Boveda - Andheri West, Mumbai

And the next mark on the map read "Boveda". I wondered what it meant till the quartermaster declared that it meant "Vault" in Spanish. Almost instantly the crew's linguist shrugged and corrected the quartermaster. "Its Galician, a language spoken by a small group near the Spanish Iberia." 

The quartermaster not being the one to be slighted responded with a dull "Same thing." And the two lads got into an argument. I walked away in deep thoughts ignoring the two blokes who were quacking like geriatric sea gulls as I wondered what this vault could contain. Then suddenly I stopped and said, "Wait, we have a linguist in me crew?"

Boveda is a nice little ever-twilight pub located in the food district of Andheri. It has had a reputation for a while of being a night eatery but hey I dropped in at 2:30 in the noon and had quite a nice meal. The place has a very energetic yet comforting pub like feel to it.

Whether it is the bar which happens to be the most illuminated part of the place or the mixtures of tables, armchairs and couches. Boveda appears like one of those biker bars that I am used to seeing on movies and American shows. It appeals to the traveling epicure such as myself. The decor seemed like a mixture of Bavarian woodwork pubs, modern industrial architecture and a bit of Bohemian artwork(thrown in for good measure). All in all I think the visual elements work greatly for this place. I could imagine it being full of starry eyed revelers at night time.

Chef Saqib works both as the executive chef, occasional mixer and the manager for this place. He is a man who truly invests a lot to put this place on the map. Boveda already had an extensive grub menu but they have also introduced a healthy menu which was what I was here for.

Cranberry Zuppa was a strange soup which was served cold and in a Martini glass. This is thought to be a well known staple in Italy and Spain but I think its quite a delicacy in India. The taste initially felt like the sweet tang of cranberries, which was immediately followed by a salty flavor with shades of garlic and onion. Then a mildly spicy undertone of red peppers appeared at the end. This drink was quite delicious for vegan health food. I would probably have it again if I go to Boveda again. My taste buds do miss this flavor.

Captain : Sweet, salty and spicy. 

Crewmate : This one sure be a mystery. 

Captain : A tasty tasty mystery.

I am not sure what this was actually called. It was a Cranberry drink whose name sounded like Ronella to me. It had Cranberry, pineapple, a bit of lime, mandarin bits and red bull. The taste was refreshing, mostly tangy with a bit of a zingy sweet twist from the Red bull.

Roasted Pumpkin Hummus and Pita was a humble but a good way to open the grub show. The Pita was made of wholewheat flour hence the atypical color. I am used to having regular Hummus. I never realized that it can be flavored too. The hummus had a distinct flavor of Pumpkin puree. It was quite savory and playful on my tongue. Wholewheat Pita can be a bit coarse as opposed to regular Pita but it was absolutely amazing with this hummus.

Egg Whites stuffed with mince Lamb is taking health food to the next level. Apart from the small amount of cheese used, the ingredients on this are quite healthy. The egg whites tasted like a soft jelly shell which gave way to a delectable minced meat within. The meat is salty and the cheese lends some flavor to it as well. Though it's usually supposed to be served with Mint chutney, I was served the same with Mint Mayo. Mint mayo is one of my favorites so I won't complain but Mayo should ideally be avoided in an all health menu.

Captain : This is quite full of proteins eh?

Crewmate : It be such a simple affair Cappy, why didn't we think of this before? 

Captain : Because we eat too much lad and we have no time to think about cooking.

Chilli Cheese potato was perhaps the only low light of the day. This item was a regular fixture and not a part of Boveda's health menu. The potato tasted a bit raw and the cheese and spices could not lend their flavor to the unruly tuber. The flavors instead of blending into one entity were all running into different directions making this dish a passable affair.

Grilled Chicken breast is a preparation that is strangely present on both their regular and healthy menu. Upon asking the difference, I was told that potato mashing in the regular fixture is replaced with brown rice. The grilled meat seemed to have skin and was loaded with pepper sauce. The sauce supplied most of the flavor to the preparation as it tasted salty and savory. The fragrant rice provided the fiber, the chicken proteins and the soft wok tossed greens everything else.
I enjoyed this dish since it is one of my favorites though I did feel that the meat could have been a wee little bit rarer.

The pricing seems to be at par with pub outlets like BBC, Harrys and the like. Thus its well within the reach of most. The healthy menu for its part is well worth the buck spent.

The service is a bit "relaxed" if I could put it correctly but its still professional and the servers know their  dishes.

I don't carry a calorimeter when I go out for food so I cannot tell how healthy was the food but what I can attest is that the food was quite tasty. The menu was interesting and my afternoon brunch was quite fun. Relaxing brunch in the day, Party at night. Boveda seems to have something for all kinds of folks.

The Captain's Score : 8/10

"Methinks that this was quite the vault of plenty eh. And you lads are not looking sluggish from yer binge either. Good, Good no excuses and onto your positions now."

Map Co-Ordinates
Boveda

G04, Morya Landmark One,
Oshiwara Village, Andheri Lokhandwala,
Andheri West, Mumbai


-I was invited to try the special health menu by the restaurant's PR. Thus food was on the house-

 

Punjab Grill - Andheri West, Mumbai

I was sailing to one of me favorite spots of the ocean. I knew these waters so well that I could steer the helm with me eyes closed. The winds were favorable and the ship steadily moved towards the south. The lads were upbeat and there was almost a carnival on the deck. Our destination for this voyage was a place called Punjab Grill. Those big lion faces on the entrance always fascinated me. The time to discover what lies beyond those gates is upon us. What lies ahead...well read on mate.

The Lions beckon you inside. They literally do. I have seen other branches of Punjab Grill in far off malls. Those lit up lions have always fascinated me. I have been curious about what lies beyond those gates for a long while. And as the universe would have it, I received an invitation from Food Bloggers Association of India to join in for a "Connoisseurs Experience" over here.

Punjab Grill without a doubt has one of the most impressive facades that I have ever seen. In a world where people judge a book by it's cover, Punjab Grill enthralls the viewers completely. In fact, one can even hear an adult Simba voice calling you inside in a jovial Punjabi accent. "Oye, come inside."

Well I finally opened those doors as I walked into the gleaming golden light of this Punjabi Safari. I was welcomed in by two smiling hostesses who appeared to be genuine with their emotions. I have had frightening memories of Air Hostesses smiling at me when their mood was clearly not happy.

The restaurant has a moderate sized dining area with a Bar-lounge and a main dining area. The lounge appears quite special with its artistic lamps and mesmerizing artifacts. Though the lighting isn't your typical dim dark types, the lounge does well to blend in Punjabi themes.

The main area has comfy looking seats and a very family themed atmosphere. Under the Golden lights, its easy to enjoy the meal with some light talk.

A special table was set up for our group within the lounge and it felt quite awesome to have that lovely lounge all for ourselves.

Jamun Ice Tea is a house invention. Its a time when restaurants are busy fusing Western and Desi cuisines in hopes of coming up with a legendary creation. Punjab Grill is up on their game with this. The distinct sweet and slightly bitter flavor of Jamun dominates the taste. Indian Spices and tea give it depth making it more of a Jamun Masala Ice Tea. This is definitely a first time for me.

A true Punjabi fare needs a real drink. And hence came in the Bloody Mary or as Punjab Grill likes to calls it - Bloody Chameli. Again breaking convention, this was served in a short glass instead of a high ball and the Chilli really put a Desi touch to it. Although, its shape made it resemble a tomato with the chilli resembling the green on top. The Tomato and Tabasco were strong on this and I felt that the Vodka was mild.

Pickled Olive Bhel is a Western Twist to a Desi special because it gets boring to give Desi Twists to Western dishes all the time. A little Bhel background over here - I dislike it completely, abhorring it most of the time.  However, this Bhel was different. It was Bhel by taste but somehow it didn't repulse me. The pickled Olives were sour and tangy. This gave this old staple a new dimension. A true twist of taste.

Captain : This is good. Savory.

Crewmate : You meant Savvy right?

Captain : Do I look like Jack Sparrow to you?

Tandoori Guchchi is a vegetarian appetizer that could be given to carnivores when they are abstaining from meat. Using the prized French Morchella mushrooms in a Punjabi Tandoori twist is quite a bold step. But boldly going where no man has ever gone before does have its rewards. Having the sponginess of Paneer, these mushrooms tasted great on their own. The flavor of the sauces and spices had gone down quite deep. It also goes well with the dressing provided. Its a shame that I didn't go for seconds for this. The smell, the flavor and the plating were all splendid.

Captain : This is a great Paneer with spices.

Crewmate : Its actually Guchichi or Morel Mushrooms.

Captain : Wow, that would make a good Paneer too.

Murg Malai Tikka was almost a perfect preparation. The meat was just the right rare and the flavor was present uniformly in and around the meat. The salty - tangy flavor would pamper my taste buds while the meat would literally melt in the mouth. I may be a bit biased here as I love this appetizer and I have had it too many times to remember. But then that means a lot when I say that it tasted so well.

Norwegian Salmon Tikka was one of the highlights of the day. Extending the popular recipe of Norwegian Salmon to a Tikka format was a move well played. The kebabs were marinated with spices and served with a dollop of Saffron Aioli. The meat was medium rare by text book definition. The Kebabs were super soft and would break easily. The flavor of the Salmon combined with the spices and the tangy-savory Aioli was something that won over everyone. It was a hot Desi experience while sailing the cold Norwegian Sea.

Captain : We should sail to the Norwegian sea just for this.

Crewmate : If you liked it that much, we could just come here again.

Captain : Ah, that works too mate.

Tawa Grilled Prawns was a pan fried prawn dish. Personal experience suggests that pan grilled prawns usually tend to be a little dryer and more crunchy. While the well cooked Prawn flesh went great with pickled Lemon marinade, I did feel that a little more peeling would have been nice. The thin shell was difficult to remove after being cooked and became a bit of an annoyance. I am no expert in Prawn recipes but I do favor peeled and deveined prawns.

Chaamp Taajdar was a tri-bone meat lollipop. The meat was succulent and flavorsome with spices blending in quite well. But I did feel that uniformity had a slight problem here. The meat was uneven and was difficult to extract from some regions of the bone triplet. From some areas it would come off quite well while some others ran a risk of chewing thin bone off. Since the marinade had drizzled over the extending bone as well, it was a bit messy to eat this little morsel.

Paneer Malai Pede was perhaps the best Paneer dish that I have ever had. I am not saying this lightly. The Paneer was made in an unorthodox way and as a result it was almost like a "Peda" or "Modak" made out of Paneer. The small soft paneer balls would melt in the mouth leaving an aftertaste of cream and spices behind. The consistency was unique. Never have I found Paneer that tastes like this. I found myself swooning to the absolute delight that this dish was. I could shout from the rooftops or hilltops rather that this was great.

Captain : This looks like a yellow universe with Soft Paneer stars and spicy planets.

Crewmate : And I feel like Galactus devouring this cheesy universe.

Captain : It feels great to have Galactus scrub the decks for me.

Rarhya Meat was an average fare. While the dish appeared great in appearance, I found it a bit too oily for my liking. The curry consistency was not thick enough either. It felt more like a thick soup than a curry.

Dal Panjratni is usually made of five different Lentils. Though the appearance indicates the dominance of one lentils with minor aesthetic additions of the other four, the taste resembled the common Dal Fry found everywhere with a bit of homely spicy flavor.

Punjab Grill's Butter Chicken suffered from what I call as a "Tomato deluge". This happens in quite a few Punjabi/Mughlai serving places. Butter Chicken is one of my favorites and a dish that I have had in several dozen different restaurants. The tomato puree should usually be balanced to prevent it from overpowering the flavor. Over here the gravy didn't even feel that it belonged to a meat dish. The creaminess felt lacking, the savory salty flavor was absent - The Tomato had conducted a hostile takeover of the flavors.

Captain : This Dish is too much of Tomatoes.

Crewmate : Is it more than the tomato in your Bloody Mary?

Captain : Its more than the tomato in La Tomatina.

Mango Sorbet with Pomelo was somewhat of an intermediate dessert served to us as our main dessert was under preparation. While I loved the sweet-sour Mango and Pomelo liquid, I wasn't entirely fond of the onion like strands and spices at the top. They felt like a mismatch to an otherwise great invention. Almost like Jack Black appearing on the cast of "The Expendables".

The Summer Dessert platter was a mix of fruits, caramel, Special Churros and Desi treats. While I enjoyed the visual aspect of it, I did feel that it had a bit of a "Jack of all trades" thing to it. It is a new item that is being added to the menu for Summers only. The theme does play well with the fruits. The Litchi with caramel sauce tasted quite great. The Churros which were made out of Jalebi flour were clearly the highlight of the platter. Although dipping them in mango puree and Raas Malai did feel odd. I felt that a flavored Lassi shot in the platter would have done wonders for the Punjabi theme.

Captain : I am confused lad. This looks beautiful yet a bit unsatisfying. 

Crewmate : I quite like the Churros.

Captain : Oye, save some for me or I am tossing you overboard in the high seas.

This Punjabi voyage reached its end with the Paan shot. This was a sweet minty Paan drink which acted as both a palate cleanser and a mouth freshener. I quite enjoyed it and would have loved to have more of it.

The service was good with the servers accurately describing each thing as they served us. And they were quite co-operative for the pictures. Though, one does feel that there is room from improvement.

Punjab Grill feels a bit pricy for the entrée menu while the mains tend to be priced somewhere between a Zaffran and the run of the mill Mughlai restaurants. The starters are really great but could very well do better with a slight pricing shave off.

To wrap this up, the Appetizers were great and their inventions worked well for the most part. Their mains felt a bit lacking with the exception of the Malai Paneer Pede. For a Carnivore like myself, this is could be a peeve. The ambiance is one of this establishment's greatest strengths. It seems to have been done in a very loving and tasteful manner. If the facade impresses you then the interiors will live up to the excitement. Even with the flaws, I very much enjoyed the Punjab Grill experience and do look forward to trying their mall outlets as well.


The Captain's Score : 7/10

"Oye Lads, time to go back to the winds. The Leo constellation awaits us."

Map Co-Ordinates
Punjab Grill
Ground Floor, Morya Landmark - II,

Opposite Infinity Mall, Off Andheri New Link Road,  

Andheri West, Mumbai

Phone :+91 9920302139

-I was invited to a tasting event organized by Food Bloggers Association of India and the restaurant.-

Vedge, Andheri Lokhandwala, Mumbai

While sailing through some rather adventurous seas, I received a message on my radio. It provided me a map of a food paradise called Andheri Lokhandwala and with it was an invitation to an isle of pure vegetarian food. Intrigued, I turned the helm and set my course for Andheri Lohandwala.
 

Let me be very clear, I am a carnivore. I eat Fish, Turkey, Mutton and Chicken. I don't usually do grassy stuff. When I got an invitation to a buffet tasting session in a pure vegetarian restaurant called Vedge, I was in two worlds about attending it. It is located quite far away thus requires a lot on conveyance and time simply to reach here.

The city of Mumbai still lacks direct public transport connections between the east and west sides. I either have to take a taxi or switch three buses to make it here. Not wanting to miss an opportunity to meet fellow bloggers and reviewers, I decided to make the trek. Since the bus route would have taken ninety minutes, I decided to use an Auto Rickshaw which is the suburban version of Mumbai's taxis.


The name Vedge also intrigued me as it was obviously a clever portmanteau of vegetarian and edge. Passing through a road lined up with some of Mumbai's finest restaurants (temptations temptations), I arrived at Fun republic in Andheri West. Fun republic is a Multiplex but also houses a few restaurants.


Facing giants such as McDonalds and Irish Pub, Vedge was the brand new place in Fun republic. 


The Captain and his landin' party walked down the gangplank and stared at the new isle. Surrounded by other flashy isles, the Captain said out aloud. "Aye lads, the grub better be good here."

A witty crew mate then quipped. "But my Captain, Free food is almost always good."

The Captain smiled. "That be true lad, but we shall see !"



I met the event organizers Chandni and Purvi, who were working hard to make the evening a success. Since it wasn't dinner time yet, the place was still empty and allowed me to savor in the ambiance.

For me, the feel of the place is always an important factor. A good decor always lightens up the mood and sends your imagination on a high. The ambiance of this place was a bit of a collage - Part modern, part street dhaba and part colonial (1900s). I would say the part colonial and the part dhaba style worked for me.

The lighting in the section where our group sat was lovely. It generated a feeling of a roadside Dhaba located on a lesser used road. It was a shame that I could not capture the scene properly. I would have needed a very high resolution camera to capture the visuals in the way I saw it. My crappy phone camera had to do for now.


We were greeted by the young owner of the establishment who was only 22. Well, he certainly is on the right path. If he does well, he could have a chain of places in the next five years. He had hired a professional team of chefs who look well groomed. These weren't your run of the mill chefs found in Udupi restaurants all over Mumbai.

Before the buffet started we could order a drink as a part of the preview. I requested a Kiwi Margarita. After we were done marveling at each others drinks, I looked at my drink to find a way to drink it. I think that it was a bit too icebergy for me at the start. I had to wait for the slush mountain to become a glacier. Not a big issue but certainly could certainly be improved. It should have been be a glacier when served.


Finally it was time to dine.

The platter was a nice mix of Italian, Indian and Chinese. Maybe a hint of Mexican as well. The platter changes everyday but I will write on what I experienced.


"My ravenous appetite calls out to me lads. Lets dine, for tomorrow be a long day at the sea."


After taking my plate, I went back to my table which had the friendlier of the two groups of the invitees - A group of experienced food bloggers, our hosts, Twitteratis and me. We had a lively conversation on the hits and misses of the food. The food was decent. Not too special I'd say but definitely a good start for a new restaurant. The international cuisine had been adjusted for Indian palates so it tasted all too familiar.

However, I liked the chef's creativity when he created a stiffer vegetable only version of the Chinese dumpling and called it Money bags.( On the left side) 


Crew mate: Captain, can we use these money bags to buy us some stock and grog.


Captain: Don't be thick lad. The only thing this money bag can buy is a full stomach.

Crew mate: That be the best kind of money bags.

Captain: Indeed lad.

The tomato soup was a tad bit thin. I just took a small portion for tasting and was not particularly interested in having more. They forgot to serve toasted bread pieces which are usually a must with tomato soup.

The highlight of the platter was definitely the basil noodles. It tasted a bit tangy as if it had a hint of cilantro somewhere. It was definitely a new experience for me. And entirely a new creation on part of the chef. And this is something I would like to praise. When you create, you are always better than the times you imitate. I took seconds for this item.

 

There was a small selection of salads as well. I suppose the stand out was the pasta salad which was sweet due to mayonnaise. The other salads did not look very appealing.

There was also Sev-Chaat in the salad area. No idea what it was doing there(Salads are healthy, Chaat is not) but it seemed be a popular choice for everyone at the table.  Poppadums and bread were available as well. Although, there was no item on the platter that the bread really had a combination with hence I skipped it.

The dessert platter was a wee bit of a disappointment. It was just Vanilla ice cream, Anguri(or grape sized) Gulab Jamun and Fruit salad. The ice cream was at the right temperature but it tasted very ordinary. I wrapped it with streams of chocolate sauce which was probably Hershey's syrup. The Gulab Jamuns were tasty but again nothing out of the ordinary. I often judge buffets by the desserts they serve. And well it was very limited in this case. 

However, for a budget buffet for INR 299, it is an acceptable platter size.

We were treated to this lovely fruit flavored drink after the meal. Made out of musk melon and mint (pudhina), it was one good gulp.


Crew mate: But Captain, Why is the rum...

Captain: Zip it lad. Not like we have rum all the time. Enjoy your drink or you will be sweeping decks for a year.

As we approached Sayonnara time, the chef team presented us with a special that they had whipped up just for us. Made with cinnamon, spices and pieces of apple - it was a sumptuous gesture. It was presented well and made us feel all special. On our way out we were presented with Paan shots(betel leaf) as a mouth freshener. It contained mukhwas, mint, rose water and other ingredients as well.


It was a good experience. The restaurant was neither the best nor perfect but it was a great experience. The ambiance definitely fits a fine dine. The management had energy and is willing to go up the steep slope of progress. In an area where you can find a dozen fine restaurants for every popular cuisine on the planet, this place has bravely opened up as a pure vegetarian place.

The food is far more decent than your average vegetarian fare found all across Mumbai. For INR 299, the buffet was certainly good. I would recommend this place for the strictly vegetarian types.

Score : 7 / 10

"All hands on deck lads! Time to sail back to the high seas. Until next time."


-I was invited to a preview buffet for bloggers and Zomato reviewers.-