Aer

Rest : Aer
Loc : Four Seasons Hotel, Worli

Aer is the hot new bar atop the Four Seasons Hotel, that part of Bombay has been threatening to become interesting for quite sometime, (the new Shangri La in Phoenix will open sometime next year)

Since retarded government regulations restrict us from using our beaches, the next best thing is to tower over them. Dome at the Intercontinental was one of the first rooftop bars, although Pearl of the Orient might take an exception to that.

Aer sits higher than Dome and therefore offers a stupendous view of the city, its near perfect in almost every aspect regarding ambiance, views and its cool, minimalist architecture sits perfectly. They are also partly smoking, so carry your cohibas or buy them there.

Table snacks are wasabi nuts and some sticky sesame seed thingy. Funnily enough they said they ran out of everything except the sesame thing. How can the Four Seasons run out of something? is it code for im too lazy to get it for you?

The drinks are above average but not great by any standards. The Mojito was too sweet and couldn't taste the booze in it, the other two mock tails were again.. sweetish.

There is a food menu, mostly middle eastern/Mediterranean. They have hummus etc, however like a fool i went for the mezze platter, thinking three of us could share it. turns out it was two pieces of falafal and 2 fried filo pastry stuffed with cheese served with what i think was muhammarah. It was not bad but come on.. 800 bucks for this? i dont mind the price but just DONT CALL IT A F******* PLATTER.

All in all, the view is glorious, the space is divided into two terraces, connected by a passage. Bars on each side with all kinds of seating, sofas for groups and corner tables for couples.

Impressive layout. Now if only they could get their act together in terms of service. Because so far, nothing about the four seasons has been impressive.

The valet parking was a total mess, the bar took 20 mins to get us our drinks and we were seated right NEXT to it. The staff is friendly and apologetic but that is no excuse for crappy service. Add to that the ridiculous portion of my platter.. i was not a happy camper.

However, id go there again in a heartbeat simply for the view. It was truly impressive, we could see the Air India building on Marine Drive from our table. Now that is awesome.

Its not cheap either but then you don't go to a four seasons expecting value for money..

Food : 6/10
Drinks : 6/10
Service : 6/10

Damage 2700 for one cocktail, two mocktails and one appetizer.

Aer
Four Seasons Hotel, 114, E. Moses Road, Worli, Mumb
Phone: 66627434, 24818900

Nandos Peri Peri

Rest : Nandos
Meal : Lunch
Location : Inorbit Mall, Malad.
Company : /

I was all set for a working Subway lunch in one of my rare suburban outings. I saw a Nandos nearby and decided that it had been around long enough and deserved a shot.

Nandos is a South African restaurant chain which specialises in marinated meats and veggies using their special peri peri sauce. Peri Peri is an African chilli pepper, classified as very hot.

Nandos is a South African restaurant chain which specialises in marinated meats and veggies using their special peri peri sauce. The menu is fairly wide and offers, wraps, salads, soups all with a tinge of peri peri.

 
Peri Peri is an African chilli pepper, classified as very hot. Each table has a few bottles of garlic, mild and hot peri peri.. this is of course if you think you haven't already got enough peri peri already.

When i ordered Lemonade, the waiter asked me if i wanted it spicy, assuming i was being asked about the food, i said “”medium spicy” of course, a few minutes later comes this glass full of red ooze. The taste was not horrible  but it was definitely out there.

Grilled garlic bread, not too bad, however you could tell it was “fake’” as in garlic powder was sprinkled atop.

Hummus with peri peri, very different taste, not bad but not great either. Unfortunately it was served with a side of regular bread you get at a bakery. Disgustingly cheap.

We got a veggie platter served on yellow rice and paneer. It was strictly okay, nothing special, regular veggies cooked and hopped on to rice. The Paneer was rubbery and tasteless.

Overall, the quality control and overall management of the outlet is very weak, surly waiters don't help the cause.

Surprising as i think the grill and marinade concept has merits and could do well, the key anywhere as here is to pick fresher veggies and flavourful sauces. Not sure if Nandos will get another chance.

Food : 4/10
Service : 4/10

Damage : 750

Best food blogs !

Read
A brilliant list and yours truly made it on as well. Some people are too kind.

No more LOOP Mobile...

Sorry, this has nothing to do with food but i need to vent. I hate my current telecom provider coz they are the lamest of the lame. Telecom is truly the big boys game, a small fry player like Loop erstwhile known as BPL really has no place in it. especially if they are operating in metros and want to pretend to be one of the boys.

i have had the number for 10 years and they were okay when i was a kiddo but since i got into the mainstream work force and used services like blackberry my usage has been around the 2500 mark give or take 10% which has been incredibly painful. i found i was paying nearly 1400 a month just for my blackberry usage simply because they didnt offer a half way decent plan to pick from.

Just switched to vodafone for my primary usage and my usage is down to 850 + 15% variable usage.. inclusive of blackberry. its so stupid to have to carry two phones now because the government cant get around to introducing number portability..

so i highly recommend choosing a pan India provider simpy because they have greater service offerings and better roaming rates as well.

(breathing out)

Third piece in the Wall Street Journal

Guys, did my third piece for the Wall Street Journal, can be viewed here
i wish i had the time to flesh it out more but it is what it is.

Sunday lunch at Tote

Rest :Tote on the Turf
Meal : Sunday Lunch
Loc : Race Course, Mahalaxmi

So, we ended up at Tote again, the last time was on my birthday in October, which was in the same week as they opened. My experience then was good but i felt they had some ways to go before they could be considered as good as Indigo.

Now, on my second visit, i still feel the same way. The menu has been enlarged with a day menu as well. They offer breakfast, sandwiches and some pasta besides the normal menu.

We started with some mojitos which was very good. The mushroom ricotta was sweetish, i didnt mind it but despite being paired with the bitter romaine and sour parmesan it did not work in anyway. The aubergine with the balsam drizzle thingy was not too bad. Sweet though.

The mushroom tiramisu was a huge hit again and did not last very long. Worked well for me.

We got the risotto with peppers and garlic and it was okay. Not very tight on flavour. The mac and cheese and lasagna was again, a pretty good dish, however i think the temperature needs to be worked out, it went cold very quickly and was not as good to eat.

The butermilk parfait was very hard and not that great by itself. It was served with a rhubarb soup which was tangy but the strawberry sorbet was just out of this world. All together the dish worked well, very refreshing, perfect for a hot afternoon. And i got to eat it all by myself.

I remember this being espresso ice-cream which was good, everything else was generic chocolate dessert. Predictably chosen by the girls.

Overall, the menu has expanded which is a good thing, their grill is yet to open in the outdoors though. The food is not bad, its not great but its not bad. I still prefer Indigo for dinner. The service is pretty good and the place itself does fill up.

I will be there soon for breakfast one of these days.

Food : 7/10
Service : 8/10
Damage : for 4 with drinks 6500



Tote
Mahalaxmi Racecourse,
Opposite Gate No. 4 & 5,
Phone: 61577777

Recap of the meals past

Things have been fairly busy, so instead of doing multiple posts ill combine a few of my meals out into one.

Pizzeria

The Bombay Masala at the Pizzeria on Marine Drive. Quite possibly the greatest Pizza known to man. Subtlety Indian taste without any hardcore toppings or sauces. The joy was in the masala alone. Also highly recommend the very tasty if inauthentic spaghetti with Pesto.

Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf

 

At the airport, the only real decent option is the coffee bean and tea leaf.
While their coffee is good (if expensive) they have a brilliant pasta options. The spaghetti was GREAT.

Cream Centre

The mood for Chana Bhatura struck and we found ourselves at Cream Centre, the wife went for a sizzler. It was a disaster, uncooked, undercooked and lame as hell.

Panchvati

Rest : Panchvati Gaurav
Meal : Dinner
Loc : Opposite Bombay Hospital, Marine Lines.

Panchvati is a place of fond memories. I visited with my grandfather a few times because he knew the owner i think. Then it sort of fell of the radar (this was back in the mid to late 90’s) and it had been shut for some time and under renovation after that.

Trying to figure out dinner a stroke of randomness struck and both of us agreed on checking out panchvati. The place has changed completely, gone are the dung walls and folk art, its now a generic sort of thali eatery.

They offer the usual, 2 snacks, a dal, a kadi, 4 entrees, 2 desserts as well as dal baati. Besides the usual salad, pickle, chutneys and chaas.

There was also the jal jeera which tasted more like pani puri paani. very minty.

The veggies, as is usual were two safe ones, like chana, the other was a tomato and aloo (potato) then they had the two weird ones which i don't even recall.

They serve regular chapatis as well as bhakris.

They also do rice and khichadi or both if you please.

Overall, the food was good, i would have to dock points for the lameness of service, people just standing around being inattentive as well as for a lot of dishes being cold. I didn't like the dal baati much but the wife loved it (best one has been Golden Star for it but then their thali otherwise sucks)

Additionally the thali is priced at 250 bucks which is f******* insane. I had another thali at Thackers on Chowpatty Beach for 350 bucks which was absolutely horrid. While this one was not bad it was no way worth 250.

Ill stick to Joshi Club from now on, best ever and that too for a 100.

Food : 7/10
Service : 6/10
Damage : 500 for 2.

Go East young man.. Hong Kong

Was in Hong Kong for a days work and flew in and out. The food scene in HK is quite vibrant and they have some big guns in the city like Alain Ducasse with his Spoons and Nobu both at the Intercontinental.

Hong Kong is a ultra urban metropolis with a healthy mix of cultures, like most big cities, food is a big part of its existence. Unfortunately i didnt have the time to check out the various options due to want of time.

a list of my meals -

Kingfisher Airlines, served a great meal, it was some potato curry with lots of garlic, paneer in spinach with some pulav and naan. i almost exclusively drink tomato juice on flights.

VA took me out for a brilliant meal to a restaurant he frequents and got us some brilliant potato curry with pineapple rice (served IN a pineapple ) and some som tam salad. It was excellent, it always helps to have someone with an inside track.

I got hungry around 5ish and picked up some stuff from Marks & Spencer, a nice hummus and pepper sandwich, feta cheese salad (that i ate without a fork) and my fav thing, sparkling orange soda.

A bloody mary in the hotel bar, below par.

I ended up at TGIF (hey, it was 11, i didnt know where i was going and i was REALLY REALLY hungry)

i got some ridiculous fajitas and an even more ridiculously strong margarita

a traditional breakfast in the morning, cold soba noodles and tofu with soy, not too bad. Not my idea of an ideal breakfast ( see the pancake creeping out of there) but it was not bad at all.

there is no such thing as too much orange juice.. is there?

Again KF outdid themselves with their meal, the Chana Masala was with bits of Paneer, the Paneer makhani was in an onion tomato gravy and very tasty. the salad was crap but the boondi and pineapple raita was brilliant. the chocolate torte was very flavourful.

Interesting name for a drink (the best one i think is Pimp Juice) , my friend Loki who spent 10 days in HKG told me about it and i got him a bottle. Its actually very electrol like in taste.

Overall, HKG was an impressive if short trip. Hopefully do a longer trip soon and try out some more local fare.

Vong Wong

Rest : Vong Wong
Meal : Dinner
Loc : Express Towers

A random desire for Chinese and the lack of tables at Moshe (its always the same story with them) meant we ended up at Vong Wong once again. The place honestly, has a lot of potential and im not sure they are realising all of it.

The menu has changed, the older menu was a Thai section & a Chinese section and was fairly expansive. Now they have a shortened menu where both the cuisines are mixed, very sensible.

The place itself is massive with a very large physical footprint, floor to ceiling windows and private dining space. Attractively done, it would hold its own with any modern restaurant.

They did a fairly good Blood Mary, no real complaints with this one.

With the menu change, the other thing that has changes is that the old wet, boiled peanuts have changed to regular salted peanuts. Weak, very WEAK.

 

The Tom Yum was good, tasty, sour but good.

The dumplings were sweetish, not my favouraite taste in the world from my dim sum. Additionally, there were no real dipping sauces, the table sauces were horrible.

Feeling a little adventurous we picked the season veg on a bed of lettuce. again the taste was on the sweetish side and it did seem like it belonged to Chinese or Thai, however it was a decent dish by itself.

The ho phun noodles were very different, thick, oily but good. Dry tasting dish by itself if you pick it without gravy. The Asparagus and mushrooms in Oyster sauce were not too bad, the sauce was okay and the asparagus is a favourite of mine, so no real complaints.

Overall, the food is just about average which is sad since the location is excellent and the ambiance good. All they need now is to put a serious effort into the cuisine itself.

Revamping the menu was the right choice and the food is not bad at all, however its not memorable or outstanding on any front either.

 

Food : 7/10
Service : 7/10
Damage : 1800 with a cocktail.

Vong Wong
Express Towers,
Nariman Point,
Tel : 22875633, 22875634

Muhammarah @ Cafe Moshe

Muhammarah is a red dip, hot with a spicy after taste. Its middle eastern but unlike popular dishes from Turkey & Israel this one originates from Syria but has travelled across to the Mediterranean.

Its made with red peppers , olive oil, garlic and other ingredients. First introduced by Chef Moshe Shek at Cafe Moshe. His version is not as spicy and has a creamy texture, kind of like hummus.

Its healthy and goes brilliantly with Pita. Try it at any of the Cafe Moshe’s across the city, the one above was at the Crosswords location.

Jimmy Boy

Jimmy Boy is an Irani in Fort. We were standing outside Nandus Paratha House after dinner and were trying to give my friend Parin tips on how to run his restaurant (we Indians have opinions on everything) one of the thing my other mate VP came up with was selling raspberry soda. He went into a long spiel on how great it is and cant be found. Parin grabbed both of us and walked us up the 10 metres to Jimmy Boy.

Jimmy Boy is an old Irani and has been around forever. Located in the heart of commercial territory, their finest hour is lunch. I havent been to an Irani in a long long time but it looks just like it needs to. It was deserted and we were the only ones there at the hour.

Since we already had a huge meal we were in it only for the delightful sodas that are unique to Iranis. Parin knows the owners well and just strode in and picked out two bottles.

The masala soda, a taste unique to India, it is like thums up, but on the other end of the spicyness. Brilliant.

Raspberry soda has long been a talking point for Iranis and it does not disappoint. Perfect in every aspect, its got a sweet aftertaste.

Jimmy Boy,
Opp Turner Morrison Building
Fort

Nandus Paratha House

Rest : Nandus Paratha House
Loc : Opp Old Custom House, Fort
Meal : Dinner

A few days ago an old friend and school mate Parin Lakhani who i had not seen in a while added me on facebook. He happened to have a group called Nandus Paratha House, intrigued i checked it out and it turns out that Nandus is a famous Pune based paratha joint and its Bombay outlet just happened to be owned and managed by him.

Ever since, then we have been making grand plans to make our way there but it didnt happen until tonight and we are the poorer for it. Located in the hard core commercial area of Fort, Nandus is small, with limited seating and the majority of their business is take out and delivery.

While its a paratha house the menu is fairly expansive, they not only serve parathas but a large selection of Punjabi dishes as well as a bunch of rice dishes and snacks. Some of the parathas are unqiue and not to be found anywhere else.. like pizza paratha, pasta paratha, schezwan paratha,there is even a chocolate paratha which is crepe like.

Each paratha is served with dahi and a delectable onion pickle. If you want more, you can go for a thali platter which is served with daal and rice etc. We had the chilli cheese garlic paratha which was brilliant, the aloo and gobi paratha which was good but the real coup was the pizza paratha. It pays to be adventurous and it pays even more to listen to the owner, fantastic is the word for this one. I enjoyed it immensely and it rightfully is one of the more popular ones.

The papad churi came by as an after thought but it was perfect, lemony and chilli peppered up, it tasted just as it ought to.

We also got a roomali roti with a spicy lasooni paneer, which was sourish and spicy, just what a garlic intensive dish should be. Spot on. Next time im trying some of the rice dishes. Their dal makhani is also brilliant and worth a go.

Overall, there is just too much choice, not one thing we had was below par, even the cold spicy chaas was out of this world. The parathas might be a little out there for some but they are worth a try. The pricing is pure value for money, parathas priced between 40-100 each with entrees around 40-60 each.

Im going to be going back very soon, id suggest you plan a jaunt down asap or give them a call, they deliver almost anywhere within reason.

Food : 9/10
Service : 9/10
Damage : 600 for 3.

Nandus Paratha House
19, Sonawala Bldg, Green Street, Fort, Mumbai
Opposite Old Custom House
Phone: 22702265

Full Disclosure: The owner is an old friend and didnt let us pay but promised he would treat us like normal folk the next time around, which i am sure will be soon. Its a meal i truly enjoyed and which is why its up here on its own merit.