Sunday Brunch @ JW Cafe

Rest : JW Cafe

Meal : Sunday Brunch
Loc : JW Marriott Hotel, Sahar. Belly of the International Airport

This past Sunday we got to partake in the Sunday brunch at the new J.W. Marriott, Sahar, which is right in the belly of the international airport. While i am not one to travel far for a bite, on Sunday, the route drive was about 25 mins and my parents were residing at the hotel to boot, so it was a decision made fairly easy, since we had to go pick them up. (Now, justifications done, onward)

The Juhu JW Marriott, is a massive property with half a dozen restaurants and bars and the new Hotel is much smaller with fewer dining options, however, they have done a stupendous job with the rather boringly named JW Cafe, which is way better than the gargantuan but ultimately middling Lotus Cafe. 

While its pretty, well furnished and large its not quite the centerpiece that Lotus Cafe is. Anyway, enough comparison. There is a lovely section by the windows and insist on table, 1-6, which are by the doors leading to the garden. Well lit yet offering a semblance of privacy as they are a bit away from the main dining section.

Now, even as brunches go, this was one massive spread, food was laid out in every corner and you were not more than 10 feet away from a bite. You place your order at a counter and they serve you on the table which beats having to queue.

I started with the soup, the choice was a clear Thai soup or a Tom Yum. I chose the Tom Yum which was close to a Tom Kha, with a strong coconut base. It was excellent, despite the base, it was spicy, hot deliciousness topped of with some mushrooms. 

Next up, the Mezze section, was end to end with hummus, tabuleh, ganoush, labneh, moutabal as well as rice and some more meat dishes. It was just wow, easily one of the star turns, not a single thing that was not up to the mark. They even had a chef warming pita and making falafal pockets if one were not inclined to do so.

The falafals too were kind of different. The texture, shape and color varied from from what i have usually consumed. Brilliant still however, i kinda like the discs better than the rotund falafal balls.

The anti pasti section was adequate with peppers, squash, eggplant, tomato but the artichokes were the stars here. brilliant isnt the word. 

Next up another star turn, the Italian section was populated with this stunning potato with some green onion was mind mindbogglingly good but when compared to its neighboring dish 

the mushroom ragout, it became at once pretty ordinary. If i had to pick a single dish that stood out i would say it was this and that is saying something. It was like some mushroom god had granted flavors on a plate.

they have a sushi section of course but its strictly okay, atleast the vegetarian section is. 

the pineapple curry which i chose on noodles was again staggering, just the right mix of sweet and spicy and bursting with flavor, this was second only to the ragout and NOT by much. 

they have a small section doing tacos and nachos and it doesnt quite work, its neither authentic nor is it fully local a la cream center and kind of falls flat.

i avoided the indian appetizers but took a little taste from Mrs Jain's Indian selection and found it to be decent, the dal was good the paneer average.

The pizza looked the part, this was the four cheese, perfect crust around the edges but limp in the middle, served a tad cold and largely tasteless. 

the spaghetti was much delayed in getting to our table and it didnt quite incorporate what we wanted (kinda important when you its made to order) It wasn't bad just not what we asked for. 

the egg benedict was lonely and under salted and kind of disappointing. 

the waffles which we chose with blueberry and maple syrup was on the money. should have picked up a side of some fruits with that but i wasnt quite thinking healthy. 

the cheese selection was adequate with Parmesan, Cheddar, Swiss, Edam and Feta. A stronger cheese (Bleu, Gorgonzola) was missed. Also couldn't find any olives around so i improvised by stealing some from the Italian live counter. 

the dessert section was massive with everything under the sun although at most buffet's i prefer getting ice cream or sorbet. 

so i chose the kulfi rabdi falooda which was great but kept hurting my tooth and it was impossible to eat easily with the massive spoon and tiny cup but somehow i managed. 

they also had a home made gulkand ice cream which wasn't half bad. Mrs Jain tried most of the western desserts and chocolates which im afraid i didn't have a go at. 

Overall, its a pretty massive spread, possibly the biggest in the city with a lot of hits and the odd miss which is rare and usually the other way round. A few of the sections arent even pictured like the chaat and the Indian appetizers, Chinese etc. I think a South Indian section would be a good strong addition, a dosa counter with curd rice and rasam is surely a good idea. Personally, i dont see the need for Chaat at brunch but then , thats just me.

Beyond being good, the Middle Eastern, Thai & Italian are proper, restaurant grade preparations and not making up the numbers which is likely in a spread this wide. In fact, when i went for a second helping of the mezze and the pineapple curry i went from man to pig.

The pasta section is slow and needs to speed up and get the orders right while the pizza sections needs a bit of a revamp. This would be a popular section, so hope they fix it up soonish.

Also i think their selection of beverages is a little ordinary, with tetrapack juices and soft drinks out of big bottles. I think cans and fresh juices is the way to go and would be far more appropriate.

From what i gather, the carnivores would find this to be even more exciting, as they have Shawarma, Australian Leg of Lamb and Alaskan Crab which is surely a novelty and a massive satay section with various things on a stick.  So rejoice.

 

Besides the decent ambiance and superlative food, the single best thing about the brunch was there was not one, and i mean not a SINGE kid running around screaming or being obnoxious.

They were all hanging with clowns and balloons and slides. Not something you would see at another brunch and that alone is worth the price of admission.

I went straight up to the room for a quick nap. 

Food : 9/10

Service : 8/10

Damage : 2015 + taxes without booze. 

The Sahib Room

Rest : The Sahib Room
Meal : Dinner
Loc : Palladium 

The Palladium is def one of the more interesting new hotel spaces, having dined at their other restaurants i was happy to accept their invite to check out their new Indian restaurant. 

The space is what you would expect from an upscale fine dine, although they fortunately don't go all native. 

Kim's Game, named after Kipling's great novel, was a little too sweet, a dash of bitters would have perhaps tightened it up. 

i had asked for an old fashioned but they got me a whiskey sour which was just as well because this one was pretty terrific. 

the amuse bouche was a little moong dal bhajiya, which i am not personally a big fan off. 

the lotus stem tikki thing was pretty awesome. i have seen a lot of lotus in asian cooking and only the more courageous or high end Indian cuisine restaurants will bring lotus stems to the fore.

the gucchi ki tikki was brilliant, there was  a really strong after taste of mushroom which was pretty terrific and one doesn't see mushrooms in this form very often.

We got tasting portions of a terrific black dal which was enjoyable. There was a kalonji wala baigan which was in near perfect imitation of a mirchi ka salan . There was a paneer khada masala was spicy and pretty good as was the Jaipuri aloo.

The purvanchal ka saag i didnt like much because i am not a saag guy.

Their selection of breads is also pretty impressive, the garlic naan was terrific and the zaffrani taftan is something i haven't had before. the warqi malai paratha was a little sweet. 

the biryani was pretty decent and went well with the salan and the daal. The burhani raita though was not so great. 

the rabdi was okay but the khubani ka meetha was tops. 

Overall, the food is pretty good, they could do with a slightly wider selection, i find it slightly limited at this point. The dishes over all are not heavy on the gravy or cream but a lot dryer which is a positive change. A comparable meal anywhere else would leave one feeling like a beached whale. 

Although execution is different to your regular North Indian fine dines, I also think that they played it safe with the menu, there are really no Raj era dishes despite the theme which i think is an opportunity lost.

However The Sahib Room stands out in what is a very competitive fine dine space.  

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. 

Formaggio - New to the neighbourhood

Name : Formaggio

Loc : Cumballa Hill, Opp 36, Oak & Barley
Meal : Dinner

While walking up to Moshe's @ Crossword from my parents i saw to my surprise that the Falafal Hummus House is no more and has been replaced by the two day old Formaggio. A little dismayed as I have had many a meal delivered from Falafel in my time of need.

So we decided to skip Cafe Moshe and dived in. The place is small and split levelled, pre-dominantly white (even the exposed brick wall is white washed) Its not a full fledged restaurant as much as it is a hole in the wall.

With a name like Formaggio i was expecting lots of Italian and a cheese platter (ha!) but the menu is fairly expansive and covers a lot of ground. They serve something for everyone with soups, sandwiches, pasta, pizza, north Indian and Mezze.

The cream of mushroom was a little runny and did not have any mushroom in it (which is super annoying to me personally) it tasted okay, but a little truffle oil perhaps or some chopped mushroom and a little less water would go a long way. 

Mrs J got the taco, which was a lot of lettuce and some beans, passable. 

The falafal wrap was pretty good, not soggy, contained most of the staples, no complaints here. 

Another Mrs J order, the potato wedges were microwaved hot and all i could taste was seasoning. 

The place is just two days old and yet to get its bearings, majority of the diners that evening seemed to be friends of the owners. Most things on the menu were not available yet (sandwiches, mezze) so they have not gone the whole nine yards in the kitchen yet.

Overall, its a neighbourhood restaurant that tries to do a lot of things, while i did not try that much i believe its going to be a Gujju interpretation of most dishes (which is not a slur in anyway, the Gujju versions certainly have their place in the sun and i love the stuff once in a while )

The Jains in the area will surely rejoice. I probably will not go there again but will certainly call up to order stuff, especially their mezze which they seem to have a decent handle on.

Food : 6/10
Service : 6/10
Damage: 550

Sunday Brunch

Rest : Kebabs N Kurries
Meal : Sunday Brunch
Loc : ITC Grand Central, Lower Parel 

Kebabs n Kurries for the longest time were off the Sunday Brunch train, although my last visit was quite a while ago, i called them to set up a table for two when i was informed that it would be a set meal which i found quite interesting. 

 

The menu offers 2 kebabs 2 curries, a dal served with a selection of breads, a rice dish and a dessert. One can order wines, sangrias or soft drinks as well. By all standards, that is quite a lot of food, there is no way you dont come out stuffed. 

The Pudina Paneer was just like i remember it, big cubes of paneer with some pudina chutney on it, burnt on one side, brilliant. The Aloo too was just delicious. The two together were an awesome combination.

The cold butter milk too was pretty good. Just the way to start the meal. 

 

i love how they get you a big dish of onions and a heap of pappads to begin, you never have to call out for em again. their selection of pickles and chutney is also reasonably interesting.

The selection of dishes was interesting, a traditional dryish curry, a gravy, a dal. Offers enough for most palates.

Unfortunately, the dishes were quite weak, The curry dish Kehkashan had a distinct sweet spicyness that a South Indian restaurant doing North Indian cuisine serves up.The Makhna Korma was just plain bad, didnt taste like anything whatsoever,  it has no place on the menu and i hope they drop it immediately.

The dal bukhara was pretty good, no complaints here, was the only thing that salvaged the dinner more or less.

The tarkari pulao is quite intricate and even flavoured, considering how heavy the rest of the dishes are its quite a relief. 

boring and not so fresh gulab jamun for dessert followed by

 an equally boring Kulfi. 

Overall, the place is huge and it was more or less packed, the good food mag was holding their fest at the ITC and it might have been crazy because of it, however they are usually pretty busy anyway. The meal started out well, the kebabs were great, however the mains were a disaster save for the dal.

Neither of the veggies worked and it didnt make for a very happy meal post that. The desserts too were a total let down, absolutely no quality or thought went into the dessert. Its better to serve their amazing Kulfi Falooda in a glass, it makes life easier for all involved, it tastes great and does not hurt from being made in the morning and having to sit around. 

Also, i think having a one price luncheon which is the same for vegetarians and non-vegetarians is fine by me but to charge those not drinking their bubbly/wine the same is a bit unfair, i wish they could sort that out. . Perhaps they can also offer choices with the mains, I would have picked their Kez Kazaa which is what i usually get, instead of the ridiculously bad Makhna Korma.

At 2300 with taxes its quite even for a Sunday brunch, they give you plenty to eat and treat you quite well. Unfortunately they do need to work out their offering, if two of their mains are not going to work and dessert is so weak they might as well become Just Kebabs. 

Very disappointed  considering my ten visits before i have never had a cause to complain until now

Food : 6/10
Service : 8/10
Damage : 4600 for two