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Restaurant in Bandra (W)
Rated: Good
based on 4 reviews
Biona - The French Café
Shazaan, Rizvi House, 34, Hill Road, Bandra (W), Mumbai
66779290, 26401746
| Locality | Bandra (W) |
|---|---|
| Place Type | Restaurant |
| Food Type | Confectionery, Lebanese, Snacks |
| Timings | 10:30 AM |
| Price |
 Unknown
|
- Additional Information
-
Home delivery
Credit cards accepted
- Write a Review
-
first reviewed by noman9
- User Reviews (4)
May 23, 2008
Hmm...Shawarma....
Well there, been to this place quite a few times.
I spent some time in the Middle East, and I can tell you for sure, that by and far the most nostalgic thing that enters my mind (in terms of food), is the 'shawarma'.
Its basically like a Frankie, made from roasted chicken and/or lamb/beef. Traditionally it has within its roll a mixture of Arabian style pickled veggies, plenty of tahini, hummus, potatoes, chilllies, and sometimes even some chili sauce (a.k.a. 'filfil'). This is all ensconced in warm pita bread, in order to make it all that more authentic.
I am not saying that this is the best shawarma I've ever eaten, I'm not sure that's possible either, because as so many of us are aware, our memories of good food are sometimes intertwined with our experiences of that particular time and place, and so many a good meal may seem to be far better then they actually were, simply because there are so many good feelings and memories associated with that meal.
Much of my 'Middle East' experience revolved around food, and great times with the family eating different cuisines from all over the world. This is very likely to cause me to be partial as far as my remembering the quality of food, because all in all I always had such a good time eating, naturally even 'okay' meals seemed to be fantastic.
All in all though, if you want to reminisce about great shawarmas, then this is a place you wouldn't really want to miss. The service here is bareable (its mostly self service in any case).
This place is a little more than a glorified bakery/cafe, with a shawarama attraction. The prices (if you are on a budget) are acceptably affordable. If you were to go all out and thoroughly gorge yourself, I cannot see how you could really spend much more than about Rs. 200 - 250/ head (and I mean GORGING).
The cafe has a limited amount of main courses also available, but they take a long time to get made, and the chefs here are known to overdo the salt a bit (personal experience on more than one occasion).
I wouldn't really suggest this place for a date, unless its a couple of friends who just wanna relax and eat a quick roll type thing, which is different enough from what they would normally eat otherwise (McD's, KFC, Bembos etc.)
Their bakery items are decent, not necessarily something to write home about, but the shawarma is worth trying once, at least its yummier than some of the other shawarmas I've had in Mumbai.
The ambience is very CCD-ish, in the sense, its sorta feels like a coffee place where you just sit and chill for a while, maybe until the happy hours start in one of the nearby watering holes. The outdoor seating, though definately a boon for the smokers, does try and pull off the whole 'cafe' look, but you really gotta be kidding me, the location is definately not conducive to outdoor seating - we are talking about Hill Road here, I mean even Mocha didn't think that they're outdoor seating should be open to the public because of the amount of traffic on the road. Somehow Biona hasn't really picked up on that.
Anyways, I'd suggest you at least check the place out. Its worth one visit...
Apr 21, 2008
yay!
Good for people who get pocket money and those who like good/quite heavy/filling food.
Apr 18, 2008
great place to hang out
Had beent there with 3 friends. had the best shawrma :) still dream of it....
Dec 11, 2006
excellent joint!
biona is undoubtedly one of my favorite joints to hang out with friends...if i'm in bandra there's no way i can give biona a miss! especially for their shawarma outside or the superb variety of bakeries in the bistro, biona is one helluva place to chill. the ambience is cool, perfect to lounge..the service is good and warm and the food is just heavenly! if you ever visit biona, dont ever leave without having the shawarma, the pastries and their rock almond choclates..!!