CPK

Rest : CPK 

Meal : Dinner

Loc : Phoenix Mills.

CPK is a weird one, i have had some atrocious meals there and have heard horror stories from others who have been there.

However their Phoenix outlet has usually been pretty decent with no trouble except for the Mexican fest which was quite badly managed. In any case, this was quite a meal as you shall read. Stunning even.

I am completely off cola and its only tonic or ginger ale for me now. 

The Mediterranean Wonton Rolls, were demented. I mean seriously demented. They were gone in 60 seconds, filled with cheese (mozzarella i believe) and mushrooms, this thing had serious bite. 

i like their tortilla soup, its not very hot but quite hearty. It could do with some beans ( like my chilli) and some more corn. 

The Mediterranean Focaccia came with some lovely olive oil and a rock of parmesan and i must say this was terrific. The taste was just right, the salty parmesan drowning in the olive oil was something else. Again this was wolfed down quickly. 

The Aglio Olgio was brilliant, served al dente, which i am not sure was a mistake or policy but we all were happy to not have it overdone. Bits of browned garlic, red peppers, all this was missing was a sprinkling of parmesan. 

All in All it was a super impressive meal at CPK, i was not expecting it and it was quite a pleasant surprise. If this is what they are capable of, they really ought to keep it up coz its stellar.

On the service front, they are slow to get around, little things like serving water, waiting for ice with drinks,  broken blenders etc can be off putting.

Food : 9/10
Service : 6/10
Damage : 1800 for 4 without drinks.

Pizza By The Bay

Rest : Pizza by the Bay

Meal : Dinner
Loc : Marine Drive.

Pizzeria is an old haunt, comfort food mostly. They had a makeover last year and the new avatar is larger, more comfortable and serves alcohol. They have a section which looks out to marine drive and is not air conditioned but is infinitely more popular then the indoors section which replaced Jazz. I do miss the red chequered table cloth though.

This was the Bruschetta, i believe they might have been wrong but in any case it was fairly boring whatever it was. 

The paprika potato is an old fav, got this and it was spot on. No complaints here. 

the gnocchi in pesto cream with sun dried tomato was excellent but missing sundried tomato... that would have made this something else. 

The bombay masala, possibly their best selling pizza, certainly one of my fav of all time was excellent. The fact that i had to share it with a table f four was the only down side.

Pizzeria is a mainstay of dining out and is part of many a memory, they have not gotten better or worse with time, they just are.

Although price wise they have lost the plot considering the Bombay Masala comes to you at 700 without taxes, service charge and service tax. But then again on a stormy evening, pouring with rain the place was packed and the people were queued up, all wanting to sit in the non-air-conditioned section.

So what do i know...

Food : 8/10
Service : 7/10
Damage : 2400 for 4 without drinks.

Swati Snacks

Rest : Swati
Meal : Dinner
Loc : Tardeo

Swati is ol faithful and a quick walk round the corner from my place. A bunch of friends wanted to dine there and we walked up to find a 20 min wait on a Monday, they must be making money hand over fist. 

I wont go into the details as i have reviewed them enough times before, suffice to say, they took and got them out to the haute set, the menu is pretty much the greatest hits of all ethnic dishes across from India, comfort food at its most comfortable. 

The Panki Chutney was amazing as usual, we got like three, its a dish that got its popularity via Swati and must not be missed. 

The days special was the Palak Appam & Stew, not bad at all, immensely enjoyable, again we got a bunch. 

the baked masala khichadi is legendary and still amazing with its caramelized onions and baked yoghurt. 

the dahi misal is one of my fav things here and i always get it, in fact if i see misal on a menu anywhere i get it. 

the mysore sada was pretty lame. avoid any south indian dishes here, not their strongpoint. 

mrs J says that the Dahi Puri at Swati is the best she has ever had (and she is from Delhi) and she knows a thing or two about chaat.

overall, if you have not been to Swati, finish reading this and rush there because its an essential Bombay experience, a must do. Its not cheap considering the kind of food they are serving but its quick, comfortable and most importantly hygienic.

Food : 8/10
Service : 8/10
Damage : 1700 for 4.