Soup Spoon - Singapore

I love the Soup Spoon and make it a point to swing by whenever i can. A native Singapore brand, they have grown over the years and with good reason. Started by college mates it only makes sense they things at a fairly reasonable price. Their 12.50 lunch special is a steal (soup+ sandwich+drink)

The hearty minestrone is meatless and freaking delicious. Rather than go bland or stay on the neutral/bland side, their version is a little stronger to taste and the added kidney beans really make this rock. Much love for this bowl. One day i am going to try their large bowl.. 

their half sandwich is served with a rather boring salad but the sandwich itself is perfect. the wet lettuce is a distinctly Asian touch but it works nonetheless. 

the ice tea is less sugar and more tea.

Overall, they are a good comfy place to have a healthy lunch which is value for money. service is almost immediate and you can be in and out in 20 mins. 

Cafe Basilico on a Sunday Afternoon

Rest : Cafe Basilico

Meal : Sunday Lunch
Loc : Bandra West

I have always been a big of Cafe Basilico and oddly i find myself at the one in Bandra quite often, cannot remember the last time i had gone out to the one in Colaba which is at best a poor cousin (though it came first) 

So on a pretty relaxed Sunday afternoon the five of us found ourselves seated in their out doors section poring over the menu. Also on hand was a waiter who rather irritatingly punctuated every sentence with a 'yeah okay' 

although my luck has been terrible when it comes to mushroom soups, a good mushroom soup is all about delicate balance. I decided to live dangerously and was finally rewarded with a decent bowl, a few chunks of mushroom would have been welcome. 

nice little glass of lemon iced tea. 

the bruschetta was brilliant, fresh, olive oily with bits of cheese,immensely enjoyable. 

The mezze platter was not bad, not a fan of the presentation which just confuses, however all the items were good and the flavours great. 

the pita/lavash they served with it was inadequate, just regular pita is fine, no need to grill and experiment so much.

the pizza was hilarious, yep, hilarious. it tasted pretty good, but every one was expecting a pie and out comes a slice and jaws dropped. i think they should mention its a huge slice which is fine for one or two but when you order one with 5 diners on the table. its leads to every man for himself.

the mushroom and spinach risotto was no good. it used to be very different, their regular mushroom risotto was sublime, this was just plain bad.

The Tagine was served in a little earthen pot, which i guess has to do when in a pinch, however it was more of a tomato broth then a tagine, some more veggies and less liquid would have been much better. 

the tagine was served with a side of cous cous which was pretty ordinary 

the pumpkin ravioli tasted way way better than i thought it would, creamy, heavy with just a hint of pumpkin.

the dessert selection at Basilico is vast and being caught out by a NY, Philly & Strawberry cheesecake, we decided to bypass and go for a Tiramisu which was very good

and a gooey chocolate cake which was ordinary. 

Overall, the food was pretty good, a few misses but otherwise okay. Basilico continues to be popular because the space is relaxed and consistent. The service was scatter brained and slowish.

Food : 8/10
Service : 7/10
Damage : 6000 for 5. 

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.

Ice Cream Works

Rest : ice cream works 

Meal : Lunch
Loc : Phoenix Mills 

We were in Phoenix Mills to watch Looper, a super disappointing movie, to wash its weak taste out of the mouth we chose Ice Cream Works.  My last visit was pretty good (here) and we were hoping it would be just the tonic to salvage the afternoon. 

As mentioned before the most disappointing thing about Ice Cream Works is there name, while they do a boat load of Ice Cream & Yoghurt they are also do food which is actually pretty good. 

They do an interesting little Penne which is in a Marinara but also has Pesto, pretty good, served piping hot. 

The Pizza was wafer thin and delicious, although we chose Mozzarella, there was really very little Mozzarella on there. A bit disappointing.

The chocolate monstrosity chosen by my fellow diners was two scoops of chocolate, a cheery, some chocolate cereal i think as well as a Brownie. Not bad, not bad at all but a simple minded choice considering all else they have on offer.

I wish they would offer some size options like a Large or Regular so people can order smaller sized servings of some of their desserts. The truly interesting ones are just not for single chaps.

Food : 8/10
Service : 8/10
Damage : 1800 

LPQ

Rest: Le Pain Quotidien
Loc : Dhanraj Mahal, Colaba
Meal : Sunday Snackish

A Sunday evening dinner with friends, we decided to give LPQ a shot again, my previous visits were not terribly impressive (here) Ill keep this short and sweet.

The minestrone was not bad, not great either however. Passable.

The cold red hummus tartine, is something i have had everytime and its always been the better dish of the lot. It has a unique taste, enjoyable.

The Ravioli was bland with no redeeming qualities whatsoever. Total waste.

The Lasagna was green, spring summery and quite light for a lasagna.

Overall, LPQ continues to underwhelm, the place was barely full for a Sunday evening and the service was okay. They did take forever in getting the food out to the table. Not great but certainly better than previous visits (which should not be difficult)

Food : 7/1o
Service : 7/10
Damage : 2000

Ice Cream Works

Rest : Ice Cream Works
Meal : Lunch
Loc : High Street Phoenix

Yesterday at lunch Mrs.J & i could not figure out where to go, the usual delis & moshe were out of the question.We were looking for something new or at the very least something interesting. Without purpose we drove to Phoenix Mills hoping something would show. Cafe Zoe was out, Hard Rock Cafe was considered but was too out of the way.

We thought of going to Rajdhani but their menu for today had too much palak & methi.

So we arrived at Ice Cream Works, as the name suggests & having been to the Chowpatty branch i like most people assumed all they do is ice-cream. However they also do proper food, I would have to thank lil Roxanne Bamboat for turning me on to this with her post.

The menu while not too expansive has plenty to keep one interested. It includes onion rings, french fries served in innovative ways, sandwiches, pasta and a bunch of pizzas. Pretty straight forward food, which is also easy to screw up.

The first thing we went for was the chilli cheese toast which is actually served like a tartine. Very nice, with pickled peppers and beet on the side, it was delicious. I would however like to complain about serving chips with the sandwich. That is such a kids birthday part a la 1988. French fries would go nicely, or ditch the side and give us a bigger portion.

The other thing we got was the margarita pizza with mozzarella. Very nice, the crust was thin as can be (popularized by Indigo Deli) it could have done with a little more fresh mozzarella, why skimp out ?

This was the chocolate something, i cannot recall the name ( so many choices, it was all a blur) but it was chocolate ice-cream, a chocolate brownie, with chocolate sauce, chocolate cereal. What can i say but hell yeah.

Besides, the scores of Sundae's they have a score of ice -cream by the scoop as well as yoghurt and make your own cheesecake. In all honesty, it can be a little overwhelming especially on the first visit (taste the paan ice cream and also the strawberry cheesecake)

We picked up some to carry home, it was packed nicely with dry ice and did not melt much on the way back. We got Chocolate & Strawberry.

Overall, the food is good, the desserts great, they do need to fix a few things, the portions are a tad small, just a little more and it would be spot on. Potato chips with a sandwich is just not done so that needs to go.

A few weeks ago i happily entered Haagen Daazs and not only was i severely disappointed but i was actually ripped off (read more here) Had i known then, what i know now, i could have gone next door to Ice Cream works and pretty much had a great time.

I intend to return with a group of friends to try out the insane 8 scoop sundae or the 12 scoop fondue with accompaniments.

Food : 8/10
Service: 8/10
Damage : 900 + 450 for the take home ice cream.

Le Mill - Cafe Pico

Le Mill is an oddly located store which  houses furniture, clothing, a  florist and an outlet of Cafe Pico.

Cafe Pico has lately been on an expansion spree and have also set up at the horrid Phoenix Market City.

Anyway, Le Mill is located in Masjid Bunder, which is actually about 10 mins from where i live but having never been there it took us about 20 to locate the place.

Located in an old mill, the place is a smashing, if we had more offices like this, the city would be a lot more fun to work in. The mill structure has been retained and the old worn out industrila motif has been carried significantly forward.

The architect was a year junior to me in high school. 

The menu is plenty interesting, like most popular restaurants/cafes in the city, it too has a strong Mediterranean bent.

The salads especially are very interesting and on the money.

We were there on Sunday and they were serving a Sunday Brunch which was culled from the menu.

A little disappointed by that but it is what it is.  The staff however were willing to get us items for the menu if we so wished (we didn't, i hate pushing chefs to do things the don't want to)

The Fritata, was okay. Fits in well with the menu but not the strongest of flavours.

The Orange Juice was prfct, had more than a glass, and it would have made a kickass mimosa (one should definetely try a Mimosa at Indigo Deli made with Malta Oranges, smashing.

The rest of the brunch was the usual suspects, a bunch of egg preparations, french toast, muesli, eggs sunny side up.

 Smashing pancakes with a side of maple syrup. I wish they served some fruit compote but they didnt have any. We made our own little strawberry spread with fresh strawberries they were serving.

This was the poached figs with pecorino i think, again not bad at all, bitter leaves, sweet figs and a regulation cheese. Not bad.

The Barley salad with some cherry tomato, french beans in a sort of lemony dressing, was very summery. Went back for seconds.

 They also serve mains made to order, the one we shared was a pesto main, which was not too bad, a little under salted but that was easily remedied.

Overall, The Cafe Pico is a victory of design, rather than the usual, overly laid out spaces one tends to visit nowadays, this one is the other way, quite under designed which makes it very interesting  to be in and around.

However, the food is imaginative and actually pretty decent, worth a go, perhaps the other locations will be in keeping with the theme. Price wise, the restaurant offers way more value for money than similar places and we need more evenly priced locations in this city.

Maybe its compensation for the trek one must make to find it.

Food : 7/10
Service : 7/10
Damage : 800pp for brunch Non Alcoholic Beverages (250 for OJ & a can of Sprite)

(Something is seriously wrong with my template, ergo why the pics and text are a little out of whack)

Indigo Deli Opens in Bandra

Was fortunate enough to get a preview of the new Indigo Deli in Bandra which is set to open its doors officially from tomorrow. The eatery has taken over Da Vinci as well as Gostana and is going to bring some snazz to the Bandra dining scene. Sorry no pictures this time. Images are courtesy of Indigo Deli. 

Indigo Deli is an immensely popular brand with two locations (three if you count the Cafe) their absence in Bandra has been felt for a while, although there are a myriad options, most of them are hit and miss and the closest Bandra has come to ID is Cafe Basilico.

So i think the Bandra folks should rejoice and revel.

The space is largish and fairly well laid out with a massive open kitchen. There are smaller tables for twosomes which an be put together for larger ones, the booths are quirky and saucer like and there is some outdoors seating as well.

Looks like it will make a brilliant Sunday place. I spent two hours noshing up with some wonderful company and wonderful food.

For Indigo Deli loyalists, the menu will seem familiar but it has enough dishes to give it, its own identity. They serve an all day breakfast and the Eggs on the Beach (610) a take on the traditional Eggs Benedict come highly recommended.

The Asparagus Artichoke & Arugula salad (365)came with a ranch/cranberry dressing, was pretty good i thought until i had a taste of the Poached Pear in Wine with caramelized Gorgonzola (365). It was just something else,  I spent more time picking at this while continued to grudgingly share my salad, just brilliant and i highly recommend this at any of the IDelis.

The baked mac & cheese (485) was good as always, also had a taste of the famed Indigo Deli pizzas but this margerita (445) was somehow very different. Thin as always but bursting with favour, couldn't eat just one, no siree bob.

A Chillee Cheese Toast is also on the menu, however i didn't get a chance to taste it, i did taste the charred asparagus & feta in a roomali. Brilliant, quite a huge roomali it was but pretty good.

The Dessert was okay, the crème brulee (285) was so so, the Tiramisu (285) was good and the Blueberry Cheesecake (345) was outstanding. The Dulce De Leche was much missed...

Overall, it was a great evening, Rahul Akerkar is not only a knowledgeable man with a great sense of humour, he is also a generous and attentive host & a cigar smoker which is a thumbs up in my book.

One of the first restaurants i went to with my friends as a kid was Under the Over at Kemps Corner where Rahul was the chef. Twenty odd years later, here we are. I hope to be at some more of these openings in the times to come.

Indigo Deli & Bandra are going to be great friends.

Indigo Deli.
Ground Floor, Fatima Villa. Just up the street from Golds Gym.

Rest : Irish House
Meal : Dinner
Loc : Phoenix Mills, Lower Parel

Phoenix Mills continues to get bigger and bigger as an entertainment venue, with something new opening there every other week. A few months ago, Irish House, a pub themed bar opened its doors, however i have been unable to  check it out as my visits to Phoenix dropped significantly once a Croma opened at Warden Road.

Phoenix Mills is ever changing and i was quite surprised with some of them.. Bombay Blue &  Noodle Bar have a new avatar, Noodle Bar especially now looks like Suzie Wong's Whorehouse. Wonder if the food has gotten any better.

On our way back from a meeting in the burbs, we figured we'd have a quick drink and a bite before heading home and decided to stop at Phoenix. Didnt realise it was Valentines Day and ergo had to listen to a few songs we would be happy NEVER to hear again (Glenn Medieros singing the song that shall not be named chief among them)

The Irish House is themed like a gastro pub meets sports bar and has a more robust layout compared to Geoffrey's. The menu is largish as is the space, with the crowd mostly but as the evening went on plenty of regular joe's stopped by as well.

I was informed it was happy hour as i was browsing through the bar menu and i was elated considering i rarely ever get to a bar during happy hour. Started with a Bloody Mary - the classic ocktail by which all bards are judged and got two. Turned out to be pretty awesome start as it was fantastic, possibly the best i have had in a long long time. The glass was rimmed with a mixture of salt and a masala of some kind which totally kicked ass.

The nachos grande were a natural choice, served with beans, guacamole, sour cream and salsa.. a pretty decent starter..

The serve a 4 course, power lunch, saw the menu lying around (More like a credit crunch lunch) decent offer, someday if i am in the area for a meeting, this would make a decent stop.

The cheese platter is a largish dish made up of various fried cheeses, i can recall mozzarella sticks and jalapeno poppers. Sounds good but is the weakest of the dishes from the night, greasy as expected but all of them tasted the same, the dipping sauce was way too hot, maybe throwing in some ranch dressing or tartar sauce as well might help.

The goat cheese salad sounds pretty good on paper, kalamata olives, plum tomato, garlic toast with a balsamic drizzle. Had some great expectations from this one but didnt work too well, its like a simple tossed salad.. perhaps reworking this a little, bitter rocket with sour goat cheese and sweet drizzle might work better. The garlic toast was awesome though.

The mushroom stroganoff with spinach risotto was stupendous. I had another awesome version at a pub somewhere between Longleat and London. Although i prefer strognaoff to be served with regular plain rice the risotto was pretty decent as well. Awesomesauce.

Baked camembert wrapped in filo with a garlicy toast along with grilled red, yellow and green peppers. no problem with dish, they could lose the filo as it does not add anything to the dish itself.

The Kahlua Verrine is basically a take on the Tiramisu, looks like one and almost tastes like one. Not too bad.. they also have a Cointreau cheesecake which sounds exciting.. perhaps for next time.

Overall, the ambiance is decent, oscillating between a perfect post work bar in the early evening and neatly transform into a sports bar later. Pity there isnt enough half decent sporting activity on tv with F1 season yet to start and the cricket causing nightmares.

I wish they would offer some new beers which might set them apart from other bars in and around the area but all in all significantly better food and environment than TGIF which is a stones throw away. I will chalk the dreadful music down to valentines day.

Food : 7/10
Service : 7/10
Damage : 2400 with a cocktail.