Hao Chi

Had the opportunity to try out the brand new HaoChi at The Sun n Sand with Chef Mehrishi and two celebs, the god of all digital things @anaggh and long distance runner/ magazine publisher @girishmallya 

Hao Chi is a dimly lit but comfortable space, not overtly Asian or European, it straddles a comfortable area between the two and serves contemporary Chinese. There is an extensive tea menu which is du jour for a new Chinese restaurant nowadays. 

Jasmine Tea, delicious, delicate, fresh. 

the crystal dumplings were a good start for the meal. 

Tofu in garlic and spicy salt, enjoyed it, ingredients worked together quite well. 

the Lotus Root was a surprising dish and one i wouldn't order ordinarily. but fortunately we got a chance to taste it because it was terrific. star dish in my opinion. Its theoretically like a stir fried starter but it was pretty good 

'The pan fried vegetable dumpling was pretty good but a tad on the spicy side. 

the veg special soup was not very special and rather bland. 

the butter fried rice was interesting, not a dish i have had before and enjoyed immensely. very different and slightly weird but in a good way. 

asparagus in ginger and spring onion was the entree, not bad but not memorable. 

the orange creme brulee was terrific. absolutely loved it and hated sharing it. 

Overall, i like the space and i think for someone who loves Chinese food its an interesting place to try, i didnt get far enough into the menu to ascertain how contemporary it really is but they are quite serious about not going to the Indo-Chinese route. From what i tasted, i think it walks the talk but in the end all that matters was that the food tastes good.

A fine afternoon well spent. No complaints.

Rasovara Rajdhani

A lot of the past month has been spent in and out of phoenix mills, shopping for a family wedding. Having been to pretty much every restaurant we finally decided to head to Rasovara, which was the final piece of the puzzle. 

we walked in around 2.15 i reckon, the place was just about packed but had two or three tables and we were seated right away. 

the dhokla was terrific, the fried patty thing was good but of late, i have lost my taste for fried food (not dieting, no siree bob) 

the kachori was terrific, pity more than one would ruin the appetite. 

the chaas was nice, i personally prefer it real cold. 

the dal baati was pretty good too but again, would kill the appetite. 

Rasovara, is the upper echelon of thali dining, and they dont really scrimp on mch, the veggies that day were a yoghurt and okra, gujju style aloo amongst other things. 

went for the basundi for my dessert.

overall, the place is def swanky and they continue to do the appetizer first and then main course approach which i personally don't like, especially since their appetizers are pretty good. 

i do think they should go back to the traditional system of serving. the quantity is simply staggering and  daresay there is possibly too much and one must pace oneself. while serving too, they staff will insist we try and they dont take no for an answer easily. 

at 600+ the price is certainly on the higher side, possibly the most expensive thali outside of a 5star, but going by volume, a person with an appetite would not feel like they have overpaid. Indulgent but certainly worth it once in a while. 

Long & Short

Last week i got a sneak peek at a new addition to the Bombay drinking scene. I was invited to check out a new bar which replaces the Intercontinental's Corelone. The new gastrobar is called Long and Short. Designed to be part living room, part fine dine with book shelves, photographs, couches as well as a long bar. Thankfully, they have used the open space outside and its a decent place to come smoke a cigar.

The food menu is pretty exhaustive but not confined to any particular cuisine. Greatest hits from across the world, comfort food with some twists on some popular dishes.  

The cocktail menu does a few interesting things, the Mojito (traditional and watermelon)

The spicy house flatbread was delicious, crunchy and tasty. 

The Bun was delicious and very tasty, even the non-vegetarians enjoyed it. 

the strawberry mojito. 

an interesting take on traditional whiskey cocktails, this one was mixed with whiskey, maple syrup which works way better than one would imagine. 

the puffs were amazing, super light and very tasty, a lot like the pizzas from Indigo Deli. gone almost immediately.

this was actually a nacho masquerading as a fondue. pretty good. 

the sushi was okay, not the greatest., 

terrific paneer biryani with mirchi ka salan and raita, kickass execution. 

a fat and very tasty veggie burger. 

the peach melba cheese cake was terrific, highly recommended. 

the green apple deconstruct, just what i would expect, since the crew likes to mess around with desserts. pretty terrific this one too. 

rocky road pancake mess, looks like a sundae that has been flattened. not a fan of marshmallows but people seemed to like it. 

Overall, i had a terrific time, the food was very good, they menu does not follow a specific cuisine but the theme is to do lots of street food and to play with the form and construction, since its all executed well it works well.

The drinks aren't too bad. the only thing i did not like personally was the lighting. The outdoors section is great, good place to go out and get a cigar or a smoke. 

The pricing is set not to break the bank although it is certainly not cheap. The good food, drink, price combo makes it quite a formidable entrant to the dining scene.