Cheval

Rest : Cheval

Meal : Dinner
Loc : Kala Ghoda,

While heading to try out Mexiloko, the wife, kid brother and the sis in law all decide to head to Cheval instead, i protested but to no avail. So off we went to Kala Ghoda.

Cheval is an interesting space, i love the location and what they have done with it, inside too its got plenty going on and is a well designed space overall. They have a decent bar and one can simply hang there if needs be. 

The menu however is fairly generic, Italian heavy with the one exception being the Sandwiches and its the only place i know of in the city that serves a Ploughman's 

the fig & mozzarella salad was okay, could have been way, way better then it actually turned out. a little colder with some more figs to play down the bitterness of the rocket.  

the mushroom on toast was fantastic, gone in less than 30 seconds this one. should have ordered seconds..

the gruyere souffle was not quite worth the wait, okayish but the little sauce it came with for the toast was pretty bad. 

the wild mushroom risotto or a version of it can be found on many a menu now, as they go, this one was pretty good..

the pizza with mushrooms was terrific. thin, crispy with loads of flavour. unfortunately it cooled very quickly. which kinda killed it for us. 

the black truffle gnocchi with bits of asparagus was outstanding. stuffed with bleu cheese and cream, heavy but not so good flavour. 

the spinach and ricotta ravioli was bland and tasteless. nothing going on here. def a waste. 

kid brother does not like spaghetti and insisted on Penne for his aglio olio which to me is pretty much as close to blasphemy as one can get. not sure if it was the change in pasta but this was just a totally bad.. nothing good there. 

Overall, the space is nice, a tad eclectic but well lit and can be a nice place to dine. The wife and her friend had a fantastic meal there which is why they rated it highly, however we ordered dishes completely diff from what they had. 

The menu is inclusive and fairly generic which is fine but such menus live and die by the execution which in this case is not quite there. too many misses.

And to top it all, its not cheap which really hurts. Might go there for a sandwich or pizza if im around but would avoid otherwise.

Food : 6/10

Service : 8/10
Damage : 4500 for four without drinks.

Blue Frog

rest : Blue Frog

Meal : lunch

Loc : Todi Mills, Lower Parel

blue frog is primarily a live music destination, although I have done their Sunday brunch once or twice I have never considered them a food purveyor. Recently fellow blogger, pilot, baker Ashrita (@caramelwings) did a review of their new menu and it looked amazing. 

So on my way to a Bandra meeting I swung by for an early lunch. The new menu is comfort food for the most part. Soup,Salad, Pasta, Sandiwches and a bunch of bar bites. 

A glass of tonic goes well with lunch even sans the gin. The fresh squeezed orange juice was awesome. Malta oranges perhaps.

Feta stuffee mushroom with wasabi mayo. Sounds just like it tasted. Pretty good. O

My fav thing on the menu. Baked Brie with pineapple compote. Diabolical. 

You don't see mas very often, these were not too bad soaked in olive oil but served with the most awesome hummus. They ought to put that hummus on the menu by itself. 

The tomato risotto was pretty awesome,served with a chili and caramelized onions which I've never seen before. Hearty and def one of the strongest looking mains. 

The Lasagna was interesting, everyone has their own little formula, some people like verdure, some rosso. a little light on the flavor with a lot of tomato seeping in, not bad per se but I like my Lasagna red so works for me. 

Overall, the food was pretty good, works as a lunch location and most of it would do well at a live gig as well. Apparently they don't separate lunch and dinner menus anymore, it's all one single menu now which I think works best. 

Service was quick and friendly. 

Food : 8/10

Service : 8/10

Damage : 1300 for two without drinks but awesomely enough it's half off at lunch ! Believe that.