[khoj]

Hmm.. personalised menu et all, not bad. Trust this was for a dinner hosted by you or would they do this even if you are there for a meal and they present a personalised version of the final selection for approval etc etc

Originally Posted by GTO

Check out their attention to detail on the menu:
Attachment 1297728

[PGNarain]

Tried out the newly opened Pattaya Street adjacent to Kharghar Station on the 31st evening. The place was WAY too loud with Bollywood numbers being belted out at full crank. Asked the staff twice to lower the volume but everytime they did someone would turn it back up. Eventually they said that their "Boss" won't allow music to be turned down.

By this time I and my 7 month old daughter had had just about enough and we asked for the cheque and got of there pronto. Spent the rest of the night trying to get the little one to sleep coz she was way too overstimulated.

On the upside - we had soup which was good, the staff was extremely courteous and friendly. Even though the music was being played too loud the system / speakers / sound quality was better than what I have heard at most restaurants.
Also, though you have to park right on the road shoulder outside the restaurant, they have a valet watching your car and will park it for you as well. Further, it is really close to the Kharghar station so one can reach it easily by train as well.

[PPS]

Spent New Year's Eve at Breeze, Powai. The food was average. The views are great & there was a nice cool breeze blowing. This place is a must visit just for the terrific views & ambiance! The only downer for me was that they don't serve non-veg food.

[johannskaria]

Here is my top 10 list of favorite places :-

1. Sunny Hotel, Chembur - A budget mallu joint.
2. Panchavati Gaurav, Marine Lines - A budget place famous for Gujarati Thali.
3. Red Olives , Powai - An Expensive but awesome food.
4. Jaffer Bhai's Delhi Darbar, Grant Road - A Budget place with Mughlai and Chinese option.
5. Candies, Bandra - A Budget joint
6. Borivili Biriyani Centre, Thane - A budget biriyani specialist!
7. Fountain Plaza, Fort - A budget mallu food specialist.
8. Ramashraya, Matunga - For every thing South Indian!
9. Sher-E-Punjab, Fort - A budget family Indian restaurant. (Rabadi a must!)
10. 5 Spice , Bandra - Chinese for a budget (Finish with a Mission Impossible)

[ruchirtnt]

If you love sea food head straight to any Mahesh Lunch Homes outlet in mumbai. I had a chance to savor their food in Thane outlet and yes they are as fresh as any coastal region like Goa, andaman and kerala. they even offer live sea food to choose from

[tiger_stripes]

For fresh seafood at affordable rates, try Pangat at Borivali west. They specialize in Malvani style fish preparation. The chicken thali is also worth trying.

[faustus77]

Hi everybody. From today's Mumbai Mirror.
Filmmaker to dying Irani cafes' aid
Ankur Pathak


Ritesh Batra of The Lunchbox fame will host open-for-all workshops to increase footfall
In a bid to restore city's Irani cafes to their past glory, filmmaker Ritesh Batra, best-known for the Golden Globe-nominated film The Lunchbox, will host a series of open-for-all, film related workshops in the cafes.
The initiative is called Poetic Liscence. A source said Batra intends to involve his friends from the industry for interviews, screen-writing discussions and other film-related workshops.

While Batra himself declined to comment, according to his Twitter account, the first workshop on screen writing will be held at Café Koolar in Matunga.

Meanwhile, a source said, “Ritesh is likely to rope in his friends such as Nimrat Kaur, Irrfan Khan and Anurag Kashyap, to come at different venues once a month. He is doing whatever he can in his capacity, to save the Irani cafes and make them relevant again.“

PS: My comment. The boss is famous for shouting the whole day. Wonder if he will do it when the meeting is on




[PGNarain]

Tried out a couple of more restaurants at Navi Mumbai.

Sigree - Vashi

They serve lunch+dinner buffet and that was the main reason we went with another family. To our surprise we were told that either all of us have to opt for the buffet OR go ala-carte! This put us off from the word go since some members of our group wanted to have the buffet and some wanted to go the ala-carte way!
Food was strictly decent and quantity was tad bit less - definitely not VFM. For a fine dining restaurant the plating of the food - especially the starters was BADDD!! Prawns strewn around like they jumped out of the pot straight onto the plate and then tried running in different directions.
Overall did not like the visit and will not be going again.

Martinz - Seawoods

Nice cozy Chinese restaurant and not too crowded. Typical family place where we had lovely time. Even though successive orders were coming at their own slowww pace, it was a nice visit.
Food is good, of sufficient quantity and staff is polite. Will definitley visit again.

[athanedar]

Originally Posted by PGNarain

Tried out a couple of more restaurants at Navi Mumbai.

Sigree - Vashi

They serve lunch+dinner buffet and that was the main reason we went with another family. To our surprise we were told that either all of us have to opt for the buffet OR go ala-carte! This put us off from the word go since some members of our group wanted to have the buffet and some wanted to go the ala-carte way!

Food is good, of sufficient quantity and staff is polite. Will definitley visit again.

The only reason I can think for not allowing mix of ala carte and buffet at one table for different persons is :
1. people on same table share food
2. there is no way for the waiters to monitor if the person who ordered ala carte eats buffet items and vice versa
3. Some people ( just giving example I am not saying you will do it. please excuse ) will only order soup in ala carte and eat buffet items (starters main course) from others plate in the table to save money.

The basic issue here is that there is no trust in customer by hotel management.

[sukhi29]

Is the place in bandra stil open? Awesome thai food, located at corner (in bandra west) Dont remember the name.

[PGNarain]

Originally Posted by athanedar

The only reason I can think for not allowing mix of ala carte and buffet at one table for different persons is ....
The basic issue here is that there is no trust in customer by hotel management.

I agree and we reasoned out the same explanation, which I am pretty sure was a knee jerk reaction caused due to some people indulging in this habit shamelessly and hence the rule.

Strangely, we have earlier mixed Buffet and Ala-carte at Mainland China. Both restaurants are opposite each other and run by the same mgmt.

Nevertheless - won't be going to Sigree again, just not worth it!

[Rosso Corsa]

Originally Posted by faustus77

While Batra himself declined to comment, according to his Twitter account, the first workshop on screen writing will be held at Café Koolar in Matunga.



Koolar has everything BUT food. It is closed for film/TV shootings half the time. When I walked in on a weekend and tried to order a sandwich, I was told it's unavailable, along with another dozen odd items from the menu.

Originally Posted by sukhi29

Is the place in bandra stil open? Awesome thai food, located at corner (in bandra west) Dont remember the name.

Bandra West is a large locality and has tons of restaurants. Could you be a bit more specific ? Any landmark ? Name of the road ?

Cheers

[PGNarain]

Had a lovely saturday night dinner at Bijoli Grill - Powai on the advice and insistence of a dear Bengali friend!

Came away mighty impressed. I am no expert on Bengali Cuisine but suffice to say, I know when I am eating good food. Full marks for taste, presentation and service. Also, the place is very cozy and quite - which may work against it coz on busy weekends you may end up having to wait to get a table.

Also parking is an issue but all in all - a great place for the family and I will definitely be going again.

[reverse_gear]

Couple of places in the last week:

1. Cafe Basilico in Bandra - food is average, somehow did not seem to be the same as what I have previously had in Colaba. Juices and shakes are quite good though. We were there on Saturday night, place was full. But service standard was not up to the mark, most of the waiters had a harassed look on their faces and did not have pleasant manners at all. Which is quite surprising. There were also quite a few mosquitoes inside. Had to request them a few times before they arranged a mosquito coil, which did not seem to have any great effect.

2. Mekong, Palladium Hotel - outstanding food, great ambience. Curries are good, outstanding asparagus starter. Enjoyed it.

Originally Posted by sukhi29

Is the place in bandra stil open? Awesome thai food, located at corner (in bandra west) Dont remember the name.

Are you thinking of Nom Nom? It's still open. At Pali Hill.

[PGNarain]

Tried out Royal Rasoi at Haware Mall - Nerul East.

Food was ok. What I did not like was the ambience, the extremely slow (but courteous) service and the loud blaring of "Happy Birthday" on their speakers! Don't think I will be going again

Also celebrated wife's B'day at O22 at the Trident, BKC. Had been there before and have tried both ala carte and the buffets menus. The place is pricey - but I like the fact that the place is quiet, service is top class and warm and the food is simply too good.

If I had to compare - the dishes we had ala carte were better - very well done! The buffet was also good. The Mutton and lamb dishes were FANTASTIC and very well cooked (meat just falling of the bone). My only grouse was that they should include more main course dishes, especially for veggies. The Naan we ordered took an inordinately long time to arrive and the Moong Daal Halwa was yuck. Just didn't expect that at the O22. But I am nitpicking here! Overall - a great place and will definitely go there again!