Please Don't tell - Lower Parel, Mumbai

We had sailed to a rather strange area in the sea. The map showed no land but yet there was a small island with a village over here. It wasn't just this ancient map but all other maps had nothing here. Bizarre! A small red rectangle and a number were scribbled on the supposed spot. I wondered what it meant. Was it some riddle or a joke the map maker played on us? One of me mates then pointed at a red colored phone booth and mentioned that those kinds of booths had not been seen for decades. 

Red Rectangles, Red booth! Could this be our clue? Lets find out if its true.
I went inside the booth which was facing a wall. I picked up the phone and dialed in the number scribbled on the map. Suddenly a wall moved and a secret tavern was revealed behind it. What in the sweet name of sweet Calypso just happened? Moreover, how does an ancient map point to a telephone booth which is a modern invention? The Blue compass mystery deepens.

Please Don't tell pays homage to the 1920s when the Prohibition act banned alcohol in the United States. Grog could only be obtained in hidden breweries and pubs which operated beyond the Government's knowledge. Getting caught meant jail and alcohol lovers had to go through great risks for their favorite brews. Ah the adventure of being a rebel.

An innocent looking Paan shop with a telephone booth next to it is the first thing you find at the perceived location of PDT. At this point, I wondered if I was at the wrong address until one of the staffers asked me to step inside the booth. He then picked up the phone and punched in a secret number.

And presto! The wall adjacent to me was revealed to be a secret door. A large tavern was completely hidden behind the booth and the paan shop. Oh yes, the hidden den thing is real and not just a namesake novelty. Though it only works the first time.

This large dim lit pub is excellent for an evening binge. The furniture seemed like an archetype of the early twentieth century and the chairs resemble those found in old underground gambling dens. The music is nice although the volume could be a little lower since loud music tends to blow the cover of a hidden society(get it?). The lighting is comfortable and time can pass really fast in here.

The food is great but totalers and the purely vegetarian folk may find lesser options. That doesn't deter me of course since I am neither. I was here to sample some goodies from their new grub menu. But before that, I sampled some of their Grog.

Mary Pickford named after a famous 20's actress is a prohibition era cocktail made out of White Rum, Maraschino(Cherry) liqueur, grenadine syrup and pineapple juice. PDT managed to replicate this perfectly. The cocktail was not too strong and had a mix of tang and bitter sweet flavors inside it. It paired well with the appetizers. It was a great experience for a Rum connoisseur like yours truly.

Puzzle Guzzle is a mystery that you gulp down with yer grub. Though it was a lesser experience compared to the concoction above, it still had its highs. This was a moderately strong Vodka cocktail mixed with ginger, grape fruit juice, lime, mint leaves and some cinnamon. Potency aside, I personally was peeved with the mint leaves floating at the top. The leaves may work with some drinks but not this.

Captain : Could this puzzle be a hint to our next clue?

Quarter master : Who cares mate? Drink hearty.

Captain : Yeah, ye are right :D

Squid Pro Quo was an average calamari. I felt that the batter coating on this was far too much than required. More than calamari, I felt as if I was eating salted fried batter with Louisiana sauce and Mango salsa.

Chicks on Sticks were teriyaki skewers served with a dip made out of peanut butter. These felt like something in between Yakitori and Satay. I love skewered chicken and these juicy bits were quite sumptuous. Though the lack of saltiness may trouble Indian palates not used to this kind of food.

Shroom with a view was an open sandwich with mushroom and cheese. Rosemary rock salt focaccia adds a dominant savory flavor but rejects saltiness. The balsamic reduction enhances the savoriness further along with some sweet tones. I quite enjoyed this sandwich and its unique bitter savory flavor. It felt very earthy and very Mediterranean. However, once again this may not appeal to a person who likes their food salty. But it works well for those who enjoy authentic western food.

The Keema Pav took a long time before finally making it to our table. And this platter was well worth the wait. The heavenly aroma was both mesmerizing and appetizing. Soft minced meat mixed with spices inside a soft fresh bun was a combination meant to please. This was the best Keema pav I have had in recent times. The only flaw was the liberal use of whole spices. It is a major turn off to encounter cardamom bags while chewing. Other than that, this item is not to be missed while at PDT.

The special Vada Pav platter is a treat for herbivores and carnivores alike. These bite sized Vada pavs were artistically plated with sweet chutney, spicy chutney and onion garlic powder. The patties melt in the mouth and feel very homemade in flavor.  Though not as amazing as the Vada pav at Ashok or Mithibai, this is good comfort food. Additionally, these weren't oily at all.

Captain : This is quite beautiful. The vada pav platter almost looks like six mountains facing four rivers ha. 

Quartermaster : Who Cares? Eat hearty.

Captain : Ya, you are right. Hey aren't ya being repetitive now mate?

Quartermaster : I had too much grog mate, gimme a break.

Butter chicken Risotto successfully combined two of my favorite dishes. The Butter chicken was A-ok as far as flavor was concerned. The meat was soft, juicy and savory. The butter was just right as the dish was not greasy. The tomato did not overpower the curry as in most places. The spices were used in moderation. The aroma was delectable, the kind that makes you dash across the room to grab a bite.

The risotto though overpowered by the chicken felt authentic. I forgot to observe whether it was Arborio or not but I enjoyed this dish too much to care. This dish was the highlight of the night. A successful marriage of Indian and Italian. Two of the world's best and ancient food cultures rolled into one.

Captain : The soft chicken and heavenly rice. Mmmmm.

Quartermaster : Stop wastin yer time and hunt for the next clue.

Captain : What the barnacles? Who was being the hearty one?

This Chocolate cake was soft, rich, creamy, decadent and full of sweet ganache. It was plated well but its dark coloring on a dark plate made it a challenge for photography. But trust me on this, it looked GOOD.

The Baked Cheesecake had amazing optics but the flavor was a polar opposite. The cheesecake felt close to a caramel pudding in taste, strangely. The typical cheesecake flavor was absent. And I could not associate any of the three cheeses(Cream cheese, Ricotta, Mascarpone) used to make different Cheesecakes with it.

The service was decent. Since the place wasn't full, we were attended by two people. As were other tables. Though, one of the servers was not very well informed about the food.

The pricing seems to be tilted towards the higher side. While many items such as the chicken skewers or the Calamari seem to be at par with similar pubs across the city, the drinks and the mains were priced higher. While the food was great and the drinks were simply amazing, I am of the opinion that the prices could be a wee bit lower.

To round this up, PDT is an amazing theme based pub which lives up to its deal. Visit this place for the vibes, the feeling of an underground community, prohibition cocktails, Keema Pav and Butter Chicken Risotto. Given its unique offerings, I suppose that all food lovers should at least visit this place once.

The Captain's Score : 8/10

"
Captain : No sign of the next clue. And the puzzle has gotten even more complex. How does an ancient map have a telephone booth marked on it?

Quartermaster : I be pondering on yer six mountains and four rivers thing.

Captain : What of it?

Quartermaster : There is an actual place like that.

Captain : Is it on our map?

Quartermaster : Doesn't seem to be marked but the co-incidence is too much. Don't ya agree?

Captain : I don't but what choice do we have mate? That is the only lead we have. Six mountains and four rivers ha. Must be quite the fertile land.

Quartermaster : A Land of farmers and their sons.

"

Map Co-Ordinates
Please Don't Tell
Kamala Mills,
Lower Parel, Mumbai


 -I was invited by the restaurants PR to sample the new menu. But my post is objective and neutral.-

Old Wild West - Lower Parel, Mumbai

Let me tell you the tale of when we were sailing around an industrial island and discovered a small food district nestled in between. The local port looked like something straight out of a steampunk comic book - Ya know pipes, steam outlets, valves, meters and gears. There were also people in strange cowboy hats. I was told that these folks were from a nearby Western themed tavern. Steampunk, westerns and promise of good food. Here begins another adventure.

Old Wild West is a new Tex Mex restaurant that plays on Western themes. It has opened shop in the brutal Kamala Mills area. Brutal for business owners, fun for connoisseurs. The rents are high, the competition intense and people are spoiled for choice. A slight thing out of place means losing your patron to a dozen other high end eateries nearby.

The dim lit golden lighting provides a genuine Southern states appearance to the restaurant. Though the restaurant plays it safe with a lot of stereotyped fine dine themes.

In the picture is a mechanical bull which is functional and can be used by brave patrons before meal. See if ya folks can last more than ten seconds. I will advise against riding post meal.

After whiling almost thirty minutes in a near empty restaurant wondering where the service was, I finally found someone to take my order.

South West style Pork Ribs. The ribs were slightly above pedestrian in flavor. The meat was well cooked and came right off the bones. But somehow the ribs lacked the traditional smokey BBQ flavor that I have grown used to. Using my layman knowledge of the culinary arts, I assumed that this may be due to lesser BBQ sauce but it could have been something else. The billed slaw accompaniment was lacking both mayo and vinaigrette hence it was not a slaw.

South West Chicken Tacos were far better than their South Western neighbor above. The flower cup like tortilla shells added a nice novelty. The chicken was juicy and tasted great with the bean mix deep inside. The spice content could have been a little higher but I won't complain about that. The shells were generously filled and were far better than most Taco's I have had elsewhere.

Captain : Yep, this be a fine cup of grub. 

Crewmate : Cheesy.

Captain : Yes there is a lot of cheese in the tortilla cups too.

Crewmate : I meant your lines, Captain.

Mexico Chili cilantro burger. Not as much of a looker as the things above, I felt that a slaw accompaniment could have made the plate appear a little less empty(As is the case in Indigo restaurants). The fries were far too subtle in flavor for traditional ranch seasoned fries. The burger itself was great. It was messy, juicy and well seasoned with spices. The patty was well cooked. The only downside to the burger was that the bun bottoms were a little thick and crisp.

Classic American Cheesecake was a baked Philadelphia cheesecake coated with sour cream glaze and honey. Strawberry coulis was artistically used as a topping as well. Though it doesn't seem to use a traditional Graham cracker crust, the base still tasted well. The package looked a bit messy and unfriendly to the camera(since the glaze reflects light) but it satiated the palate well. As a cheesecake lover I enjoyed OWW's version.

Captain : Creamy above, Creamy below. Just the way I like it.

Crewmate : Do you think they overdid the sour cream bit?

Captain : It smells nice, it taste nice. I take it that you don't like it.

Crewmate : No-no, that is not what I meant Cappy. Please save me some.

OWW's Chocolate Mousse was a great dessert made out of cream, chocolate and delightful things of all sort but a mousse it is not. Since it does not contain egg, the taste feels very creamy. It lacks the airy lightness and the richness of a true mousse. I enjoyed this as a dessert but I cannot call it a mousse.

The service was poor. It took them ages to even note my presence and this was during a time when there were hardly three parties(myself included) in the restaurant's premises. I was slightly annoyed by the time the grub finally made it to my table. This kind of state can easily make one overlook the merits of the food though I tried my best to remain objective. The staff needs to be trained better. If there is a person inside your restaurant, have someone interact with them as soon as possible. I had to ask for service, I had to ask for water, I had to ask for cutlery and I had to ask for a menu.

The Pricing is on the higher side though its on par with other establishments in Kamala mills.

Old Wild West has its theme working for it but it needs to iron out issues and tighten the screws to exploit its full potential. The food is decent but it can be better. The ambiance is great for an evening binge. The service needs major improvement and some standard operating procedures. A table cannot be left unattended for over thirty minutes.

The Captain's Score : 7/10

"Shame, we have to leave this island. There is so much left to explore. Mark it on the map lads. We will be back, soon."

Map Co-Ordinates
Old Wild West
1st Floor, Trade View Building,
Kamala Mills Compound,
Lower Parel, Mumbai

 -I was invited by the restaurants PR to sample the grub.-


 

Sky View Cafe - Lower Parel, Mumbai

This was a clustered little island and there were more ships docked here than the fish in sea. All right, maybe I am blowing me tales a bit out of proportion but this seemed like a really crowded part of the sea. I held in me hand a little prize of a document. This document was given to me by some folks that I had ferried across the oceans. The document granted me free passage in a place called Sky cafe. As me lookout surveyed the place, he disappointingly admitted that he cannot spot Sky Cafe. I gently tapped his daft head and told him to look up because its a Sky cafe. Finally we found our destination. Sky Cafe was located on top of an old industrial tower

Vegetarian and Continental are two words that do not usually belong together and for a long time restaurants have fed us with Indianized Veggie versions of European delicacies. Being the naive bunch that we are, we immediately proclaim that as amazing food. However in recent times, a few restaurants have done extensive research and groundwork to create vegetarian food that actually tastes European. Sky View happens to be among those chosen few.

Sky View Cafe resembles a small sized casual diner with its family themed tables. The lighting colors the ambiance golden and the place resembles an aristocratic club. It is the kind of place that makes one feel comfortable and one could eat for hours to come.

I was greeted by the friendly manager Frankie who gave me the best seats in the house.

It was a hot day and I was quite thirsty. Pesca Blast was quite a relief. The flavor was dominated by Pineapple with a strong aftertaste of peach. Cranberry's tart flavor was a bit overshadowed by the pineapple. There was a hint of lime as well.

I started my meal with The Real Mushroom soup. It visually appears very ordinary and would disappoint all those colorful folks who swear by foodporn. But its taste is another story. There is a beautiful and a flavorsome depth beneath that surface. The flavor is salty with an intense taste of cream. Mushroom pieces add a bit of depth with their naturally earthy sensation. The aroma is heavenly and appetizing. I lapped up this soup faster than a hungry cat on a bowl of milk.

Captain : This Zuppe feels like the ocean. 

Crewmate : Souper.

Captain : Zupper.

One has to admire a restaurant when it goes beyond the same old Onion rings and Garlic bread as appetizers. The Zucchini feta bites were made out feta cooked with bits of Zucchini in a Canape cup. It was topped with cherry tomatoes, spices and some home made salsa. The flavor was quite snacky and I could easily down a few plates of this without noticing.

Mini Mexican Tostados were colorful nibbles with an intriguing mix of flavors. The Corn Tortillas below were laced with a bit of powdered cheese and had a savory flavor. The Mexican beans and greens provided a slightly salty and savory taste. The Mexican spices were subtle adding a hot undertone to it. The plating was also executed in an enticing manner.

Squash Roulade was perhaps the best item on the appetizer's menu. This was a paradigm of a Western delicacy being transformed into a fully vegetarian counterpart. In fact, I will go as far as saying that this was better than all the Chicken Roulades that I have had so far. The stuffing was made of ricotta, broccoli and baby corn in a cigar like roll made out of grilled Zucchini. The bath below was made of Ricotta and herbs and added a pleasantly salty and a cheesy flavor. The liquid's taste mimicked that of the cheese used in Cheetos. This was quite an amazing dish and everyone should give this a try unless if you are vegan.

Captain : Squash Cigars with cheesy stuffing and cheesy broth. Thats fine food fer ya lad.

Crewmate : Are you slowly going vegetarian Captain?

Captain : Barnacles, I am just enjoying me adventure on the other side.

Vegetarian Lasagna followed the theory of constructing a multi layered lasagna to the book. There were several pasta sheets as required. The cheese felt nice and the chef had even mimicked the color of its meaty sibling. I would also say that it tasted remarkably better than the vegetarian Lasagna variants that I have had elsewhere but this paled in front of the other offerings at Sky View. It felt a bit unauthentic as far as traditional lasagna goes. The taste was very much Indian and similar to baked vegetable layered between Lasagna sheets.

Gnocchi with lemon butter sauce was a visual treat though it may initially be slightly unsettling to a devout vegetarian. The dish was a simple craft of high grade Gnocchi dumplings tossed in a lemon and butter sauce. The dumplings melt in the mouth and taste excellent with the butter sauce. However, the critical error with this dish was the lack of tarty acidity. Lemon was used but its effect was far too subtle to be enjoyed and as a result the sauce felt to be mostly molten butter.

Square sheet pizzas are a new trend now days. And this pizza certainly offered a visual uniqueness from the circular delights that I have grown up with.

Mac and Cheese Pizza on the right was a flavorsome pizza though could have used more cheese.

The Veg Pesto Pizza was a delightful pizza flavored with basil and pesto. There was Broccoli, Sun dried tomatoes, Bell peppers, Zucchini and more Broccoli.

Chocolate Mousse. I am not a big fan of Eggless Chocolate mousses. They feel a bit chalky and require a lot of effort by chefs to cover up for the obvious lack of eggy richness. But hold the presses, this one is remarkably different. It is a rich mousse with a dense consistency. The chalkiness is at a bare minimum and is mostly patched over by the gooey Chocolatey goodness.

The Chocolate sauce's drizzle added a slightly bitter undertone which aided in its emulation of a true mousse. This mousse was also loaded with Kitkat bars which I admit looked pretty, just that I think these should not have been used in the center as well. Kitkat's flavor clashes with the mousse's inherent flavor.

But I'd still score this a eight on ten. It was a great dessert. A perfect vegetarian mousse.

Captain : The legends of the deep have it that beneath all that sea of chocolate lies a treasure of kitkat. 

Crewmate : But Captain, I see a kitkat sticking out at the top too.

Captain : Lad, that be just the tip of the ice berg.

Crewmate : Dun dun dunnnn.

The service is excellent as most of the servers are well versed with the menu and extremely professional. They also entertained all of my quirky requests sportingly.

The pricing is tilted on the higher side of the scales but the quality mostly is worth it. The portion sizes are decent and the quality of ingredients is great. Thus good price for good quality.

I think all grub lovers should give this place a chance. If you are a vegetarian then this place should definitely be on your road map. They have created near perfect emulations of continental grub that is traditionally made out of meat. If they can please a carnivore like me, then I am pretty sure that they will please vegetarians.

The Captain's Score : 8/10

"Oi, you greedy urchins better be done lickin' your Moussey fingers. Its time to leave for our next destination. And our Voyage is only getting started."

Map Co-Ordinates
Sky View Cafe

3rd Floor, Trade View Building,

Gate 4, Kamla Mills,

Lower Parel, Mumbai.

-I was invited by the restaurant to sample a special menu.-