Chili's - Vashi, Mumbai

It was high noon. The heat of the summers could be felt in every cell of me body. Even the sea breeze was menacingly hot. We had been traveling for many days without a shore in sight. These were far off seas we had never been to. Tis be the frontier life. However, traveling in the frontier often reveals rewards unheard and lands never seen. This was much farther and much different than any place we had ever been too. However, me lads we overjoyed at seeing land finally. We had arrived at a far off land full of restaurants. However, we wanted our travel to be worth it. We needed a winner. And that's how we discovered Chili's in Vashi.

Feels very western with this modified picture.

Do you feel lucky punk? Well do Ya? Traveling far and wide from Mumbai to Vashi can be a daunting task. And the humid Summers don't make the journey any easier. Having a great experience in Chili's Powai was reason enough for me to travel all the way to Vashi for the Chili's experience there. It was a two hour long journey and and at the end of the day, it was totally worth it. I was in my most skeptical mood when I arrived and the restaurant easily impressed me with its themes and grub.

Chili's Vashi has a mix of energetic and rustic Texan diner themes. I chose my table at a spot which felt very Texan. Chili's Vashi is remarkably different when compared to the Powai outlet. The food court in the mall can get chaotic especially on the weekend and on such times its cool to find refuge in Chili's. Two seaters, Four seaters, Six seaters and communal tables. The establishment has several kinds of tables and can accommodate any group up for grub.

This outlet has recently opened shop and welcomes patrons with several additions to its standard menu.

Since I was a stranger in a strange land, I tried to go sober this time. I decided to hydrate myself with a Fruit Cooler Mocktail and thus came the deliciously red Evolution. This is flavored with Passion fruit and pineapple. Its sweet, tangy and extremely effective against thirst. It restored all my lost energy just like a health portion in a video game. Do note that Chili's does have a large range of wines and drinks for those in the mood for celebrating or partying.


Chili's has one of the largest menus that I have seen. Pastas, Burgers, Nachos, Seafood, Quesadillas, Rice etc. (I could go on for an entire paragraph). Its easy to get lost and in such times do ask the server for help. The service at Chili's is decent. The servers can sometimes appear clueless but they are still professional. They also have this peculiar tradition of going on their knees while taking your order. It can be both pleasing and embarrassing(Dude that's the propose pose) at the times but this seems to be their standard practice all across the world.

To the vegetarian folks out there, a large portion of Chili's grub is veggie so you won't feel left out.

With my grub choices sorted out, it was time to eat.

Boneless Chicken Wings - I really loved this item when I went to Chili's, Powai. So it was only natural for me to order this again over here. Start the meal on a good familiar note as they say. The Chicken Wings go well with the ranch dip provided. The restaurant also wraps these in Honey Chipotle sauce or BBQ Sauce upon request. While these were quite juicy and tasty, I did feel that the salt levels were a bit more than normal. It didn't affect the overall taste or cause an annoyance though. The Ranch dip counters the salt in the chicken pretty well.

Chili's is bringing the real Chicken Wings back. Time to forget the conveyer belt abomination that one eats at food court joints.

Captain : Lad, lets have a fair deal. I'll have the chicken and you can have the carrots. Fifty-Fifty.

Crewmate : That does not sound fair to me, Captain.

Captain : Well it is fair. For me anyway. 

Bolder Nachos looked unlike anything I have ever seen before. True to their name they look like big rough fellas who can thrash up regular nachos. The Cheddar cheese coating the nachos provides em the trademark colors. The plating was very beautiful with the cilantro sauce patterns. Although in terms of taste, the sauce felt a bit dull and like an insignificant background actor in the whole act. A generous amount of Sour Cream was provided which paired well with the Nachos. I loved this item, as I was quite bored of regular Nachos and really wanted to try something new.

Captain : These Boulders would roll over Regular Nachos.

Crewmate : Its Bolder, not Boulder.

Captain : But the latter sounds more fun. 

Crewmate : But its incorrect.

Captain : You are doing a week long duty of deck sweeping, grammar maniac.

Jalapeno Chicken Quesadillas was the item recommended to me when I asked for a good Quesadilla. Quesadillas are my favorite Mexican item and I wanted to see Chili's take on it. Do note that they serve eight pieces per plate, I however asked them to customize it to four in order to save space for more grub. Each piece contained a generous portion of Fajita marinated chicken in quality butter toasted tortillas. Its flavor was further enhanced with Jalapenos and Monterey Jack Cheese.

The sour cream and the pico de gallo(Mexican Salad for laymen) are good pairing options but I think I found the pairing with the chipotle ranch dip to be the best. The dip was so addicting that once I had a bite of the Quesadilla with it, I just couldn't stop.

Turning towards a little diversity, I chose Chipotle Salmon as a main. After all, having only Tacos, Nachos and Quesadilla would have been food stereotyping.

This is a classical Tex Mex fusion. Fish is not something that one often finds in Mexican installations in India. This dish not only appeared appetizing, it was rather sumptuous. The Chipotle is strong on this one. The rice is Chipotle flavored and the creamy sauce provided with the salmon is a smoky Chipotle sauce mixed with cream. Since, the sauce with the salmon is not purely Chipotle, one can sometimes feel the fattiness of the cream. It feels a bit like egg yolk. The roasted Jalapeno Corn salad appears like a strange and vibrant mixture. But a morsel of the salmon coated with the sauce and some rice along with the salad makes a perfect bite.

Mango Chile chicken has a rather confusing name. It refers to the country but the taste positively suggests Chili rubbed chicken breasts. A new addition to their menu under the category of Lighter options, this is one of Chili's relatively less calorie foods. Do note that I said relatively. However, when I go dining outside, I leave my calorie meter at home.

This was definitely the best item of this Chili's experience. It had everything I want in a good dish. It had a balance of meat, greens and carbs. It was plated beautifully. There was so much happening with this dish.
The Chicken breast is marinated with a six pepper blend and coated with a Habanero-Mango mixture. Then topped with diced fresh Avocado. Served with greens and Chipotle rice, this dish has many flavors. The bite begins with a sweet tangy flavor which evolves into spicy-salty as one chews down the morsel. This dish has the potential to be a future crowd favorite.

Captain : Mango and Chicken sound so strange together.

Crewmate : Well the sea does hold many mysteries.

Captain : Indeed, but sometimes strangeness is fun as is this chicken.

Crewmate : But where has the Chicken gone...hey!

Cinnamon Molten Cake is like the distant fancy cousin of Molten Lava cake. It's a new addition to Chili's menu (At the time of this post) and it aims to please. This is quite a treat for the cinnamon lover. A light colored cake filled with Cinnamon cream forms the mountain below. Regular snow is boring but Vanilla Ice cream as snow is awesome. And then its sprayed with cinnamon sugar and wrapped with a ribbon of caramel sauce. This dish was lovingly plated and it tasted as much flavorful. Chunks of cake with cream, a spoonful of Ice cream, a bit of caramel and lots of love may not make the Powerpuff girls but it surely makes an awesome dessert.

Captain : The cake is like gold, the ice cream jewels.

Crewmate : Here it comes.

Captain : Wrapped in Caramel Elixir, this is truly a treasure.

Crewmate : High and Poetic.

Chili's pricing is par with what is expected of quality casual dining places. One might feel that its on the higher side but in an age where Casual Dining restaurants are trending across the nation, its pricing feels quite affordable. That plus the American sized large portions make Chili's well worth the money.

Do note that Tex-Mex is not the same as Mexican. If you live in Vashi or nearby, a trip to Chili's makes a great Tex-Mex experience. Good Food, Decent service and reasonably priced large portions - That pretty much describes Chili's.

The Captain's Score : 8/10

"The Super sized fun is over lads, now back on the seas for a Super sized adventure. "

Map Co-Ordinates
Chili's

2nd Floor, Inorbit Mall,
Sector 30A,
Vashi, Navi Mumbai

-I was invited to sample the grub at Chili's in their first week of operation.-

Auriga Restobar - Mahalaxmi, Mumbai

While we were still celebrating our Tonician adventure, some of me crew wanted more grub. Those Greedy lads! A restaurant on top of a watering hole is a curious thing though and me lads wanted to try it out before we set for the sea. Thus, we went up the stairs and watched the worlds change from Tonic to Auriga.

After my early evening grub and grog in Tonic, I moved up to Auriga. The old Auriga re-branded itself as Tonic which sits in the bottom and Auriga which floats on the top. The usage "floats on the top" works well if one thinks of Auriga as the star constellation of the same name. I walked up the stairs and it was like moving through a stargate. Leaving the neon lit and loud club atmosphere behind; and entering the relatively quieter and darker Auriga.

In terms of Ambiance, Auriga borrows some elements from Tonic like the caged lights but it still retains most of it's old architecture. The irregular wood work on the walls and ceiling create a sense of mystery and adventure. Combined with the dark atmosphere, it feels as if one is sitting secluded from civilization in a tree house deep in a jungle. If you come here to get away from the busy city life then I assure you that you really get away.  Though, the glass barriers do not completely mute the music from below, it brings it down considerably.

So in short, Tonic is for the active party types while Auriga is for the quiet diners. It won't be wrong to say that you sat under the Auriga constellation while dining. It's quite dark and the clever placement of the few lights create quite an atmosphere.

The seats are comfortable for the most part. There is even a large communal table in the middle, should one come here with a big bunch of people. To me, the large screen feels a little out of place but Mumbaites love their IPL and English premier league games.

Auriga offers a large variety of pastas, pizzas, Risottos and burgers. It also has a fair number of popular main dishes like Chicken Cordon Bleu and Ratatouille. It is a restaurant with an expanded Italian fare. These are the mains that I sampled out.

Burnt Garlic Cottage cheese burger is comfort food for the purely vegetarian types. These were served as sliders. These look rather appealing and taste equally good. The culture of sliders is slowly catching on in Mumbai but often a smaller burger means smaller patties and lesser effect on taste buds. Chef Ameya overcame those obstacles and gave us power packed small burgers. The flavor was great and it reminded me of the Good Ol' Veg Burger in the late 90s before McDonalds changed people's burger perceptions. The Burnt Garlic and cottage cheese blend well to provide a rather addicting taste.

Captain : These look fancy, eh lad?

Crewmate : They taste fancy too.

Captain : Oh! Let me try.

Crewmate : You are trying three at a time Cappy?

Grilled Veggie Tortellini uses the belly button shaped pasta called Tortellini. In Italian cuisines, it is usually stuffed with meat but in India it is of course customary to have a veggie variant. Auriga does well with it's veggie adaption. The spicy and oily flavor reminds me of Schezwan noodles. There is also a hint of Oregon and Thyme. Although I would have preferred a chicken stuffing, the vegetarian variant works quite well too.

Mini Chorizo Pizzas were without a doubt the best item of the evening. Chorizo is my favorite ham and I love any pizza with a generous Chorizo topping. Now mini pizzas again run the risk of losing out on flavor but thankfully these small morsels just had a large chunk of ham and cheese on them. Very meaty and full of flavor, this is quite a treat for a carnivore. The only issue I found was that a large Chorizo ham pizza has room for more ingredients and cheese, thus making a diverse and complete pizza.

Captain : This is literally a coin sized pizza.

Crewmate : Can we toss these for heads and tails?

Captain : Sure lad. Heads I win, Tails you lose.

Basa Spiced Orange would literally melt in the mouth. It was softer than a bubble. The flavor of the meat was the typical gooey basa that I have found in many other places. Thankfully the spices and the mustard sauce provided a tangy and savory flavor. Overall though, I felt that this was a basic dish and missed the zing that I had expected it to have.

Chocolate Gooey Cake was a rich, sumptuous and a heavy dessert. Each bit had lots of sticky rich chocolate in the cake. A hint of basil could be felt too. While I enjoyed this dessert, I felt that Auriga currently has a very limited Dessert menu. It would be nice if they could increase the offerings by a bit. Since they specialize on Italian fare, some Gelato or Panna Cotta won't be bad on the menu.

Captain : This is tasty but I would have loved some Cheesecake or Panna Cotta instead.

Crewmate : I assume you didn't like it because it didn't make you high.

Captain : I don't remember getting high on dessert before.

The serving staff is the same for both Tonic and Auriga. Hence, once again I found the servers to be cordial and knowledgeable. Although, there was a fair bit of chaos and confusion around the communal table at the beginning and the folk at the distant end of the table only saw the dishes when they were almost served out.

The pricing at Auriga seems to be on par with most restropubs and Lounges around town. For an uptown eatery, I felt that the prices were well balanced and affordable. It would come around 1300 INR on an average for a person having one drink, appetizer, main and dessert. Given the quality of the food, I felt that it's quite satisfactory.

Finally the evening reached its end and it was time for me to come out of man made Auriga to go under the Universe made Auriga. Reflecting upon the overall event, I would say that Auriga was a well balanced and memorable experience. Although, I did feel that they could have had a larger Dessert menu.

The Captain's Score : 8/10

"Its late lads, you had yer fun. There be more stars waiting for us out there. Out with the sails and back on the seas."

Map Co-Ordinates
Auriga

Dr B E Moses Road, 

Famous Studio Lane, 

Mahalaxmi, Mumbai.

-This was a continuation of my Tonic Experience and the meal was on the house.-

Cheval Bar & Restaurant - Fort, Mumbai

It was the call of the Brethren court. Food Captains from all over were planning a grand meet at a chosen island. How could I miss it for the world? With sails and me crew in full swing, we journeyed for a long time in the hot seas. As we neared our destination, I adjusted me hat and coat. Tis be an important meeting after all. As we approached land, me and my first mate got ready to land. I would be needing my best crewmate for this event after all.

I have to be honest and admit that I had not heard of this place until my friends mentioned it to me. They had planned a meet over here. I decided to make a voyage for food and for food company(I meant good company, honest.). The advantage of such a trip is that it spares one from the embarrassment that they get while taking pictures of food in a restaurant. Food Photography often wins hostile stares from everybody including the staff and the little baby in his mother's arms. Oh yes its great to be in good company.

We met at Cheval as a "Hungry Dozen" of some sort with a determination to make our own tasting menu out of the grub offered. Cheval is a high horse that I wouldn't want to get off from. It feels very European in its decor. There are three sections to the restaurant. The classy pub, the old Villa and the smokers den.

Our bunch sat in the classy pub. It has a bright appearance, a mix of European and Industrial decor(Thanks to the Air conditioning Ducts overhead). There is also a flashy gallery like wall with a few art pieces. One must admit that it sets the mood quite high for a lunch on a hot day. The Old Villa had a very Mediterranean cafe like appearance to it. Given choice, I would have preferred to eat here but there was some sort of an event going on, which made this area off limits for us. The smoker's den is a small strip of space betwixt the restaurant's inner parameter and the old building's wall. Its good to have a drink and a smoke while looking at the hypnotic lights and traffic of downtown Mumbai. Good place to be at night, I reckon.

Being a little late, I missed the drink's party but was just in time for the entrée. Though, they do have a rather great Wine menu.

My first stop along the Rider's trail was the Warm fried Brie. While the item was acceptable and quite tasty, it wasn't quite Brie. It was too crumby and less Brie-y. The cheese within needed some work. The crust was too thick and the cheese lacking the appropriate viscosity.

The BBQ Rubbed Ribs had a very tropical setting to them. They screamed Mango republic due to the Mango paste draped over them. A truly interesting flavor. While a bit too well done for perfection, these still tasted great. The flavors were sweet, tangy and salty. I had to chew the meat off the bone with a little bit of an effort.

Captain : Ribs with Mango. Now that's something new. 

First mate : Quite true buddy, something different than the regular ribs.

Captain : This could have been a bit rarer though.

Lamb Chips with Romesco sauce made me feel that we had been served with the wrong item. More than chips, these looked like chops in the literal sense. But eh, I would be fine calling these croquettes due to the visual similarity. Nice, crunchy and with a fair amount of meat to it - this item was quite tasty. Its pairing went well with the Romesco dip although this dip lacked the essential spice and color to be genuinely Romesco.

Golden Squid Rings sounded like a very ordinary name for Calamari. One simply does not call Focaccia as bread or Gelato as Ice cream. Naming aside, this little appetizer was quite crunchy, tasty and less rubbery. Though not the best Calamari that I have had, it certainly was a decent little morsel. And the sweet red chilli provided an excellent combination. The savory smooth Calamari, with the crunchy golden crust dipped in sweet red chilli, made an excellent alchemy. Quite a ditsy rhyme.

First Mate : I could slip one of these on each of me fingers and then dip in the Chilli.

Captain : Oye, I usually start the dialog over here.

First Mate : Aw, dont get salty mate. Lets enjoy the grub.

Ajilo Prawns are Cheval's take on the Spanish Gambas Al Ajilo. Usually made with Shrimps, this recipe does extend to prawns too. However, I felt that Cheval's variant missed its mark. Its almost as if one Prawn called Caesar said a loud "NO" to the dominating sauce and then lead a successful resistance against it. The dish had the typical garlicky flavor expected of it but it lacked the spice and sweetness. The prawns weren't sauteed to perfection as well and felt as a mismatch.

Done with the self customized tasting menu of appetizers, it was time to move on to the mains.

Stuffed Chicken was a rather grand looking dish served with Polenta and Garlic cream sauce. The plating was excellent. The chicken itself was addicting and stuffed with sun dried tomatoes plus pesto. But often a single offbeat musician can ruin an otherwise perfect symphony. The unruly musician in this case was the Polenta. Far from the soft item that it was billed to be, Signore. Polenta was quite hard, grainy and felt out of place. As long as I had the chicken and the stuffing alone, the dish was fine but pairing it with the Polenta was a mistake.

This was perhaps the most peculiar Fish N Chips that I have ever seen. Few irregular and unequal pieces of fish were coated with batter and deep fried. These were then served with Pea Puree, Caper Salad and Tartare sauce. Almost everything tastes good with Tartare for me. I took one of the fishy nuggets and enjoyed its pairing with the dip. Although the pea puree seemed to only have aesthetic purposes as it did not contribute to the taste at all. The fish was deliciously soft but the atypical shape made the coating uneven in certain areas.

Captain : Is this even Fish N Chips?

First Mate: That's what the menu says, eh?

Captain : More Like Chunks N Chips.

Jumbo Bay Prawns with Crab Mousse is a long name but nothing compared to the size of the prawns.The prawns were probably retired commandos given their size. These were plated beautifully with a fine sprinkle of spices for added texture. And as I chewed through these, I was acquainted with Crab Mousse for the first time. Not usually fond of Crab, its mousse was a totally different experience for me. And I positively have found a Crab based item that I can devour without hindrance. The dish was a flawless combination of flavors with some of the best prawns I have ever had. Would really recommend this to the reader.

Parma Ham with Buffalo Mozzarella and Parmesan. I admit that I do not know half as much about Cheeses as I know about Pizzas. So it was difficult for me to distinguish between the two cheeses billed on the pizza. I vaguely consider Parmesan as a slight savory, meaty and slightly sour cheese which is best described as Umami in the food world. Buffalo Mozzarella felt much superior to the regular Mozzarella used in typical pizza joints. These flavors combined with the generous amounts of Parma ham made for a very sumptuous and flavorsome pizza. The crust was good but not the best in my experience. This however was a true Gourmet pizza.

The pizza had a slightly more sour taste than expected but nothing that intruded into my experience.

Captain : This pizza is parma-nently tasty.

First Mate : Do you mean the Parma ham or the Parmesan with that quip?

Captain : Lad, you are dampening my humour faster than rain on gunpowder.

With the mains done, we ordered a large platter of desserts. After all who doesn't love desserts?

Chocolate Crumble Ganache tasted as good as it appeared. It had a perfect mixture of milk and dark chocolates and had a rich flavor. With an appearance that resembled a cheesecake, it tasted like a classical ganache and its team up with the hazelnut ice cream was great. This is a dessert that truly pleases the eyes and the tongue.

Crème brûlée with shortbread wafers. This was a very average dessert. The flavor was a little off and it lacked any depth and sweetness. Its safe to say that it wasn't a good choice.

Sticky Toffee Pudding is sometimes referred as the flagship piece for the establishment by epicures. The sponge cake is perfect in consistency and soaked well with the Toffee sauce. The appearance is smooth and sticky at the same time. And thankfully it doesn't appear spongy and aerated. The appearance is best described as a castle of cake surrounded by a toffee moat.

Have a sip of the toffee moat, a bite of the toffee soaked castle and a spoon of the Vanilla ice cream which stands like a tower on top of this sweet citadel.

Vanilla Panna Cotta was an aesthetically pleasing, gustatory elevating and aromatically charming dessert. For me this was the dessert of the day. Surrounded by islands of Cherry compote and Basil for aesthetic enhancements, this was the perfect dessert. It was mostly sweet with a teeny weeny hint of tartness. This milky jelly was a paradigm of what a good dessert should be like. Went great with the spoon fulls of compote. It was a shame that this one got over so fast. But that tends to happen if you drop a dollop of dessert in between food lovers. It gets over faster than a piece of meat between hungry wolves.

Captain : Oye, Stop hogging the dessert and save some for your Captain.

First Mate : Easy there Captain, at least I have a smaller appetite than the cannoneer.

Captain : That be true but save me some dessert will ya?

The service was satisfactory and ordinary. It started off with glitches but resolved in time. Though definitely not something I find myself raving about. The crew needs a fair bit of more training.

The pricing in Cheval's could definitely be on the upper side. Although between our bunch, we managed to mitigate the costs to 1100-1150 a head. But an appetizer, a drink, a main and a dessert will definitely offset a single person in the North of 1500 INR.

To conclude, I will say that Cheval is a great choice for fine dining uptown. Given the opportunity, I will definitely want to come here again. Although, it does need a superstar attraction to put it on the map of food enthusiasts. As of now, my post will have to suffice. (Cheesy self promotion)

The Captain's Score : 8/10

"We have a long way back lads, time to get busy on the sails. Set the direction to North and let's go. To the Horizon and beyond!"

Map Co-Ordinates
Cheval Bar & Restaurant

145, Near Rhythm House,

Mahatma Gandhi Road, Kala Ghoda,

Fort, Mumbai.

-I paid for my own meal. -

Villa Vandre - Bandra, Mumbai

Tis' was a hot day. The heat was creating many a mirages over the warm seas. The crew was exhausted and I was lying on the deck with me arms stretched out. A small eatery was spotted in the distance and we decided to try the place out. Upon reaching our destination, I was shocked to see a long line but I had no choice. If I wanted to have grub, I had to wait. The grub better be worth the wait in the heat was my loudest thought at tat moment.

Villa Vandre is the new cool kid in town. Seeing dozens of tweets and positive reviews relating to the place made me band along with my buddies to the place.

But before I start, let me bore you with a little anecdote-
Many years ago, I used to see commercials regarding the Singapore aquarium in which they would show the large colorful tunnel under the water. So when I went there, I grandly expected something as large as a road or rail tunnel under water. It turned out to be several scales smaller being a tube only a few feet higher than my head. The moral of this story was that things often appear larger than life in pictures.

Back to present times, Villa Vandre turned out to be a lot smaller than I had expected. It's true that I was told that this was a small outlet but this was tinier than anything I had ever imagined. As a result of its large buzz, small size and over expecting clientele in several dozens - it was only natural that a lot of patrons would be waiting to get a turn. Since Villa Vandre does not do reservations, one has to wait. In my group's case, it was in the scorching heat of the Noon in India's Summer. I could literally find my appetite evaporating in the heat but all of this would be forgotten if the grub was good.

Smaller than a cafe and much smaller than a Villa, this establishment has an open kitchen and is equipped to seat only fourteen people. It feels a bit tight even for the fourteen people as you may find yourself pushed really close to the person on the other side of the table, especially if you choose to sit on the two seaters on the right side. I am no fan of small places with too many people. A bit of claustrophobia perhaps. The result of the arrangement is uncomfortable leg space with feet clashing often with the person on the other side of the table. Expect a few rubs with the serving staff as well.

The place has very well done interior decorations, faux windows and cutlery hanging on the walls. But the compact nature offsets it.

Captain : Your feet are touching mine lad, move away.

Crewmate : Captain, my feet are hugging the legs of my chair. Its your feet that are extended.

The service for the most part is stellar as one of the owners himself mans the eatery with another server. He comes off as a refined gentleman.

Homemade East Indian Sausage Fry was a great looking dish. The appearance of excessive oil was a little annoying but I usually disregard fat and oil in Sausage based dishes. The fat adds to the flavor. Till this point it was fine however upon tasting I found the item to be overly salty. I found myself unable to go beyond two bites. The salt was so strong that even a sip of water felt sweet after that. I have no idea what went wrong here but I am pretty sure that nothing is supposed to be this salty.

Pan Grilled Ham and Cheese sandwich looked accurate in the visuals. Using a milk bread variation, this sandwich was decent and had a very homemade flavor to it. Although there was an unwanted sourness near the edges, I think for the most part I was all right with this. Wont say it was good since the sourness was a bother but the sandwich was the best of the things that I tried here.

Greek Chicken. One could make a mistake once, have a bad day once but surely things could go right the third time. This dish looked splendid in presentation. However, it had a lot of problems with the ingredients billed and the final product. For starters, rosemary was either forgotten or added in a very minimal quantity. The potato wedges looked and tasted plain to me as opposed to the "Rosemary potatoes" on the menu.

Greek Chicken is supposed to be a fine balance of sour, salty and savory. The lemon juice should ideally be one to two table spoons in this quantity of chicken. However, Villa Vandre's variant had too much Lemon concentrate at the bottom making the flavor tart instead of mildly sour. That apart, the spices and the oregano were not properly marinated to the chicken. As a result the bulk of the spices had concentrated in the dish center leaving the outer pieces devoid of flavor. And the mixture of the spices was quite strange. It tasted less Greek and more Indian with the flavor resembling the chaat masala.

The last straw with this dish was the "feta salad". The salad served with Greek chicken usually has fresh lettuce, cherry tomatoes, Olives, Cucumbers and sometimes other vegetables. But all I got were two scruffy and tattered lettuce leaves without any Feta. It didn't even look edible. I immediately asked the server about the whereabouts of the promised Feta and he took the lettuce away and returned quickly with some small bits of Feta added from the top. This barely made a difference. The feta was supposed to be mixed in a proper salad mixture and in generous amounts. Adding small bits of feta onto a pair of old lettuce leaves does not make a feta salad. As a result, I sadly set the salad aside ignoring it for the rest of the meal.

Captain : Potato without Rosemary, Chicken without Greek, And Feta Salad without salad and feta. What in the world is this?

Crewmate : A weird wonder of the sea?

Captain : More like a monstrosity.

The food experience did not make up for the almost hour long wait in the hot and humid Mumbai noon. The pricing feels a little bit on the higher side for the portion sizes served. Combined with the wait and the clustered ambiance, it actually feels harsh.

To conclude, I will only say that the place has a lot of work cut out for it to match the buzz that it has generated. While I appreciate the service and am willing to overlook the horrible wait, I really expect the food and experience to be worth the money.

The Captain's Score : 6/10

"Well lads, atleast we can man the ship and find a more grubworthy place. Full speed ahead."

Map Co-Ordinates
Ville Vandre

Shop 3, May Flower,

New Kantwadi Road, Pali Hill,

Bandra West, Mumbai. 

Phone : 022 65279009

-I ate along with a bunch of friends and paid for my own meal. -

Tonic - Mahalaxmi, Mumbai

The seas were as dark as they could be. The only sounds that accompanied me crew's chatter were of the waves crashing on the hull. Sometimes, in darkness its easy to see a speck of light in the distance. Mystified we steered towards the light. We hoped that it was not the sea playing tricks on our eyes. As we closed in towards the light, a cool breeze blew over the warm seas. Soon enough, it was easy to see what the light was. It was a small island with a tavern and a restaurant on it. This Captain has seen many islands but this be the best kind.

Tonic is a new place with a very relaxed ambiance. This place earlier belonged to Auriga which has now reworked itself and become two places instead of one. Two places at the price of one. Who would say no?
The clubby pub Tonic sits at the bottom while the restobar Auriga floats at the top.

On the day of my visit, it had a red dark lounge theme to it. However, they often change the color of the lights making the ambiance quiet dynamic. It could be red today, blue tomorrow and green on yet another day. Its often like entering a different place every time. Although the appearance appears clustered, there is a large amount of space between the bar counter and tables. I feel that this may serve well for people who want to dance to the beats.

The steel cages with lights, hanging from the ceilings are the most attracting objects. While this peculiar decoration has no explanation for its presence. It does however stoke a sense of enigma. One could imagine lights rising in a dark club like fireflies and then they are trapped in a cage. Almost like the scene from Life of Pi with glowy thingies in the dark sea.

The seats are made of nice studded leather although the lack of backs could be an issue for long sitting patrons.

The immediate exterior of the establishment has a nice outdoor clubbing zone. There is also a screen and I am told that there will be 3D projection mapping over here in the not so distant future. For those who are unaware of what that is, its projecting images on flat and irregular surfaces with specially designed visuals and thus creating an illusion of depth. Think of it as 3D without the glasses.

Its time to drink the tonic and power up to the next level. And thus I sampled some of Tonic's in house specials. They use a novel concept of Batli(Bottle), Barni(Jar) and Balti(Bucket) while serving the drinks. Batli serves to cater a few people. Barni is moving up on the scale and if you really feel like going on a merry night with a large party, go with the Balti. But for me its more like Beginner, Expert and Advanced levels in a Video game. If you know what I mean.

The Mad Scientist(Maniacal laugh Ha ha ha- Sorry had to do that) will make you feel like an unappreciated intellectual on the breakthrough of something that will change the world - for better or worse who knows? Mixed with Kiwi juice and primarily Vodka, this is a drink with enough zing and zang to get your night started on a high. Its color is aesthetically pleasing as well.

Captain : I feel like finishing my long due Frankenpirate project.

Crewmate : But you never started an artificial life project Cappy.

Captain : Or finishing my copy of R2D2.

Vanilla Sky had to be the best drink of the evening for me. Its coloring was provided by Blue Curacao. It had a light amount of Vodka and a lot of Vanilla Ice cream. The appearance rather than the pleasant blue skies resembled more of the stormy green skies. I liked the color nonetheless and its sweet alcopop like composition well meant for those with low alcohol tolerance. The taste was dominated by Vanilla and Curacao Liqueur.

Captain : This be like the stormy skies from the far southern seas.

Crewmate : That sky and weather troubled us a fair bit Captain. We almost reached Davey Jone's Locker.

Captain : Now its time to avenge all of that by drinking it all. 

Spiritual Healing serves as a savior in a world of dark trance where people's faces haze out and strange hypnotic music fills your ears. Ok scratch that, in simpler terms it makes you embrace the dark side. When you are one with the beguiling hypnotica, everything is crystal clear. This is made with whiskey and dominantly flavored with apple juice. It blends in the tang of apple and the bang of whiskey. The resultant is a spiritually soothing and a comforting drink.

Jolly Good Fellow's picture serves to show you what a barni (jar) is. It can easily pour out 5-6 drinks. Sadly for me, it didnt quite make the mark. While the bitterness of the vodka was addressed by the watermelon, the pineapple juice felt like a mismatch giving it an overly sweet fruity taste. Reminds me of the old bachon ki drink advert made during cola wars.

Pomegranate Martini like its name was a light hearted cocktail. It felt very easy, sweet and yet alcoholic. It was made with Pomegranate flavoring and Vodkatini as base. Though not particularly fond of it, I did find it quite intriguing.

The best part about Tonic was that it served quality grub. One oft finds standard finger food which is average in quality and taste in many of Mumbai's lounges. Chef Ameya appears well experienced and a man who knows what he is doing. Well his food certainly spoke well for him. The drinks were fantastic but the best part was the food.

Mushroom Crostini was the first appetizer to make it to the table. The difference between Bruschetta and Crostini is sadly not understood by many places which often make Crostini as extended versions of Bruschetta. The thin bread slices serve as a good little plates and one can eat the delicious mushroom toppings covered with cheese. The flavor was perfect, the plating was perfect, it was like scoring a goal in the very first minute of play.

Sweet Potato Fritters with Wasabi Mayo. Another interesting all vegetarian appetizer. Made with sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes, it scored a great balance of flavors. Its breading gave it crunchiness, spices gave it a great savory flavor and the inherent sweetness of the potatoes created a myriad of tantalizing flavors. The mayo wasabi and black sesame on each piece literally crowned these with a sense of ultimate completion. If you are vegetarian, fear not and order this right away. So much taste in such a little morsel, its almost illegal.

Captain :  These pockets taste great.

Crewmate : Thats fine Cappy, but could you please not stuff them in your trouser pockets and leave some for me too?

Tie me up is an interesting name for a dish. Though honestly it resembled "Untangle me up" more. Its inherent flavor was a bit bland. Thankfully the chilly garlic sauce bridged this gap but as a stand alone it scored poorly.

Vegetable Gyoza Dumplings is an interesting take on the classical Japanese snack. Though, it matched the visual appearance of the real thing, its flavor felt like a mismatch. It felt a bit mustardy in flavor and a bit unpalatable. I found myself unable to go beyond the first dumpling.

 Just when I thought that this evening will be full of grassy food, the meaty grub started rolling in. First in was Thai Spiced chicken which was made of juicy chicken pieces flavored with ginger and garlic. The final dish was then wrapped in chilli sauce. The dish was tasty but I felt that it had a wee bit of abnormal sweetness.

Soya ginger Fish thankfully used a different fish than Basa. This was made out of Rawas. It was then tossed with scallion, ginger paste and a bit of soya. The taste was very savory and the fish was tender and juicy.

Popcorn Chicken is relatively common nowdays. But Tonic's version is several times superior than the conveyer belt grade popcorn chicken you have at KFCs. To be honest it was more of a lollipopcorn chicken with its presentation but hey it worked quite well. Not only did the texture look great, the flavor was perfect and the spices rubbed on the surface blended in well. It went great with the Wasabi mayonnaise dip provided. I found myself going through several of these in a short time. It was quite an addicting snack.

Captain : I love this lollipopcorn chicken.

Crewmate : Lollipopcorn Chicken! That sounds like a nice name.

Captain : Oh it may become popular someday.

Crewmate : How is that possible? Unless someone heard our conversation.

Prawns and Calamari Crostini resembled little tarts made of seafood and Cheese. Although, it had more calamari than prawns, the flavor seemed well in sync. The item was cheesy, crunchy, salty and savory. The Baguette base added to the crunchy taste. Each bite, was flavorful and an absolute delight.

Cracker Jacker Prawns were jumbo whole prawns marinated in brown garlic and ginger. It had an addition of Barbecue sauce and was finally wrapped in a batter giving it a complex and mystifying texture. Each bite was full of crunch with rarely cooked prawns at the center. An interesting item and my first time with this rendition of prawns.

Cracked and Crumbed Chicken was the best amongst the carnivore foods. It was spiced chicken coated with bread crumbs and placed under a shower of polenta. It was then deep fried to golden perfection. It was almost as if a mountain of chicken received some volcanic dust in the form of polenta. This dish had both visual beauty and a great taste. Almost like having a superstar cricketer who is somehow a great football forward too, a true Sachin Pele-kar.

Captain : Summon the great Volcano of Polenta and dip me chicken in its ash.

Crewmate : This could keep the crew happy for many a nights.

Captain : It would certainly keep me happy.

Crewmate : I bet....hey where did all the chicken go?

Baby Lamb Chilly was hot and sweet lamb cooked in a chilli garlic sauce. The bell peppers added a bit of flair but I felt that they were too less for having any profound effect either in taste or appearance. The flavor also resembled Thai spiced chicken in terms of the seasonings and sauces. You may want to be careful with this one as eating too large a portion may cause a tongue burn. Have your drinks around.

The service at Tonic was excellent with Edmund and his team addressing an unruly group of food monsters with military like sophistication. Not only did they serve the food properly, they also accurately described each of the dishes and drinks. One would mistake them for being chefs with such knowledge.

The pricing at Tonic could be a little high. Although the grub and grog is quite worth the experience, I still feel that they could do a bit better by shaving the price by a teeny weeny bit.

The only major downside I see to Tonic is their difficult to find location. Its located inside the Famous studio lane and its quite difficult to reach by car coming from the opposite side. One has to go quite far to get a U turn to get on the right road. And other than an obscured board at the beginning of the lane, there is almost no hint of an eatery in that quiet vacant passage.  Thankfully, Google maps helped me reach there without glitches as its marked clearly on that.

To round this up, Tonic is a great new pub plus eatery. The environment is full of eclectic energies and colors. The food is surprisingly great for a lounge and the ambiance changes every day. The place is still fairly new so its likely to find it a bit empty. I reckon that this is the best time to visit it before it starts becoming crowded.

The Captain's Score : 9/10

"We are not done yet lads, there is Auriga upstairs waiting to be explored. But that is a tale for next time."

Map Co-Ordinates
Tonic

Famous Studio Lane,
Off Dr. E Moses Road,
Mahalaxmi, Mumbai
Twitter: @tonicmumbai

-I was invited to wine and dine at the pub as part of a Zomato Reviewers/Bloggers meet. -