Salt Water Cafe

Rest : Salt Water Cafe

Meal : Dinner
Loc : Veer Nariman Road, Churchgate, 

Salt Water Cafe, is a worthy replacement for the quite pointless Mocha brand, a much more mature, upmarket offering this one. 

a decentish bread basket, served in typical SWC/Smoke House style. 

started off with a cheese course because it never works in lieu of dessert. a decent mix, cheddar, gorgonzola, swiss with little toasties. 

the poached pear was disappointing, seemed like it was put together very absentmindedly, the bitter sweet and blue cheesy flavours sound good on paper but just didnt come through. 

This was the potato, ricotta, pea gnocchi, easily one of the best things i have tasted every. simply stunning.  doesnt sound like the greatest of dishes but boy does it come together ! this was under appetizers and little brother picked it but they apparently do an entree sized portion as well. highly recommended. 

kickass mojitos 

the lasgana was decent put together family style, which works best when simple, this wasn't bad per se but had a little too much going on, ingredients wise. 

this was the poutine, tasted awesome but was just a tremendously heavy dish, even two people would be hard pressed to finish this. awesome though. 

Overall, the food was pretty good, except for the odd misfire, most of the dishes come together well. They do a really good set of pickled veggies and feta which is a must try (at least it is in the Bandra outlet)

Service was on the money, pretty prompt though it was a busy evening.

Food : 8/10

Service : 8/10

Damage : 3000 with one cocktail   

LPQ

Rest : Le Pain Du Quotidien 

Meal : Late Snack

Loc : Colaba,

A hankering to nibble on cheese struck post dinner and we decided to first head to The Table for a quick cocktail followed by a bite at LPQ. Ordinarily i am not a fan of the place as they have been quite inconsistent, however, i couldn't think of another place to get a cheese platter (Vetro does one but only Italian cheeses) 

okayish bread on the table, i always wonder why their bread is not the most stunning in the city if they bake their own. Also, serving Amul Butter (which i like) is a cop out. Make a little effort, create some of your own butter, god knows its not hard. 

the minestrone bowl was a monster, the soup was allright, not bad at all, hearty tomato base, a little more starchiness would have helped.  

the cheese platter, the reason why we were there. Parmesan, Bleu, Edam, Emmental with a little compote and Ricotta in the bowl. Some olives and a few pieces of toasty bread. The bleu was great, the ricotta was fresh too but out of place for an evening platter. 

The olives didnt taste like the last time. The parmesan certainly did not come off a wheel, the edam was okay and the emmental was old.

Overall, the food was okayish, the service good. The place is expensive, vis a vis what they offer. My suggestion is to have fresh cheese as much as possible and not have a set cheese board, which is a) boring and b) bound to be not so fresh as cheese is kept in stock. 

Food : 7/10

Service : 8/10

Damage 1150 without drinks. 

Indigo Deli Bandra

Rest : Indigo Deli
Meal : Lunch
Loc : Bandra, West. 

Indigo Deli, the old war horse, has a Bandra outlet, this was my second time there for a peaceful little lunch. 

I have always criticized Mrs.J's obsession with the Indigo Deli Pizza but the truth is the pizza is just deranged good and tastes fantastic. We wanted to order quickly so i didnt scan the menu and went with the standard. it was freaking good is what it was, i regret not ordering it more often. 

the penne with char peppered coulis tasted weird, should have stuck to the spagetti, 

the seared mushroom with brie was good as usual, seemed a tad small though.. not sure why that is.

the king of desserts, Belgian Choc with a strong alcohol after taste, winner for sure.

Overall, i am not a huge fan of the decor and its a tad small but the food is good, and its nice to know if you are lost in Bandra you can get some good food nonetheless.

Food : 8/10
Service : 8/10
Damage : 3000 for 3

San Churro

San Churro is a little choclateria that's opened in Bandra and at Mahalaxmi. Tried to go there a few times but each time our plans fell through. Finally we got there with a few friends of ours.  

Churros are a fried pastry, usually served as elongated strips, though predominantly known as a Spanish idea, Churros are known across Latin America and parts of Europe. They are served with sprinkled sugar, or milk or with chocolate sauce, honey etc. Frankly, the ladies at our table loved it, i personally have never been a huge fan and beyond a bite or two did not indulge.

I got myself an affogato which was basically vanilla ice cream with a shot of espresso. Okay, no great shakes. 

This might be the choco loco, not bad but it had a peculiar after taste, which i did not particularly enjoy. There was also the spanish style hot chocolate, which too was okay, except for the after taste. 

The ice cream sundae, decent, not as large as it looked, was demolished quickly. 

While i like desserts and chocolate as much as the next guy, i was not overtly impressed with San Churro, although the girls loved it and going by the packed house, i might be the only person around who found it underwhelming.

Service was quick, friendly but absent minded, they brought out wrong orders twice but it was okay i suppose. 

Food : 6/10

Service : 7/10
Damage : 1500 

Sun Dance Cafe

Rest : Sundance Cafe
Cafe Meal : Lunch
Loc : Eros, Churchgate




Sundance Cafe, evokes nostalgia, having gone to school and college in the area.. it was one of the two spiffy eating joints in the immediate vicinity (Gaylord being the other) It was also a practically unaffordable place to dine at throughout school and junior college.


I lamented its loss a few years ago, however its time had truly passed. After some unfortunate changes in avatar first as the French bistro Chez Vous and another even shorter lived version which i cannot recall, the lease was taken up by the team behind 212 who were smart enough to retain the name and updated the menu to keep up with the times.

Lunch with VB, fellow foodie, writer, ex GQ online editor and budding entrepreneur was scheduled a week in advance and i for one was looking forward to it.

It continues to be a split level eatery and takes a page out of the LPQ book of wood & veneer styling. Its cheerful and fairly comfortable, although the tables are packed fairly tightly. The menu was huge, designed to look like a newspaper.. dishes range from eggs, pancakes and other breakfast goodies to salads, sandwiches, burgers, you name it and they have it. I am not a big fan of huge menus because invariably the larger the menu, the worse its execution.

Started off with the Falafal in little pita pockets, served with labneh and hummus. The falafal was excellent, dont just right, the labneh was pretty good too, the hummus could have been better.

The Baked Camembert was on the money too, served with some bread and massive potato wedges, burnt my mouth a little but boy was it worth it.

I forget what the salad was called but it was rocket leaves, red wine poached pear with yellow peppers and goat cheese i reckon. Very nicely done too, went down quick and easy as it rightly should.

Overall, the place is nice, the menu is too big, perhaps they can go through and remove what does not work eventually but for now you are pretty spoilt for choice. However the place offers something for pretty much everyone and i certainly see the need for more places like it, that do good things and do them well. It has the potential to be a strong alternative to Indigo Deli, Moshe, LPQ if they can be consistent.

The service unfortunately is slow and a little disorganized. The salads took 20 mins to show up and were served with the salads, this is one of the cardinal sins in my opinion of the restaurant biz.

They staff mean well but really need to be trained a little more when it comes to knowing their menu and being able to communicate information. A separate menu for smoothies was on our table and VB spent 5 mins figuring which one he liked only to find out smoothies were not available.

You guys can add a service charge but come on, earn it. I blame management for this.. wake up folks.

Food : 8/10
Service : 6/10
Damage : 2100 without drinks.

Starbucks

So Starbucks finally made it to India after threatening to do so for years. The hype has been immense, with people queuing up to get in a city where the very same people would not queue to vote.

I happened to visit Starbucks after a disastrous lunch at The Pantry and since the car was parked nearby we swung in and found a short queue. The place is massive and has been laid out with a distinctly Indian/Bombay vibe, well done to them on that. That is surely the Tata hand playing in.

Unfortunately they have chosen an insanely high traffic area like Horniman Circle where one would bricks of gold before they would find a parking spot. There is apparently another outlet at the Taj Palace as well as in some mall in Goregaon West.

I had a tomato mozzarella panini which was pretty good although i was not impressed with the choice of bread.

I had the middle sized Mocha Frappucino and it was outstanding. The latte was ordinary and the caramel frapuccino which was not bad but not as good as mine. Id go there again if it were easy to get coffee. Hopefully they will open a few more outlets closer to home.

Damage : 730 for 3 coffees, a sandwich and a muffin.

The Pantry

Rest The Pantry
Meal Lunch
Loc Kala Ghoda

The Pantry is one of the slew of new restaurants that have mushroomed up in last few months. A bunch of other restaurants Paratha Mantra, Kala Ghoda Cafe, Trishna, Oye Kakke  are located in the immediate vicinity, beware there is absolutely no parking.

The Menu is relatively small, they serve breakfast until 1pm, beyond that there are some quiches, salads and pasta. I am all for limited menus that rely on local produce and supplies, ergo a set that changes daily even... is fine by me.

We started with possibly the smallest glass of lemonade ever served in a restaurant. Not sure what the skinting was about but since it was pretty ordinary it was perhaps a good thing it was not a tall glass.

The Gorgonzola with fresh apple was disgusting, left uneaten. A horrid combination if there ever was one.

Seasonal vegetable lasagna too was extremely weak, not much to go on here. I like the dry style but there was just no flavour.

The Marguerite salad was decent, a little too tangy but the sour, sweet tartiness worked well.

The Potato cream pie too was not going anywhere.. nothing going on here. The serving of salsa on the side was used in copious quantities to liven up the dishes as much as possible.

Overall, the place is pleasantly designed, kinda like smoke house deli but thats where the similarity ends. The menu is limited and i am all for limited menus using fresh available produce but that is not borne out by the flavours. The dishes dont work either individually or together and really need a total re-imagining.

Service was quick and friendly.

Food : 3/10
Service : 7/10
Damage : 1300

ITC Hornbys Pavilion

Rest : Hornby's Pavilion
Meal : 3am snack 

Loc : ITC Grand Central, Lalbaugh 

Returning from a night out we decided to stop by the ITC for a much needed meal. The place was totally empty when we walked in, a gentleman out of uniform was doing some maintenance work.. which is bad form.

The tomato soup has usually been pretty stellar, it was on the best things they served at the late hour, however the soup was quite tangy and sweetish, certainly nowhere close to their usual high standard.

the bread basked has not changed in ages. not but not great either.

The veggie burger is actually two burgers, not too bad, come with some home style fries and some really nice relish, more relish would rock.

Overall, the service was quick and friendly however they were very noisy, kept dropping things all over the place. Dishes, silver ware... i know its late and only two people there but no reason to take things lightly.

Food : 7/10
Service : 7/10
Damage : 900

Salt Water Cafe

Rest : Salt Water Cafe
Meal : Dinner
Loc : Near Lilavati Hospital, Bandra West.

Sunday evening a bunch of friends decided to meet, since some of them were coming in from the suburbs, Bandra was the neutral venue. Originally we intended to nosh at Cafe Basilico but as i am friends with a bunch of alchies, the party wanted a change of venue.

I was a little unsure if we would be able to get a table but 9ish on a Sunday evening we walked in and were seated almost immediately at the Salt Water Cafe. Bombay does not seem to be going out in the rain.

Salt Water Cafe is a pleasant, well lit cafe on an outrageously busy street. This was my second or third visit there, the menu is very much like Moshe/Cafe Basilico/Indigo Deli they serve breakfast, sandwiches, pasta some mains and dessert.

We started off with a pitcher of Sangria (2000) a tad sweet but it went down quick. One can also get a pitcher of Margarita, certainly do regret not getting one instead of the Sangria.

The potatoes were surprisingly bland in taste. The crust was cooked nicely but there was just no flavour inside.

The mushrooms were quite disappointing, no great shakes here.

The bocconcini with tomato was not bad, as a salad caprese is pretty simple but its no good if the ingredients aren't fresh. Same thing here, while the cheese was certainly not stale, it wasn't super fresh either. The balsamic onion dressing was yum.

The stars of the show were the two appetizers we ordered, both served in super cool airtight glass jars. Served with impossibly thin and crunchy bread the marinated mushrooms were delicious, they had a hint of sweetness. Brilliant.

The other was the marinated feta... EVIL EVIL stuff, just couldn't stop myself from reaching into the jar again and again. Olive oil and feta, the simplest things are the most amazing.

The Lasagna came with a nice chunk of eggplant, not bad, possibly the best dish of the lot, quite hearty. This one was okay, if you want kickass Lasagna head to Tratorria at the President.

Penne in a Jalapeno cream with sun dried tomatoes. I plain and simple mis-ordered on this one. I was originally going for the mushroom cous-cous with onion stew but somehow i ended up with the Penne. It was weak and just too sour overall, couldn't get beyond that.

Ravioli was with grilled veggies was another downer. Although i didn't have more than two bites, it was just creaminess, no discernible flavour.

The brun pav with ham, was left half uneaten. Good to see a brun make an appearance in a restaurant though.

The risotto was with sun dried tomato, olives, peppers and jalapeno cream. A strong taste, much like the Sicilian risotto at Moshe but not as good. The taste of basil was overpowering but overall it was not bad but certainly not great.

The dessert were the creme brulee which was average and the flour less chocolate fudge with caramel crunch ice cream. The fudge was okay, the little berry compote drizzle was nice, the caramel crunch ice cream was butter scotch without the nuts.

Overall, the place is large and well lit the ambiance is what you would expect of popular, modern eatery.
Food wise however they have a lot of niggles to work out especially with dishes and their overall impact. The menu is imaginative, each dish sounds excellent on paper, the marinated feta/mushrooms are not only great in taste but the presentation is nice as well.

However the creativity is not being translated into strong flavours. Perhaps a slightly leaner menu might allow them to focus a little bit more.

The service was quick, friendly and prompt.

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

Dolce Vita

Rest : Dolce Vita
Meal : Dinner
Loc : Highstreet Phoenix

One of my post movie rituals at Phoenix High Street is to stop by Dolce Vita and then the Food Hall to see if any of my favourites have made an appearance (Strong Bow cider, Sarsons Malt Vinegar, McV's Jaffa Cakes etc) so far i have only found the malt vinegar at both places. Still 2 out of 3 ain't bad.

Post Avengers, whilst strolling around Dolce Vita, we decided to check out their Cafe and give the usual Moshe & Indigo Deli a miss. We could spy an empty table and that sealed the deal.

Dolce Vita is modelled after Dean & Deluca in spirit if not in size, while a cafe within a grocery store is fairly common abroad in India it is quite a rarity. The accent and product range within the store is high end and we assumed the menu would be the same.

However the menu was quite accessible, a world menu with a something for everyone vibe. Usually that is a red flag to me, because i have been to very few restaurants that can truly cater to everyone, including 5 star coffee shops. The mains are more or less European inspired which is different from the pasta heavy options in and around Phoenix. 

Also happened to notice some old school favs, which you don't see around too much nowadays, French Onion soup being one, Creamed Spinach the other. 

 trusty ol tonic for the mrs.

superb ice tea, was so good i had another one right away

The French Onion  i had to order, thankfully the garlic toast came on the side, i have seen a few places set it afloat in the soup which makes it a bit of a soggy mess. The soup itself was good a little more flavour would have made it absolutely awesome.

Mushrooms stuffed with goat cheese were a no brainer, not bad either, i added a little extra balsamic vinegar on em and it went from good to great.

The Caprese was pretty good too, them Mediterranean folk really know how to keep it simple, caprese is a travel staple for us when in Europe. It came with a little balasmic drizzle, some flecks of pesto and some herbs. nicely done

The couscous salad should have been the first indicator of things to come, this was literally the biggest salad i have seen in this country. romaine, green beans, squash, olives and of course couscous.Not bad, a summery salad.

The wife uncharacteristically ordered a burger which she liked from the get go. Unfortunately this was again too big a dish, the giant bowl of crispy fries was brilliant but had to be left alone as well..

The burrito, served with sour cream and salsa, was nice. They were out of guacamole and i noticed the hub hub in the corner of the restaurant which indicated to me that they did not have fresh guacamole. I saw them trying to find some avocados in the restaurant but they weren't ready either.

A little disappointing but ive seen the same complaint made at (Sanchos, the erstwhile Taco Fresco, Sammy Sosa, only Starboard gets avocado on demands.. but then that's the Taj) Thankfully they did not try to fob us off with avocado paste (which the wife uses when avocados aren't available)

My only complaint here was that there were no refried beans in the burrito just rice.

I was far too stuffed to get the cheese course to finish off, the wife preferred to go with the server's recommendation the White Chocolate Fondant, the menu says its served with whisky ice cream but i think it was served with plain ol Vanilla.

I must say this is probably one of the best desserts available out there, up there with the Belgian Chocolate at Indigo Deli. Beyond delicious, this one is a must have. The wife wolfed it down and she is not a fan of white chocolate.

Overall, the space is decent and the menu attractive. The focus and style is definitely on the European side for the mains without being too Mediterranean which is refreshing to see.  

I have seen crowds there most of the time, so the experiment must be working. However they should surely market it a little as a stand alone restaurant/ dining option as the food is good and should have a larger audience.

The service is warm and friendly but the dishes can take a little time to come around.

For the carnivores, they have a butcher shop where one can pick up meat or sea food  and the chef will cook it as per your desire. They had some New Zealand Beef on sale, so steak aficionados, should check it out.

The  pricing is on the higher side but cheaper than an Indigo Deli, so not a bank breaker. I did not notice till we were leaving that they have a full bar and cocktail menu beyond the wine list.

Food : 8/10
Service : 8/10
Damage : 2500 for 2 without drinks.