China Garden

Rest : China Garden

Meal : Dinner
Loc : Kemps Corner.


Once in a while hunger pangs strike and one wishes to go out but not make much of an effort. So we decided to walk up the 10 mins to China Garden. 5 of the 10 were spent on the long climb up to the restaurant as if it were an ancient monastery and we were looking for answers.

CG is a land mark south bombay restaurant and part of the memories of just about everyone that has lived here over the years. It also has to be one of the busiest restaurants in the city this, i have been here on regular week days and found it 90% full at most times. 

started off with a quick appetizer 

and one for the Mrs. the Kung Pao Potato. Not the most authentic restaurant this is but boy does the food taste like it ought to. 

this was the paneer in the blackbean sauce i believe. whatever the hell that means. 

crisp pan fried noodles. 

So the food was good. it hasnt changed in the 2.5 decades i have been going there, more or less tastes the same i reckon. i dont even recall ever getting different dishes, the orders too are the same and i think this is true for all the other diners too.

The service is a little retarded at times, they could not find me chopsticks forever but its not too bad.

Comfort food this. Worth a try.

Food : 8/10
Service : 7/10
Damage : 1800 for 2 with a beer.

Prego

Rest : Prego

Meal : Dinner
Loc : CR2, Nariman Point.

Prego is the fifth Italian restaurant that has opened doors in the last twelve months, not only that its located a floor below the popular albeit direction less Spaghetti Kitchen. Considering not one of the new entrants has set my world on fire i was a little sceptical going in.

Prego replaces the atrocious Ruby Tuesday, which was around for much too long. The space is completely different now, well lit and a beige zen/armani casa aesthetic. The seating is mixed,  tables, couches and raised bar tables. With this much thought put into decor it was disappointing to see a tacky menu printed on glossy paper with pictures of food.

The Mojito was served in a tall glass but was a tad too sweet but still fairly delicious. A little less mix would have helped as the rum was completely overpowered. 

the strawberry margarita was nice and tangy but should have come with a spoon ! 

the bread was warm, delicious, the butter was a frozen solid and we had to wrestle with it, the olive oil, herb and chilli mixture was unimpressive . 

The Minsestrone was hearty with heavy flavours and constructed around the tomato broth, authentic, probably not but sure to go over well with us Indians. 

The antipasti platter was totally kickass. the caprese, the stunning olives in balsamic vinegar, the bleu cheese and the crusty bread, stuffed peppers and zucchini and artichokes. All top notch. highly recommend this as a great way to get started. 

The Risotto cheese courgettes were recommended but i didnt  like the sound of the idea. Oily, kind of tasteless but served with an excellent dip. Avoid. 

The aglio olio was good, cooked to perfection. A few rocks of parmesan, some sun dried tomato would have been an amazing addition but it was good nonetheless.

The pizza was good, it had a sweet, sour tang to the sauce which was kind of interesting and it was super thin. Like anorexic.

The tiramisu was a tad too firm and creamy but a decent attempt.

Prego is a warm, inviting space and the menu is fairly straightforward and safe. There is no regional specialisation or ground breaking experiments, instead they rely on doing old favourites well, think Olive Garden. My only complaint is that the food is a little too oily but other than that it should appeal to the whole family.

The prices are competitive and this makes them a decent addition and i reckon they should be able to hold their own against Spaghetti Kitchen. A meal for two without drinks should be about 1500-1800.

Please Note :I was invited to the meal and did not pay for it. 

Trader Vic's Mai Tai Lounge

Rest : Trader Vic's Mai Tai Lounge
Meal : Pre-Movie Cocktails & Nosh
Loc : Phoenix Mills, Lower Parel

Trader Vic's used to be a popular name back in the 1960's when Polynesian themed Tiki bars were en vogue you can even see one in an episode of Mad Men. Over the years they died out but have now bounced back.

. 

Located right opposite the PVR box office, the space is partially out doors and but is not as much a tiki bar as it should be or could be. It reminded me of another theme bar i used to frequent the Bahama Breeze.

With an hour to kill before Man of Steel, my friend Mr. Samant decided to pop in for a round of cocktails, especially since the women folk weren't joining us and it was Sunday which meant i could imbibe with the sun up. 

I started with a Mai Tai which is pretty much their signature cocktail, while i dont drink Rum by itself i do enjoy rum cocktails and this one was pretty decent. Since its pleasant to drink, it goes quite quickly. 

The menu is quite disparate and the theme is not quite evident. However some of the dishes do look interesting enough to try. We went with these mushrooms which were fried and stuffed with cheddar i think and jalapenos. Hot, hot but not a bad way to start. 

The tiki falafal burger seemed quite enterprising and was quite good as a burger but fell a short as a middle eastern adventure. A dash more tahini and some hummus instead of the cheese would make more sense.But good nonetheless.

I haven't tried enough to really get a grip on what their total offering is but  if they use their imagination a little bit then the place has potential.

I like the half open half enclosed feel to the place, its a relaxing way to spend an hour or two, especially before a movie.

Food : 7/10
Service : 8/10
Damage : 2000 for 2 with a cocktail.