Shobha (Matunga West)

Sumptuous vegetarian fare

Thanks to its rather prominent location on LJ Marg (any taxi-driver plying his trade in these parts would know the traffic signal next to Shobha), Shobha is almost never empty. And yes, people keep coming back. After all, Shobha is one of those rare places which excel in all departments of vegetarian cuisine, and unlike other Maharashtrian restaurants, keep the hot spice quotient to a minimum. What results is dal fry which is just perfect, and vegetable curries which can be wolfed down with the paper-thin chapatis. The butter masala variants of paneer and mushroom are popular choices here and may be tried only for the rich gravy, but the real show-stealer is the cheese kofta, which is moderately crisp on the outside, and melt-in-the-mouth soft therein. On the South Indian front, the regular masala dosa is a decent option, with the filling being adequately garnished and yet not obtrusively spicy. One unfortunate thing here is the management's refusal to accept payment cards for amounts below INR 100 and even card abuse by throwing it across the desk on the customer's insistence, though the cashier does relent if the customer offers to compensate for the Merchant Discount to the acquirer with the additional 4-5 rupees. In any case, a full meal at Shobha will ensure that the bill goes above INR 100, simply because most of the things on the menu are just too good to resist!

Ambience                ★★★
Service                    ★★
Presentation            ★★★
Taste                      ★★★★

http://mumbai.burrp.com/listing/shobha-refreshments_mahim-w_mumbai_restaurants/13056079