3rd Floor, Sindhudurga Bhawan, Above Grande Imperial Banquets, RTO Road, 4 Bungalows, Andheri (W), Mumbai. Phone: 26316100, 26316101.
Landmark: Near Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital.
Ambience:
This theme-based restaurant takes its name seriously and the detailing in the interiors is just perfect. From waiters dressed as inmates and the maitre de and other staff dressed as inspectors, to a police van, with a blinking emergency light on, parked on the side and typical jail-type chairs and tables making up the furniture. They also have ‘cell’s’ which accommodate small and large groups. Even the cover of menu card resembled a cell door :) Muted lighting adds to the effect.
Service:
After reading the reviews about the shoddy service I went expecting the worst, but was I was in for a pleasant surprise! The wait staff was polite, patient and prompt. The service was super quick, faster than any restaurant I have been to so far, and very efficient.
What we ate and drank:
Caribbean BBQ Chicken (Rs 425)
Grilled Chicken with Mushroom Sauce (Rs 425)
Spaghetti Nepolitana (Rs 330)
Grilled Fish with Mint Sauce (Rs 475)
Fresh Lime Soda (2) (Rs 80)
Fresh Lime Water (Rs 40)
Kinley Water (Rs 25)
Service Charge: 7.5%
They also have a buffet, Rs 450 per head, on the weekends.
Except for the delicious Spaghetti Nepolitana, the rest of the food tasted strictly average. The chicken in both the dishes was dry and tough and the portion size of the vegetables, and chips served with the fish, was meager. Presentation was good. The quantity was just right, for me, but if compared to the pricing, which is a bit much, it did seem like they could either increase the quantity or decrease the price a little.
The Jail is an ideal place to go with a group of friends, just to savor the unique experience of this remarkable restaurant.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Mosate
Jharna Apartments, next to Barbeque Nation, Dr Ambedkar Road, Bandra (W) Ph: 2646-5133.
They accept all cards except AmEx. Service Charge 5 %.
Cuisine: Pan-Asian
Valet Parking: Yes
Serve Alcohol: Yes
Ambience:
When the cuisine has the words Asian, pan-Asian cuisine to be specific to Mosate, it is but expected that you will encounter lots wood and accessories from Southeast Asia. Mosate doesn’t disappoint either, as this L-shaped restaurant works in wooden slats as partitions and statuettes from Southeast Asia studding the walls and ensconced in niches. The largely beige and brown hued restaurant is softly and beautifully lit though. I also noticed that it wasn’t noisy, in spite of being full.
The seating compromises of wooden benches and low chairs facing them, both extremely uncomfortable. A large ‘family’ table takes up one wall.
Staff and service:
Well groomed, cheerful, accommodating and really, really slow. Though we were seated immediately, and handed the menu pronto, the pace turned languorous after that. The food took a while to arrive.
Moreover I have a major quibble; the person taking our order had a heavy accent, so when he said Bangkok Chicken we heard Mango chicken and Almond Torte sounded like Onion Roll. Very confusing!
The Food:
We sorely regretted following the servers recommendations after we’d ordered;
Chicken Bangkok Style (Rs 190) Bite sized pieces of chicken and a smattering of bell peppers in a ketchupy red sauce. Passable.
Chicken Burnt Garlic Fried Rice (Rs 150) The tiniest of rice grains tossed together with bits of chicken. No evidence of Garlic, burnt or otherwise.
Chicken Khowsuey with Rice Noodle (Rs 270) tasted sweet, too milky, and too creamy. Chicken Farang Stir Fried (Rs 250) Just when I sent up a prayer of thanks, to have finally bitten into a tasty dish, at the end of my meal I bit into a piece of raw chicken. Ewww!
Fresh Lime Soda (Rs 50)
Their serving sizes are generous.
Mosate has a great location, the restaurant is roomy and tastefully done up, and their pricing is good too. However they really need to pull their socks up where the most important aspect of a restaurant, the food, is concerned and speed up their service.
They accept all cards except AmEx. Service Charge 5 %.
Cuisine: Pan-Asian
Valet Parking: Yes
Serve Alcohol: Yes
Ambience:
When the cuisine has the words Asian, pan-Asian cuisine to be specific to Mosate, it is but expected that you will encounter lots wood and accessories from Southeast Asia. Mosate doesn’t disappoint either, as this L-shaped restaurant works in wooden slats as partitions and statuettes from Southeast Asia studding the walls and ensconced in niches. The largely beige and brown hued restaurant is softly and beautifully lit though. I also noticed that it wasn’t noisy, in spite of being full.
The seating compromises of wooden benches and low chairs facing them, both extremely uncomfortable. A large ‘family’ table takes up one wall.
Staff and service:
Well groomed, cheerful, accommodating and really, really slow. Though we were seated immediately, and handed the menu pronto, the pace turned languorous after that. The food took a while to arrive.
Moreover I have a major quibble; the person taking our order had a heavy accent, so when he said Bangkok Chicken we heard Mango chicken and Almond Torte sounded like Onion Roll. Very confusing!
The Food:
We sorely regretted following the servers recommendations after we’d ordered;
Chicken Bangkok Style (Rs 190) Bite sized pieces of chicken and a smattering of bell peppers in a ketchupy red sauce. Passable.
Chicken Burnt Garlic Fried Rice (Rs 150) The tiniest of rice grains tossed together with bits of chicken. No evidence of Garlic, burnt or otherwise.
Chicken Khowsuey with Rice Noodle (Rs 270) tasted sweet, too milky, and too creamy. Chicken Farang Stir Fried (Rs 250) Just when I sent up a prayer of thanks, to have finally bitten into a tasty dish, at the end of my meal I bit into a piece of raw chicken. Ewww!
Fresh Lime Soda (Rs 50)
Their serving sizes are generous.
Mosate has a great location, the restaurant is roomy and tastefully done up, and their pricing is good too. However they really need to pull their socks up where the most important aspect of a restaurant, the food, is concerned and speed up their service.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Da Vinci’s
Shop No 2A, Fatima Villa, 29th Road, Pali Naka, Bandra (W), Mumbai – 400050.Tel: 32486032/32486033
Service Charge: 10%
Serve Alcohol:Yes
Valet Parking:Yes
Tucked away in a busy bylane of Bandra, the restaurant could take a few hits and misses to get to if you aren’t familiar with the area, as the lane Da Vinci’s is situated in is a one-way/no-entry from the main road and a bit of driving around from the next lane leads you to it.
The staff, and they have quite a few of them, flit around like busy bees in spite of which the service is incredibly slow. It takes ages for you to catch a servers eyes after he’s placed the menu in front of you and is back to flitting around the place.
Looking around while you wait, you’d notice that grey and brown are the dominant shades used in the interiors of this almost rectangular shaped restaurant. A small bar and dessert counter next to the cashier greet you at the entrance. The seating is basic, and the tables and chairs very economically sized. Large disk-shaped fixtures of muted light individually placed above each table light up the restaurant.
Fortunately the servers, when they finally appear at your table, are well informed about the items on the menu and make some excellent suggestions from the same. Just as you begin to wonder if your first impression could be false, your food takes simply ages to make an appearance! When it does arrive, at last, you’re pleased to realize it is worth the wait.
The thin crust pizza, (Rs 225 + extra for toppings of choice. We chose, grilled chicken-Rs 45, onion slices-Rs 10, bell pepper- Rs 20) made from scratch, was simply divine. A bite into a steaming slice and it just melted in the mouth.
Pasta in Pesto sauce with chicken (Rs 225 + Rs 50 extra for the chicken) had the right balance of a creamy texture without being too heavy.
Pollo Steak (Rs 275) Chicken breasts in a rich brown sauce. Delicious!
Pollo E Spinachi (Rs 265) As the name should very obviously suggest, it is chicken in a delicious and creamy spinach based sauce with pasta added to it. Different and really nice!
Pollo Diavola (Rs 250) Chicken breasts in a tomato based sauce with mashed potatoes on the side. Yum!
Though each dish tasted great and was presented well, they could have been a bit more generous with the portion sizes.
Virgin Kiwi Margarita (Rs 150) Refreshing, with just the right hint of tartness from the fresh kiwis.
Virgin Cranberry Margarita (Rs 150) It was nice, but a tad too sweet for my taste.
Fresh Lime Soda (Rs 50)
Chocolate Mousse (Rs 140) A generous bowl of a really sinful mousse coated with a thick layer of chocolate on top. The perfect way to end the meal!
The dessert we ordered before the mousse tasted a bit off and the staff was gracious enough to acknowledge it before they swapped it with the mousse.
The food and drinks were really nice. Now, if they’d just spruce up their service, Da Vinci’s would be perfect!
Service Charge: 10%
Serve Alcohol:Yes
Valet Parking:Yes
Tucked away in a busy bylane of Bandra, the restaurant could take a few hits and misses to get to if you aren’t familiar with the area, as the lane Da Vinci’s is situated in is a one-way/no-entry from the main road and a bit of driving around from the next lane leads you to it.
The staff, and they have quite a few of them, flit around like busy bees in spite of which the service is incredibly slow. It takes ages for you to catch a servers eyes after he’s placed the menu in front of you and is back to flitting around the place.
Looking around while you wait, you’d notice that grey and brown are the dominant shades used in the interiors of this almost rectangular shaped restaurant. A small bar and dessert counter next to the cashier greet you at the entrance. The seating is basic, and the tables and chairs very economically sized. Large disk-shaped fixtures of muted light individually placed above each table light up the restaurant.
Fortunately the servers, when they finally appear at your table, are well informed about the items on the menu and make some excellent suggestions from the same. Just as you begin to wonder if your first impression could be false, your food takes simply ages to make an appearance! When it does arrive, at last, you’re pleased to realize it is worth the wait.
The thin crust pizza, (Rs 225 + extra for toppings of choice. We chose, grilled chicken-Rs 45, onion slices-Rs 10, bell pepper- Rs 20) made from scratch, was simply divine. A bite into a steaming slice and it just melted in the mouth.
Pasta in Pesto sauce with chicken (Rs 225 + Rs 50 extra for the chicken) had the right balance of a creamy texture without being too heavy.
Pollo Steak (Rs 275) Chicken breasts in a rich brown sauce. Delicious!
Pollo E Spinachi (Rs 265) As the name should very obviously suggest, it is chicken in a delicious and creamy spinach based sauce with pasta added to it. Different and really nice!
Pollo Diavola (Rs 250) Chicken breasts in a tomato based sauce with mashed potatoes on the side. Yum!
Though each dish tasted great and was presented well, they could have been a bit more generous with the portion sizes.
Virgin Kiwi Margarita (Rs 150) Refreshing, with just the right hint of tartness from the fresh kiwis.
Virgin Cranberry Margarita (Rs 150) It was nice, but a tad too sweet for my taste.
Fresh Lime Soda (Rs 50)
Chocolate Mousse (Rs 140) A generous bowl of a really sinful mousse coated with a thick layer of chocolate on top. The perfect way to end the meal!
The dessert we ordered before the mousse tasted a bit off and the staff was gracious enough to acknowledge it before they swapped it with the mousse.
The food and drinks were really nice. Now, if they’d just spruce up their service, Da Vinci’s would be perfect!
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Theobroma
29/30 Link Square Mall, Near KFC Restaurant, Bandra(W) Mumbai – 400050.
Tel: 26469010/26469040
Ever since Theobroma debuted in Colaba a few years ago, I have been hearing nothing but copious words of praise about everything edible they have on their shelves. Too lazy to make the trip to their Colaba branch I always joked that as all good things come to those who wait, I would wait for Theobroma to come to me. I guess a lot of suburbanites were wishing for the same too as Theo’s has finally opened shop in our midst in the happening area of Linking Road.
The heavenly goodies on offer are the incentives that make you come back for more.
So far, I’ve tried the;
Truffle Cake ( Eggless) ½ kg (Rs 300) When they say ‘truffle’ they mean truffle! This rich, gooey and divine cake had equal amounts of chocolate and cake, as compared to the dry cakes passed of as Truffle cake by other patisseries.
Coffee Caramel Mousse (Rs 75) This wedge of delicious perfection is a must have for coffee-lovers!
Millionaire Brownie (Rs 65) Their signature Brownie, I believe. Take a bite of the sinful layers that make up this brownie to find out why it’s so famous!
I also tried their Raspberry Cheesecake which tasted so good, it has replaced my all time favorite Blueberry Cheesecake as a favorite!
Everything I’ve tried here so far tastes a cut above from what other patisseries offer. I suspect they use top class ingredients which is why they seem to be priced a tad higher too.
The Service and staff are a real letdown though. The first time I went there the staff was too busy, placing a bucket under a dripping air-conditioned at the entrance, mopping the floor and yelling out instructions to each other, to attend to the customers. On my 2nd visit, though there was no dripping aircon, the staff, seemed totally clueless about the desserts on display. They take their own time to seat you, clear the table and get your order. I specified I would be having the pastry there, twice, and was handed a takeaway after being kept waiting for 15-20 minutes!
Though they are very polite, the staff does need to step up with their service and knowledge of the food on display. Since the Linking Road outlet just opened on the 31 of December 2009, maybe the issues are just teething troubles which will be sorted out soon, hopefully.
Tel: 26469010/26469040
Ever since Theobroma debuted in Colaba a few years ago, I have been hearing nothing but copious words of praise about everything edible they have on their shelves. Too lazy to make the trip to their Colaba branch I always joked that as all good things come to those who wait, I would wait for Theobroma to come to me. I guess a lot of suburbanites were wishing for the same too as Theo’s has finally opened shop in our midst in the happening area of Linking Road.
The heavenly goodies on offer are the incentives that make you come back for more.
So far, I’ve tried the;
Truffle Cake ( Eggless) ½ kg (Rs 300) When they say ‘truffle’ they mean truffle! This rich, gooey and divine cake had equal amounts of chocolate and cake, as compared to the dry cakes passed of as Truffle cake by other patisseries.
Coffee Caramel Mousse (Rs 75) This wedge of delicious perfection is a must have for coffee-lovers!
Millionaire Brownie (Rs 65) Their signature Brownie, I believe. Take a bite of the sinful layers that make up this brownie to find out why it’s so famous!
I also tried their Raspberry Cheesecake which tasted so good, it has replaced my all time favorite Blueberry Cheesecake as a favorite!
Everything I’ve tried here so far tastes a cut above from what other patisseries offer. I suspect they use top class ingredients which is why they seem to be priced a tad higher too.
The Service and staff are a real letdown though. The first time I went there the staff was too busy, placing a bucket under a dripping air-conditioned at the entrance, mopping the floor and yelling out instructions to each other, to attend to the customers. On my 2nd visit, though there was no dripping aircon, the staff, seemed totally clueless about the desserts on display. They take their own time to seat you, clear the table and get your order. I specified I would be having the pastry there, twice, and was handed a takeaway after being kept waiting for 15-20 minutes!
Though they are very polite, the staff does need to step up with their service and knowledge of the food on display. Since the Linking Road outlet just opened on the 31 of December 2009, maybe the issues are just teething troubles which will be sorted out soon, hopefully.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)