Mainland China - Restaurant Review

Mainland China, Kolkata's finest Asian restaurant finally got itself a place in town for the SoBo to not drive to Andheri anymore. They are located in the ex-Crossroads mall now SoBo Central at Haji Ali.

Celebrated my in-law's anniversary over dinner on a Monday night. And boy for a Monday, you would be lucky to have got a table without reservation.

The place gives you fantastic first impressions. Black, gray and silver - A chique combination makes it a really classy place. A place you would like to bring that very special set of guests, a place you would like to be seen at on a weekend.

Something very interesting about the menu that may grab your attention - the prices are in words and not figures. I guess, makes them a little pleasant on the eyes. What say?

So what did we eat

• Shanghai Spring Roll
• Mushroom in Garlic Chilli [Must have]
• Claypot - exotic veg in chili basil sauce
• Tofu black mushroom Bamboo shot in black bean sauce [must have - very large and nice chewy pieces of the black mushroom, probably one of the best I have tasted]
• Pot rice

Quantities are good and the service was exceptionally fast considering they were packed that night.

They have a very good arrangement of tables on one side of the restaurant where the tables are placed on a little height and away from the main dining area. gives a good sense of privacy and perfect for the big date night.

Oh and if you don't happen to visit the loo - besides the food they've got some useful things on their menu, just incase.

Verdict - highly recommended place. great ambiance & some really good food.

Villa 39 - Restaurant Review

It was Dad's birthday so we decided to dine at Villa 39 - a new Italian restaurant near Regal Cinema, Colaba. Walked in late but were glad that we were immediately seated. It was a corner table and we could feel that the AC was not as pleasant as in the other portions of the restaurant.

Villa 39 has some great interiors - the grey/silver and white with lots of mirrors really make the place very sexy. It's bright and nice - not that typical yellow diffused lighting. Makes it very interesting.

We were shown our table and I spotted that there were no glasses, no napkins and the candle was not yet lit. Well, maybe they just cleared it out and things would start getting. Only the candle was lit & then we had to ask for water twice ... napkins came in only after the starter was served.

In general the quantity servings I thought were rather poor and it would have been very very helpful if the waiter would have advised us to order accordingly. Of course they did offer to bring in some food but by the time the meal had come we were rather irritated for having to ask for water & napkins over and over again. The food was NOT cold but COOL - so negative marking for that too.

Oh and yes - the meal was waiting on the table for almost a full 5 mins because we were not given our dinner plates after knowing that we had 3 dishes to be shared among the 5 of us. I actually walked to the Kitchen door and snatched the plate from his hand. Felt sick and finally called in the Manager to give him an earful on the bad service experience. And in my dad's words - we were a neglected lot in one corner of the restaurant.

If we did like something it was the fusilli in pesto sauce. The rest I won't bother to comment because you can't just enjoy that overly priced food accompanied with such lousy service.

We refused to pay for the polenta lasagna [it was cold and the server made a khichdi out of it] and at that moment the manager said we had the option of not paying the bill at all. My dad refused and we asked him to revise the bill with just that item less. And I too thought it would be unfair not to pay for the rest of meal when the food was just fine - but badly served.

So I'll you skip the place for a while and see if some good reports come in, then maybe it would be worth the money.

Bellagio Bistro – Restaurant Review

Italian food is a challenge because you might get it everywhere but very few serve it the right way. Even the Udipi restaurants give you cheese & veg pizza with loads of grated Amul cheese on the top. But then you know that’s not the “pizza” you want to eat when you want an Italian meal.

Bellagio is a little place next to Asiatic Library (Fort, Mumbai) which serves some decent Italian dishes. Had been there on my birthday last year and went back again a month ago when they SMSed promoting their new Wine Menu. The menu is although limited at that time, I am sure they will build on it. Also keeping the food prices in  mind I am sure they won’t have the expensive range on offer so soon.

 

For starters we called for the Potato in pesto sauce which I though was a bit too pungent and could get better. The hot stuffed mushroom is nice and recommended.

The 3 grain risotto was interesting because like most other places where the risotto is a dry serving this was nice and sticky. Also have the aglio olio – nice preparation.

The upper section tends to get a bit noisy so if it’s just 2-4 people, the lower section is much more quieter. I have seen the owner around both the times so giving direct suggestions and feedback is a good idea. They also have a dessert counter – some pastries, mousse etc. but never got around trying that bit.

Bellagio Bistro
Botawala Building, 2/12 SBS Road, Opposite Old Customs House, Fort, Mumbai
Landmark: Near Asiatic Library
Phone: 22660066

Breakfast - Pancake

Breakfast delights. Pancake with banana and chocolate sauce.

Restaurant Review: Corriander

This afternoon my colleague and me decided to beat the Mumbai heat and step out for lunch. He took me to a place I had not tried before [and it's a shame considering it's 100 meters from our office]. Corriander is a little eatery located just at the foot of the flyover opposite Kamala Mills, Lower Parel.

Healthy food is what they promise to serve. There is no a la carte service and you gotta pick from among the 3 offerings - Executive Lunch [Rs.75], Value Meal [Rs.60] & the Light Meal [Rs.45]. And there is some other nick-knacks like lassi, papad, meetha etc. But at 1.30pm they had run out of quite a few things by then.

I choose the Executive lunch which comes like a packed meal - 2 sabjis, dal, roti, rice, papad and butter-milk. And this is the most power-packed meal - the rest are all lighter versions made out of this offering. And as per their brand promise - the food is healthy. Limited use of oil and masala, healthy sabji like dudhi and palak on the menu. I saw that the menu changes everyday which is good if you wanna be a regular. They also offer tiffin service - call them to find out more.

The place is really small so don't think of going there with your office gang. It's a place for a really quick meal on the run with a max of 4 people.

Corriander
Madhav Bhavan, B-Block, Shop No. 6, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel, Mumbai
Landmark: Opposite Kamla Mills Compound
Phone: 65176902

Apologies for not having any supporting images for this blog post.