink. There was far too much powdery ice in it making the drink watery by the time I reached the half mark. The glass should also have been rimmed with chocolate granules, a traditional part of chocolate margaritas. The only appreciable part of the drink was that it was slightly pepperminty which made it a good cooler after spicy grub.


The Food at Cubano seems like a mix of Indian and Progressive Indian. Progressive Indian is a term that is being used too often now days for places that tend to fuse Indian food with other cuisines.

Peri Peri Chicken was very very good in flavor. The superficial plating with the sauce art however was unneeded and I felt that this dish would have looked better without the saucework. The chicken morsels were juicy, savory and spicy. Each bite had a Tandoori flavor with an African twist. Makes a great appetizer or a bar nibble, you choose.

Captain : This ship looks like she hasn't sailed for decades. 

First mate : Ain't that obvious? This vessel is using a design from the previous century.

Khairul Shaikh Ke Kebab was made of minced Lamb meat inside chicken meat on a skewer. The meats were well done, apparently both cooked at the lamb's temperature. However, the two meats were indistinguishable in flavor which was a letdown. The Kebabs were spicy and this seemingly paired well with "Fix the Bulb" since it fixed both the dryness and the heat. I should actually call that drink Bulb the fixer.

P.S Get rid of that sauce work, really.

Malbari Curry tastes and looks like Malabari curry. Not sure if there is some reference behind the misspelled name. This dish doesn't look aesthetically pleasing but it turned out to be the underdog champion of the day. The curry had a lovely aroma, enough to knock off the drinks from my bloodstream and open my eyes wide. I eagerly put in a spoon and ate my first bite.

Moments later, I was scrapping the last drop of curry from the bowl. The pleasant mixture of coconut, tamarind and possibly jaggery felt like the ultimate homemade dish. It was a mix of salty, savory and the  pungent. I did not enjoy the chicken pieces in it as much as I enjoyed the liquid curry.

Captain : No treasure, No chart and no clue.

Navigator : There are burn marks all over the top deck.

Captain : There was a fire here?

Navigator : Nay, more like someone burnt something intentionally on the deck.

Cutting Chai Panna cotta with a Indian shortbread biscuit(Naankhatai) was a poor execution of a layered dessert. Firstly, Panna Cotta is best served on a plate. This serves both aesthetic and gustatory purposes. Second, if one must add whip cream and compote on top of a thin layer of panna cotta, why even call it a panna cotta?

After an annoying fight with the top layers, I managed to dip in my spoon into the panna cotta and it turned out to be a bitter version of condensed tea. It seemed to lack the consistency of a true panna cotta feeling more like a thick granulated paste instead.

Banoffee Pie Pudding. I am quite supportive of fusion food or new methods of cooking food but I actually had to stare at this for a while. What exactly was this? It was a loose mixture of buttered graham cracker crumbs, regular bananas, some whip cream and chocolate flakes. A heap of lackluster ingredients tossed into a glass. The bananas were not even caramelized. I could not finish it because it tasted horrible and I rarely leave a dessert midway. I feel that this one has to be either reworked completely or be taken off the menu.

My first choice of dessert - Chocolate Mousse was not available that day.

The service was decent as my server knew his stuff (Save the desserts part) and accommodated my trips with food near the window for better pictures.

The pricing seems to be acceptable for food but as far as drinks and desserts go, one needs to punch in some quality to make it worth the buck.

Cafe Cubano needs to fix its house. Other than the Peri Peri Chicken and Malbari curry, everything else was dismal. They need a dedicated dessert chef to redo the sweet stuff.

The Captain's Score : 6/10

"Our experience felt unsatisfying and we decided to explore a different part of this ship. There must surely be some good somewhere."

Map Co-Ordinates
Cafe Cubano
Ground Floor, Habib Mansion,
Kemps Corner, Mumbai



-I was invited to sample the grub by the Restaurant's PR. My review however is objective.-

 

Farzi Cafe - Lower Parel, Mumbai

Me navigator laughed when I showed him my four co-ordinates. He said that we need not go to all four as only one of these lied on the map we found. I had completely forgotten about the map in my late night puzzle solving. The co ordinates pointed to a popular island in the Northern seas. I rang me ship's bell to wake up the crew. The half sails were opened fully. 

We were to move at full speed towards our destination. It was obviously to get to the Blue compass faster although my Engineer suspected that I had my eyes on yet another tavern. Well, she wasn't wrong ha. I stood with a foot on my ship's bow and let the ocean breeze kiss my face. I had a strange feeling that someone was watching me.

Farzi Cafe is the newest offering of Zorawar Kalra's "Massive Restaurants" group. It is the same brand that is behind Masala Library and Papaya. Farzi Cafe can best be described as a mix of a club, a tapas bar and a bistro in a modern debonair setting. Like Papaya, the mind boggling decor is done by Pronit Nath of Urban studio. This goes even a step beyond Papaya.

I was here on the occasion of a party organized by EazyDiner. A pre-launch party is always fun and lets one sample the grub and grog before anyone else.

If it is your first time and if you have any scientific curiosity then like me you will end up staring at that wall for a few minutes. This wall is specifically made to aid 3D mapping which seems to change with the music. The ambiance is dynamic and different lighting creates different scenes and emotions. Combined with the loud music and molecular cocktails, its a world of creative chaos. Chaos can be good and desirable sometimes. Every moment in Farzi is unique which will never repeat again.

Farzi means fake in Hindi but its fine usage can also extend to illusions or mirages. Farzi cafe is named on that notion. The ambiance with its 3D mapping and the food prepared with molecular gastronomy creates rather tempting illusions that will make one's senses dance to the waves.

Farzi defines itself as a Modern Indian Bistro but its much more than that.

The service was professional for the most part though I did run into a server who made me wait ages before he got my drink.Why did I come to service before food? Its because each server had a unique and a stylish hairdo. One cannot help but notice this.

The food and cocktails were typical of Massive group's love for Molecular gastronomy. It fuses western dishes with Indian techniques or vice versa using molecular gastronomy. Its not simply adapting dishes to Indian palates but to completely re-invent them.

Farzi Apple Foamintini had an amazing presentation. Its made out of green apple syrup, martini ingredients, mint and a foam made out of whip cream. When served, the dry ice beneath the martini cup shouts out jets of vapor in all directions. The flavor is a mix of bitter, sweet and tangy with a vanilla like undertone. The drink is mildly potent and quite seductive to the tongue. To me, this was the best of Farzi's queerly named cocktails. In fact, this will be my drink every time I go to any Farzi installations in the future.

Captain : I love this drink even though it has no rum. Yum.

Nina : Nya Nya ? >:3 

Captain : Eh, why are you here? Where did the mates go? Don't tell me that they slithered away to other taverns.

Three Muskeetear was another delectable bitter sweet drink though the shaved ice sphere felt like a turn off to me. It made a great visual effect but deteriorated the drinking experience. This drink was made of Chili, orange and Hersheys chocolate syrup mixed in whiskey. The flavor felt sweet and subtly bitter. The drink was more potent than the foamintini. I loved the flavor but the sphere should either have been smaller or not have been there at all.

Captain : I wonder if there is a clue hidden inside the ice sphere. (Bites)

Captain : Ok not, Brain freeze.

Nina : Nyayayaya >:3

The Delhi Belly Pork tikka was pork belly marinated in Indian herbs and covered with a glaze made out of murabba (fruit preserve). The skin felt a little tough but beneath it was a succulent and one of the best pork bellies that I have ever had. It literally melts in the mouth. While the outer skin was sweet the inner portion was salty and fatty. A must eat if you are a carnivore and this pairs with all cocktails.

Captain : Oooh this melts in me mouth. I want more... Hey! Nina.

Nina : Nya Nya :3 (steals pork belly tikkas and runs away)

Captain : Darn it, you cute little thief. You are the only one who steals from me and gets away with it.

Tempura Fried Prawns with spiced lemon foam tasted like a fusion of Japanese deep fried prawns and Mumbai street food. Though I am not fond of foam on my food(Don't ask why), the taste here was simply divine. The foam ensures that the flavors do not interfere with each other. Any other method will cause the flavors to mix and result into something unpalatable.

The Farzified Vada Pao was a delectable little potato dumpling. This dumpling was made out of finely minced potato and the flavor had permeated evenly to every part of this dumpling. This was a more sophisticated and a perfected form of Mumbai's favorite snack. The only flaw was that the Paos were absent on the scene.

Amritsari Fish and Chips with Desi ghee Hollandaise was a dish comprised of deep fried fish cutlets served with a Hollandaise dip that used Indian clarified butter(ghee) instead of regular butter. This was a passable affair as I felt that the cutlets were a little too hard for my liking. Too much batter and too little fish.

Gupta Burger was a delectable deep fried potato patty mixed with spices and served in mini buns. So it was more like a Gupta slider. This was supposed to be an emulation of street burgers sold in Delhi by the same name. Though I have never had its namesake, I can positively attest that this was a good bar nibble.

Smoked Bacon and Pyaaz ki Kachori was a fusion of rustic, smokey bacon with an onion dumpling and served with a reduction of potato jus(Rassa). This was a good novelty even though it appeared more like a stacked appetizer rather than a truly fused food.

The Galouti Burger was made of finely minced lamb meat. The meat was so soft that even a toothless person could eat it. The minced meat was placed inside a soft burger and tasted like a very flavorsome meat bun. It reminded me of my trip to Hong Kong and the meat buns there. A good eat if you want plain good food without theatrics.

Dal Chawal Arancini - Italian arancini balls given an Indian vegetarian twist. These were filled with a stuffing made of rice, lentils, peas and greens. And were topped with a poppadom roll and served with pickle and chutney. Delectable little flavor bombs.

FFC or Farzi Fried Chicken is a play on KFC. One is served a truckload of these drumsticks though the truck is a miniature model ha. The chicken felt a little uninspired, tough and try. This was perhaps the only thing that disappointed me completely. The smoked BBQ cream dip did not help much.

Mishti Doi grapes - Continuing Massive group's love for playing with Mishti Doi (Remember the lollipops at Masala Library) were these grapes made using molecular gastronomy. These grapes would explode in the mouth releasing a sweet flavor of the Mishti Doi. Serves as a good palate cleanser between courses.

Bailey's pops were mini desserts made of Irish cream. These would dissolve fast in the mouth suggesting that these were made using Liquid Nitrogen. Decent dessert but gets over too fast. I would rather have a cup with a few of these balls than a pop. Farzi has more dessert options but this was the only one that I could sample that night.

Captain : A single pop is not sufficient dessert fer me :( 
(walks out)

First Mate : Oye, follow me mate. We found something interesting from the roof tops.

Captain : What are you fellas doing on the roof tops?

First mate : We just fought off rogues mate. Thought it would be wise to go to the tallest structure and inspect for any other trouble heading in our direction.

Farzi's pricing will be along the lines of Papaya. It will be on the higher side but given the exceptional quality of some dishes and the unique ambiance, the price is well worth the buck.

Farzi Cafe has been a big hit in Gurgaon, winning many awards. It has now arrived and brought a bit of Delhi's social scene to Mumbai. Masala Library and Papaya are already hits with the eat out crowd. Will Farzi complete Massive's hat trick? Lets find out. Farzi Cafe opens to the public on the first week end of May, 2016.

The Captain's Score : 8/10

"
Captain(on the roof top of a skyscraper) : (Sees a board with "Glutton" written on it) 
What is this?


First Mate : (Pulls out a dagger) For the Crew.  (Stabs Captain)


Captain(Shocked but sees that he is unhurt) : You are pulling a Jon Snow on me?

First Mate : Just messing. Cardboard Knives ha.

Captain (awkward silence) : Ok, so why the hell did ya call me up here?

Gunner : Look at the lights below.

Captain : They collectively seem to form a funny shape. Why?

Navigator : Look at the map. That funny shape is marked here.  

Captain(Brief stern silence) : Hmm. This region...Its the Sea of Shipwrecks.
"

Map Co-Ordinates
Farzi
Kamla Mills,
Near Radio Mirchi Office,
Lower Parel, Mumbai


 -I was invited by Eazydiner to a pre-launch party. I was not expected to write a blogpost and this post is from my own free will and written with objectivity. -





 

Next stop, IndiKitchen - Andheri Lokhandwala, Mumbai

It was a lazy afternoon and me ship was passing a familiar coast. I had explored most places on this side of the sea so a new place always called itself out. A small shack near the sands caught me eye and I decided to explore it. The boys docked near a cliff as a small landing party left for the land.

IndiKitchen is a portmanteau of Indian Kitchen as opposed to Independent Kitchen which came to my head first. Blame me for being an Indie game developer(in the past) and attaching the notion of that phrase with "independent". This place is a minimal eatery with an unique theme.

As with all Quick serving Restaurants, Indi (Not Indiana Jones) had a small interior dining area. Most of the dining area is outside the bistroesque restaurant.

The place introduces the Subway or the "Wok it yourself" concept to Indian food. One can pick their greens, sauces, proteins and breads from a set of choices and see the chef make their masterpiece in front of them. As with all places with this concept, there is a possibility of the eager eater messing up their meal with bad choices. However, Aalok Shah (of Famished Food AP private Ltd) who happens to be one of Indi's four founding partners says that the chef will immediately flag bad choices and strongly suggest the user to avoid unpalatable choices.

Whip, wham, sizzle, fry and I see my Chicken Tikka(plus a bit of Bhuna gravy by the chef's suggestion) with Roomali Roti get made in front of me. This allowed me to see what goes into me grub. This is an interesting exercise for those who wish to see how Chicken Tikka is made.

Chicken Tikka - I did not expect it to be served as a wrap but that actually saved me the trouble of getting my hands messy. The Chicken was really good and the quality mimicked the grub found in North Indian fine dines. The only glitch here was that the wrap felt a bit rough for fresh roomali roti. However the meat inside mostly overwhelmed this error. For INR 160, this mostly felt like a good deal. Though the lamb variant is priced much higher at INR 220.

Chicken Biryani was the better of the two dishes that I ate. It was one of the finest Biryani preparations that I have ever had. Smooth aromatic rice with succulent pieces of well cooked chicken. Topped with fried onions, greens and the best spices - This item exceeded my expectations. Indi makes a good stop for a Biryani fanatic. The portion size was quite generous at INR 149.

Captain : A wok Box with Biryani. Now I have seen everything. 

Crewmate : Don't you mean eaten everything?

Captain : No one can eat everything. Its like counting all the stars in the galaxy.

Crewmate : So have you seen all the stars in the sky then?

Chocolate Samosa was the lone dessert on the menu. It was intriguing since Chocolate Samosas sound a bit, different. But if one can plug chocolate into bagels, doughnuts and croissants - then samosas should not be a big problem, yes? Well the answer is a mixed one. As a dessert, this fusion works. There however is the issue of salty samosa wrappers and unneeded saltiness to the whole thing. For INR 49, this item is worth the novelty.

IndiKitchen seems to be built on a self service model. Though, I was served my items by a server.

The pricing is quite low at the moment. For the food they serve, I'd say its one hell of a good deal. Like all good things, its likely that the prices may go up in the future so it seems logical to hog as much grub as possible ha.

IndiKitchen seems well suited for fellas in the Lokhandwala area. Its quite close to the Infinity mall in Andheri. These folks also deliver to the nearby neighborhoods and the bulk of their business comes from that apparently.

The Captain's Score : 7/10

"That was a quick sailor's grub lads. Bye Bye laziness, Aye Aye blue seas."


Map Co-Ordinates
IndiKitchen
Shop 16,
New Link Palace CHS, Andheri Lokhandwala,
Andheri West, Mumbai.



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

29 - Kemps Corner, Mumbai

"I noted that me sense of direction is better at sea than on the land. A few minutes back we had landed on this glitzy island of fun. But we were completely lost in the landlubber's paradise. I asked me men to spread out into different directions and locate our destination. As they dispersed, I along with one of me mateys walked in our chosen path. I saw a strange sight in the distance. It was a map made out of paint cans. And then it hit me, 29 is the number of states in India. This strange place had to be our destination."

"All aboard the Indian Super Express." That was literally the first thing I could think of when I entered 29. It being a really long and narrow community hall, I could feel that I was inside a train of some sort. The restaurant was brand new at the time of my visit. It still had some smell of the newly done paint job. And if that wasn't intriguing enough, the owner Nishek Jain told me that depleted paint cans from the restaurant's paint work were used to make an outline of India at the entrance.

29 sports a simple ambiance, apart from the train like feel. The tables mimic those used in small town restaurants and the decor has a very spartan feel to it. There are two lanes as evident from the pictures with differently done walls and ceiling lights on both sides. 29 literally mixes a city restaurant with a dash of small town culture.

A visibly tired Nishek(Getting a newly done place into service) was looking like a server himself. And the bloke was actually proud of it. He explained how he desired to bring the food of the twenty nine Indian states under one roof. Great Emperors have failed in bringing it all under one roof, could Nishek achieve what they couldn't?

There were some hits and some misses with 29's food. The place has a long way to go before it becomes a popular mainstreamer but it certainly had spirited beginnings.

Nimbu Paani - This was supposed to be a lemonade but I felt that it tasted more like a Jaljeera (cumin spiced water) drink. There was Jaljeera present in it and it overpowered the lemon's sour. I actually think this was a communication error. Jaljeera is usually used as an appetizer in Indian cuisines and this drink did a great job of that.

Following up next was the Four state platter served in a fancy and interesting way. Let me close in on each of the passengers.

Captain : Lets spin tis' thing and pick one of each.

Crewmate : What about the Dilli Chaat Cappy? There is just one of that.

Captain : I will spin first.

The chutneys served with the platter. There is mint, Sanmeholi and Tomato paste.

Potato chops with Assamese Sanmeholi Chutney. These tasted like soft potato cutlets with some onion and garlic thrown in. This complimented very well with the Sanmeholi Chutney which literally translates to mixed green chutney. The chutney is made out of garden herbs and chilies. This could make a great snack.

Dilli Chat is a mix mash of Samosas, crunchy poppadoms, Namak Pare(Salty Indian fried snacks) and pakodas. It was topped with sev and curd. Visibly, it does emulate Dilli chat with that edible basket bowl. It had the right amount of savory as well but what I felt was lacking was the right amount of chatpata. It lacked the spicy tangy kick that was expected of it. And the basket had a blistered texture which could be a turn off to food photographers.

Bharwan Khumb is one of the few known mushroom based Indian delicacies. I have usually associated this with the frontier Punjabi cuisine though its billed as Garwahli(Mountainous Uttarkhand State) delicacy at 29. This is usually supposed to be made of the Khumb mushrooms which may resemble button mushrooms. The mushrooms were apparently stuffed with spices, a bit of cheese and fried with a batter coating. Truth be said, I felt that the flavor was insipid. I could not sense the stuffing. And the batter coating seems to be atypical to this dish. It robs the dish of its naturally soft textured appearance.

Jodhpuri Pyaz Kachori (Jodhpur's fried Onion dumplings) was a delicacy from Rajasthan. This was the highest point of the four state platter. Figuratively and literally(It was at the highest position of the serving contraption) both. The outer shell was made of flour mixed with semolina, carom seeds and milk. It had more flavor depth than samosa like deep fried dumplings.

The stuffing was made of potatoes, onion, peas with spices and seeds. The appearance was not only colorful, befitting of the foodporn tag but the flavor was like a book in which each page was a separate story. Several shades of savory and salty entwined into a masterpiece that tantalized the tongue.

Mizoram Lal Hara Chaat was more than lal hara(Red Green) with a significant amount of Peela(yellow) as well. This was served as a palate cleanser but eh it had too much of a flavor of its own. This tasted exactly like the sprouts-gram salad that I have at home which I admittedly am not too fond of.

Dalimbichi with Usal ani Arbi Amti The dish was as difficult to capture on camera as its pronunciation. But it was quite a soulful dish. The sweet and sour colocasia(Arbi) curry had the flavors of rural Maharashtra. The dry field beans(Usal) tasted earthy and were great when mixed with rice and the curry.
This may be a simple looking dish but the flavors speak volumes.

Captain : I can never pronounce tis' right but I still love it.

Crewmate : Maybe you should have brought along the linguist to remember it.

Captain : We have a linguist?!! 

Crewmate : Somehow I feel you have said that before.

Kashmiri Paneer Rolls were a vegetarian avatar of the famed Kashmiri meat Rolls. The rich red gravy inside and the bread seemed to be an accurate emulation though the paneer felt a little too big. The flavor had not wrapped well around the paneer. Methinks this would have worked better with smaller cubes or minced paneer.

Litti Chokha with Baigan Bharta - Litti Chokha is literally stuffed bread eaten in the states of Bihar and Jharkhand. Though its mostly stuffed with minced meat, a purely vegetarian variant is quite popular too. The breads here were well cooked. Too well cooked actually. A little blackening would have helped it gaining a smoky rural flavor which is very much enjoyed in the North (This is an actual practice).

The stuffing was flavorful with minced greens and spices. The breads and mashing went really well together. The Baigan Bharta (Cooked Aubergine) however felt a bit out of place though that could be due to my personal dislike of the bitter vegetable.

The breads should not have bisected before serving. That would have helped retain the internal aroma which largely escaped by the time the dish reached the table.

Kanpuri Tikka Pulav was a delectable rice preparation. I wouldn't know how much influence did Kanpur actually have in it since the flavor resembled a vegetable herbed pulav found at many places in Mumbai. The only element that could perhaps have been from Kanpur city were the twin paneer add ons. The Spicy red paneer tikka and the makhani yellow versions faced each other in some sort of duel over the rice. These cheeses independently tasted great though they appeared like post work additions hence played very little influence on the rice itself.


I felt that there was a lack of diversity in the desserts served. One could find twenty nine desserts in twenty nine states but I cannot seem to bring myself to sing paeans about what was served to us.

Kesar Malai Ke Ladoo were fragrant, soft and spongy dumplings with little sugar and had a saffron flavoring. These felt incredibly light and pleasant flavored. Would be quite the treat for those with low sugar tolerance.

Captain : This be a soft affair.

Crewmate : Tasty affair too.

Captain : Wait a minute, did ya eat all of them?

Crewmate : Sorry Captain, I could not hold meself.

Captain : Guess who is getting Deckswe...no toilet scrubbing duties this week.

Mawa Jalebi with Kesar Rabadi had a remarkably different color and texture from the everyday street side Jalebis that I am used to. These were made of flour mixed with Mawa(Reduced Milk) and fried in good quality oil before being bathed in the sugar syrup. The taste seemed to mimic regular jalebis. But it had a better aroma. These were served with saffron infused Rabdi which I could not get to taste.

The service has a lot of room for improvement. There were a lot of teething issues and the desserts were delayed by quite a bit. The servers need to know about the vast array of dishes or at least have cheat sheets. They were clueless on many of the dishes. Their demeanor however was good and the crew was polite.

The Pricing seems fair for the portion sizes served. It is the kind that encourages patrons to come again after a good experience.

The food felt like an eclectic mix of cuisines from all over India. I think the essence of this place truly comes out when one orders stuff from one region instead of many. Ordering from many different regions tends to make a person feel that there isn't much diversity. Its simply a case of a palate suffering from several cultural shocks in a short period of time.

One should stick to one or two states instead of several. So the place is worth several trips and each time a different experience can be lived. In fact, one could even sit under the certain state nameplates and order food from those regions. Sounds like an interesting idea.

The Captain's Score : 7/10

"Some done, many to go. We will ride our sails and come back to this place some day again."

Map Co-Ordinates
29

Ground Floor, Mohammedbhay Mansion,
Near Cumballa Hill Hospital,
Kemps Corner, Mumbai


-I was invited to a Bloggers table meet by the restaurants PR.-