Cream Centre (High Street Phoenix, Lower Parel)

The Cream of the North

The name 'Cream Centre' for an Indian and Mexican joint (which in itself is a somewhat unusual combination) in the literal sense sounds fairly discrepant. But, perhaps in a metaphorical sense, it is taste that unites them all. Cream Centre, given its blink-and-you-miss-it location on the first floor of a mall, does a good job on that front and ensures that it still continues to be full. In addition, with some marvellous display work on its menu cards (something a lot of other vegetarian restaurants like Veg Always continue to exploit), the restaurant ensures that even a non-vegetarian is kept interested from the very beginning. You end up wanting to have a go at everything, and what better way to do it than to have Mexican starters followed by an Indian main course? The cheese balls with corn are a delight, as are the nachos in some thick, creamy cheese that you just crave to get a mouthful of. Once those are done away with, it is time for the traditional North Indian chhola bhatura, which comprises a giant bread of flour served with a gram brown curry. While the dish looks easily consumable in the beginning (often inveigling people to ask for another helping of bread), it is a bit of a task to finish the entire thing, especially if your chhola also contains minced paneer. However, the ordeal turns out to be rather pleasurable as the huge bhatura and the perfectly cooked chhola remind you of North Delhi and its epicurean delights. A sweet fresh lime soda is a good companion to your entire meal. The only weak link in an otherwise splendid restaurant is the rather intense persistence of the stewards, sometimes 2 or 3 of them taking turns, to offer you papads, desserts and everything else that you do not want after a fulfilling chhola bhatura. A dash of the ostentatious hospitality of the North, perhaps?

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


http://mumbai.burrp.com/listing/cream-centre_lower-parel_mumbai_restaurants/19924344910

Maharaja (Sakinaka, Andheri East)

Good food not served too well

The name may be a little misleading, but Maharaja does serve excellent Chinese food (besides its Indian specialties, of course). The Crispy Chicken, while a little on the spicier side and not as Crispy as the name suggests, is extremely palatable with its garnishing of onions and carrots; it is just the right accompaniment to your aperitif. For the main course, an excellent option is the Fish 65 in Szechwan gravy - a creative and delicious combination of the deep-fried 65 preparation common to South India and the Chinese gravy. This is best enjoyed with rice, of which the Mixed Fried Rice containing ample chicken and mutton slices, eggs and prawn in a fine cocktail, is a highly recommended variety. The meal is appropriately concluded by some piping hot gulab jamuns in a sweet syrup. Unfortunately, the highly satisfying culinary delight is marred by some rather ordinary service. While the stewards ensure that they serve you everything on your plate, they often sound confused with your order and are tongue-tied most of the time. As a result, there can be unpleasant situations with respect to the total bill and the payment mode thereof. And so it is that at Maharaja, they give you food fit for a king, but they are clearly far from serving you like one.

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


http://mumbai.burrp.com/listing/maharaja-restaurant-bar_andheri-kurla-road_mumbai_bars-pubs-restaurants/1534279356__UR__reviews

Lemon Grass (Vashi)

Confused Cuisine

For starters, if there is one culinary specialty that puts Lemon Grass way ahead of competition in the city, it has to be the Thai fare. The green curry in both its Vegetable and Chicken avatars are exactly what Thai curry should be like - sweet from the coconut milk; exuding flavour from just the curry though not at the cost of the meat or the vegetables; and light on the system. You can have a hearty meal with just the curry and steamed rice, and will not be left poorer for it. Oh, and do not forget the Thai style Vegetable Spring Roll drizzled with Sweet Chilly Sauce - absolutely delicious, with the sauce just perfect in its sweet foretaste and tangy after-effect. The trouble starts when you want to venture a little into other territories as well, as Lemon Grass appears a little confused in terms of reconciling Chinese / Far-Eastern and Indian taste buds. For instance, the Chinese Greens in Burnt Chilly Sauce, although quite palatable, is far from authentic; and has too much sauce and far less greens, making it virtually a curry that you have to consume with rice in a manner more common to Indian cuisine. If, however, you try the Steamed Pomfret, Cantonese style with Chinese Greens, you will find the fish a trifle undercooked by Indian standards but eminently suited to the Chinese palate. It is possible, of course, that vegetarian dishes are deliberately prepared with some Indian touch, given the large number of pure vegetarians in the city. The Burnt Garlic and Spinach Rice though is an excellent option to try with any of the aforementioned Sino-Indian (or for that matter even Thai) dishes; and the size of one portion is inordinately large, to the extent that three adults would struggle to finish it. Lemon Grass does well to maintain an optimal combination of good service and efficient upselling - the stewards put you at your ease with elaborate on-plate service of each course, but do ensure eventually that you order at least one item recommended by them. Having clearly positioned itself as a haunt for South-East Asian cuisine, Lemon Grass has got its act right in the first place with excellent Thai food, but probably needs to work some more on the other Asian cuisines to compete with the Global Fusions and Asia Sevens of the city.  

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


http://mumbai.burrp.com/listing/lemon-grass_vashi_navi-mumbai_restaurants/17122920138__UR__reviews

Garnish (Matunga East)

A trifle overrated

'The Taste of the Circle' (King's Circle, the area it is located in, that is) is what Garnish would like you to believe it is. A modest claim, doubtless, but with the presence of just Cafe Madras in its vicinity, nowhere close to the truth. En verite, the teeming numbers here raise the expectations, which are immediately lowered once you try to make yourself comfortable on the perilously-low-roofed mezzanine floor where even the air conditioning does not suffice if all the tables are fully occupied. The tandoori rotis are crispy and expertly baked to ensure that not one bit is burnt, but you do not enjoy them too much with the chef-recommended mixed vegetable dish Vegetable Diwani Handi, which is 80% beans and 20% everything else. A better option, ironically, is the bland but light and marginally tasty Methi Malai Mutter, which essentially contains peas cooked in a milk-based gravy seasoned with fenugreek. One thing that goes in Garnish's favour is the highly affordable pricing, which (in addition to its proximity to Arora Cinema) makes this place a favourite especially among college-goers. However, be it in ambience or the quality of its fare, Garnish still has a long way to go before it can attract the best even in the Circle.

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

http://mumbai.burrp.com/listing/garnish_matunga_mumbai_restaurants/188115821__UR__reviews

Flipside Cafe (Delhi)

Art over coffee

Flipside Café is one of the art-themed cafes that have recently become popular in both Delhi and Mumbai. In these cafes, it is less about the food and more about admiring the art displayed here as the conversation also shifts to specialised subjects. There is also a certain degree of gravity associated with the place which makes you keep the discussion serious and the voice relatively lower. Of course, this does not rule out a good culinary experience by any means. The Home-Made Ice Tea, as Flipside calls its most popular cold drink, is an extremely refreshing brew; and the Engadine pastry, a 3-layer pastry with a walnut and caramel interior, a delight to have thanks to its extremely fine texture and a coating that is a little sweet and a little salty. Through a branded bookmark you get with the bill, Flipside ensures you do not forget it. Of course, if you have had the foresight to bring your date here or set up a reunion with a long-lost friend, chances are you will not forget it in any case.

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

Jagdamba (Neemrana)

Oh, Mother!

Jagdamba is one of those dhabas on the Jaipur-Delhi highway where buses plying the route stop regularly to allow travelers to buy a meal and use the washroom. To start with, it may be mentioned that both of the aforementioned (i.e. the meal and the washroom) are notable for their hygiene (or the lack thereof). Then again, one ought not to expect much at these highway eateries in any case. To come to the food, the rotis are rather odd in shape, and are sometimes too hard for consumption. The chole paneer is edible but a little on the spicier side (reminiscent of the truck driver’s favourite aspect at other dhabas like Jai Bhavani) and guilty of the classic trick of using large tomato chunks to fill the container. Talking of tricks, it is also interesting to see how a salad plate is put on every table by default and charged to the customer the moment he picks up one morsel of cucumber (a practice strangely reminiscent of mini-bars in high-end hotel rooms). So keep your eyes and ears open at Jagdamba (your ears are, in any case, opened by the maitre d’ shouting himself hoarse as he invites all travelers to enjoy a hot meal) – the idyllic Rajasthan is gone, and tight-fisted Delhi beckons you.

Ambience                ★

Service                    ★★
Presentation            ★★

Taste                      ★★ 

Royal Resort (Sikar)

The Oasis

Royal Resort, on the Bikaner-Jaipur highway, is the perfect place to stop for lunch during the 6-hour drive. The weary traveler gets to stretch his /her legs, use the washroom, buy some knick-knacks for the journey ahead, and finally settle down to eat in the a dark but welcoming room that looks more like a domestic dining room than a restaurant. The thali, as in most other places in Rajasthan, is what you ought to try here as well. The rice, for one, is extremely good, though one may attribute it to the quality of the basmati rather than the cooking. The dal is quite palatable and the aloo gobi equally reminiscent of home food in its degree of spiciness, though a lot of regular journeymen on this route will tell you that the quality of food has deteriorated over time. One unusual thing is the inflexibility of the stewards towards some adjustments in the thali. For instance, you must have either 5 rotis or a lot of rice; and the optimal combination of 2 rotis and one bowl of rice is agreed upon after a lot of reluctance from the maitre d’. However, it must be said that the meal does not fail to satisfy the hungry motorist and provide him the right fuel to resume his journey.

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

Chokhi Thali (Jaipur)

Now, that's Rajasthan!

If you taking a bus from Sindhi Camp in Jaipur to any other city in Rajasthan, chances are that you will end up for a meal at this otherwise nondescript place. And if you do, you will realize just where a fashionable Rajasthani restaurant like Rajdhani falls short of the real thing. In Rajasthan, and especially in the thali format, service is everything, and even a small, economical place like Chokhi Thali excels at that. The steward genuinely takes care of you, as he offers you extra portions (at no additional cost, mind you!), and inquires where you are headed from Jaipur. As far as the food is concerned, there is a distinct touch of domesticity to it, which is not necessarily thanks to the steward’s warmth. The dal is extremely light and exudes a lovely aroma especially when served hot; and the paneer and aloo gobi too have the right degree of spices to make them feel just like home. Chokhi Thali is the ideal place to have your dinner before an overnight bus ride, as the immense satisfaction from the meal soon gives way to some equally satisfying sleep once the bus is in motion. 

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

Indian Summer (Churchgate)

Hot!

Nothing describes it more aptly: Indian Summer is like the Indian summer in Mumbai – hot all the year. Ask for any Indian delicacy here, and you shall not regret it. A good idea to sample traditional Indian fare is the lunch buffet over here. With the choicest of vegetarian as well as non-vegetarian fare along with a complimentary beverage at a rather affordable price, it does pack quite a punch. The chaats served as part of the buffet are especially good, and one is often tempted to feast on the mouth-watering (literally so) paani pooris before venturing to the main course. Among the main courses, the paneer curry is done up beautifully with the right mix of onions, mint and other spices; and is best enjoyed with the layered lacha paratha. Within the a-la-carte too, there is plenty one has to choose from, from different parts of the country. The regular chicken or mutton curry with paratha is a delicacy in itself, as one can tease the meat pieces in the gravy with the beautifully layered bread. If you prefer the mughlai sort, the mutton biryani here is exceptionally good, with perfectly cooked, soft slices of meat combining with fragrant basmati rice and a bevy of condiments to produce a delicious meal in itself. And if you are more inclined towards the coast, the Goan prawn curry with rice is a good option, as you struggle rather pleasurably to finish an unusually large helping of prawns in aromatic coconut-based gravy with steamed basmati rice. Indian Summer also excels in the art of food presentation, with its lidded pre-modern containers that ensure food is kept warm while reinforcing the royal heritage of the country. And so, while a sign at the payment counter mentions that customer complaints are the schoolbooks from which they take their lessons, it can be assumed safely that the aforementioned book will just comprise a whole lot of empty pages! 


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


http://mumbai.burrp.com/listing/indian-summer_churchgate_mumbai_restaurants/156121653__UR__reviews

San Churro (Bandra West)

Sin Mat Chhodo

If Theobroma serves Food for the Gods, San Churro adds to that feeling by making you feel in Paradise as well. Besides the sin-inducing aroma of the chocolateria, you are left dazzled by the sheer variety of chocolates available here, if not by the colour of their wrappers alone. Add to that the designs of the gift boxes available, and you are left with the idea of buying a little treat for someone special (for the person concerned to share with you, of course). If you do choose to sit and eat, the facilities are equally conducive, and the large and comfortable couches along with the coffee table setup are a clear cut above the school chairs that Theobroma has to offer. The San Churro Chocolate Mousse, which does not look like a mousse in its traditional avatar but resembles a pastry, is one of the delicacies that tickles your senses from the moment you set eyes on it till the time you finish rolling over the rich chocolate on your tongue. The uncannily large Tiramisu, with chocolate toppings resembling eyes and a nose on the upper layer, is yet another dessert worth trying here thanks to the perfection not only in taste but in the essential watery feel of the preparation that is beautifully brought out. Yes, you sin at San Churro, but it is a sin which you can forgive yourself, and even hope to repeat soon.

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

http://mumbai.burrp.com/listing/san-churro_waterfield-road_mumbai_dessert-shops-cafes/1256436584