Reviews by mohitkishore
Aug 26, 2007
Resham Bhavan, 78, Veer Nariman Road, Churchgate, Mumbai
Rated: Excellent
Excellent ambiance
I strongly believe that tea is to India, what wines are to France, and its about time we start promoting a tea drinking culture. There are certainly enough varieties of tea available in the world for connoisseurs to keep themselves occupied for long hours with their aromas and flavours! We need more places like the Tea Centre to stand tall amidst the proliferation of the Barista's and Cafe Coffee Days of the world.
The Tea Centre is run by the Tea Board of India, and the British Raj influence is rather evident in the overall ambiance of the place. The walls are adorned with interesting facts about tea, and the tea drinking culture of India. The waiters wear the traditional livery that one associates with an era bygone (including the turban). Each table has a silver bell which can be used to beckon the waiters.
Tea:
The Tea Centre boasts of an authentic and wide variety of teas from various parts of India. If you have trouble understanding your orange pekoes from nilgiris, the helpful waiters are ever on their toes to help you out with your choice. We had a pot of 'broken orange pekoe' with a bit of milk.
Food:
The food includes Indian and Continental fare. The continental stuff is not all that authentic, but sure tastes good. Do try out the roast chicken, which is served with bread, boiled vegetables and mashed potatoes. The prawns on toast is an excellent starter to get those taste buds in form.
Ambience:
The Tea Centre has an excellent ambiance suited for those who like a quiet, luxurious evening in the company of friends or even a book. I think it would make good destination for a business meeting too.
Bonus tip: There is a tea shop which is attached to the Tea Centre, where you can buy some authentic stuff (Nilgiri tea anyone?)
Overall score:
Food: 4/5
Tea: 4/5
Service: 5/5
Ambiance: 5/5
Price: reasonable
May 04, 2007
Gagan Giri Society, Next to Baskin Robbins, Near Crepe Station, Carter Road, Khar (West), Mumbai
Rated: Excellent
Highly focussed dessert joint!
Brownie cottage is a little street side joint on Carter road that serves (only) brownies. All their offerings are made out of leading chocolate brands (like the 5Star brownie, Toblerone brownie, After Eight.. etc), and are absolutely delectable. The brownies are served with chocolate sauce and ice cream, but I prefer mine plain.
This is the best place to have a quick dessert after a sumptous meal at one of Carter Road's many restaurants. Highly recommended.
Apr 25, 2007
Kenilworth, 2nd Floor, Linking Road, Bandra (W), Mumbai
Rated: Average
Not great
Barbeque Factory is modelled along the lines of Barbeque Nation (Pali - Bandra).
There are 2 dinner combinations - a Rs. 300 package and a Rs. 450 package.
300 Package - 8 pieces of kabab of your choice + main course. The kababs were excellent (particularly the kakoori kabab made of finely minced lamb). The main course was quite mediocre, consisting of breads, biryani, chicken korma etc, and so were the desserts.
The 450 Package consists of unlimited pieces of kabab + main course and desserts.
Summary: Having experienced Barbeque Nation (which truly rocks), Barbeque Factory seems like a poor imitation that lacks a bit of passion!
Decor: So so
On the upside, you can get a fantastic bird's eye view of the traffic crawling on Linking Road if you sit by the windows.
Mar 09, 2007
115, S. V. Road, Irla, Vile Parle (W), Mumbai
Rated: Good
Low cost, high quailty sea food
Harish Bar and Restaurant seems to be one of those hidden gems in Mumbai that has its own loyal, quiet middle aged following. I suppose its target segment isn't your average 25 year old blogger who will rave about the place after a sumptuous sea food meal there.
I discovered Harish on Burrp! just a day after I happened to notice it on my way to Irla market. I took the review seriously, and the next time I happened to be there I ordered a tawa fried surmai fish, and a chicken fried rice to go.
The fish was truly delectable, and the slice was unbelievably huge - almost ten inches in length - all for a cool 90 bucks. The thing about sea food is sourcing. Sourcing good quality fish is 90% of the job - the preparation is actually quite elementary. Harish certainly seems to be sourcing his stuff from a good place.. :)
Verdict: Excellent place for take away sea food. Unbelievably cheap by Mumbai standards. Slighlty shady ambience. The guy clearly needs MARKETING!!