LocoChino

Rest : Loco Chino
Loc : Peddar Road, near Vama
Meal : Lunch

Loco Chino replaces the ill fated Buddha Belly at Peddar Road, a location where parking is nigh impossible and that is about the only drawback i see with the place. The menu oddly is Chinese & Mexican, perhaps to capture two rather popular cuisines which would suit the residents in the area just fine. 

While i was there strictly for the Mexican i could not resist getting the Turnip cakes, which were FIERY hot, not to taste as such but a few hours later, they were raging. good but be careful with these. you have been warned. 

the nachos, well they were generous with the sour cream salsa and the guacamole but i was not too impressed with the chips. i hope they switch to a different, plainer kind, still worth getting however. 

my brother went for the burrito bowl which is what happens to a burrito when it implodes i suppose. pretty good. 

the chimichangas, everyone has given me grief over this picture, well its fried people, this IS a chimichanga, its unfortunate that its been cut and presented like a quesadilla, but this too was pretty good. 

the soft shell taco was again good but small.

the burrito, going by the bowl, was not going to be bad and it wasnt. worked out well, this one.

Overall, i loved the food here, id like to give some dim sum a try but i think the mexican is a winner here. Infact, i was shocked at how good the food was. I chalk it down to freshness, even the Guacamole was fresh and generously shared.

Dont know how long they will be able to keep the standard up, i hope it is for a while, def going back for more this weekend.

Only complaint so far is that the salsa chips arent that good to taste but that could be just me. The portions could be bigger. Its not expensive but again, its not cheap either.

Service is kinda slow but hopefully they will get their act together soon.

meal for 2 was about 1100.

Crystal

Went back to Crystal after ages, this time with usual Crystal partner in Crime Shailesh Prabhu (@yellowmonkeygames) for a pretty terrific meal. As usual we got there just at 1.15 pm and got an empty table.

Slash and i usually vary up our orders but this time we stuck to the usual the dry aloo, the chana masala and the paneer bhurji. unfortunately there was no space for a rajma chawal this time but in any case, the food was terrific. no complaints whatsoever.

The prices though have shot up. it was 350 for two which is about 70-80 more than i would pay usually. A few days after this i got another round of take out for some friends where we had malai kofta and rajma as well as the chana masala and the sukha aloo. terrific then too. easily one of the best places ever. 

Byblos

Rest : Byblos

Meal : Lunch

Loc : Phoenix

Byblo is the new Middle Eastern/Lebanese restaurant that has replaced the much lamented Komala's. It is the second middle eastern restaurant in Lower Parel, the splendid Aqaba being the other. I 

met with @vbubber for a nice drawn out lunch. Varun had already been there on the second night and said the menu now was actually shorter than the launch menu from a few days ago.

Still, its a pretty substantial menu, with plenty of mezze, flatbreads, salads, sandwiches , shawarma, some pasta and my fav Byblos all day iftaar breakfast which has some dishes you wouldn't find around the city easily. 

started off with the hummus with fried chick peas, which i didnt like at first bite but then it grew on me. good stuff. also they have the toum which is a garlicky butter which is just awesome. make sure you get your hands on it. 

The full egyptian fry up from the breakfast menu was freaking HUGE. with the medames (fried beans) potato, tomato and mint salad, this was something else. i was oddly expecting a skillet for some reason but this was pretty brilliant if a little unwieldy. 

The Red Velvet Gnocchi was pretty amazing, the sauce was kind of like an Alfredo sauce but pretty good nonetheless. Worth a try certainly. 

Varun also got the peri peri chicken which he said was amazing but pretty hot. We were suckered into splitting a brownie with some caramel (sweeter than id like) 

Overall, i think the menu is a tad too large but going by all i had, if they do all the dishes well enough, no complaints. The prices are okayish, just a little less than what you would pay at Indigo Deli.

Its a great place to go in a bigger group so one can share dishes. Def hoping to make it back soon to order some of the dishes i missed out on. There is a bar too and considering its slightly secluded location, it could pick up as a place for a bit of a party.

Food : 8/10
Serv : 8/10
Damage : 3300 for two without drinks.