The Tasty Tangles

Set right ! ***

Tasty Tangles has a rather enthusiastic twitter presence, where their set menu lunch was frequently mentioned. I like set menus; they offer little choice, so there’s no pussyfooting around what to order. The dark cloud of the impending bill doesn’t loom over the meal; ones goes in pleasantly aware of the damages.

Coming to this particular set menu, I was offered a concise list of items, and I all but had to check the corresponding boxes to make my choice.  I ordered Aromatic Spicy Chicken Dumplings to start. I’m a sucker for dumplings and if they got this one wrong, I would have written off Tasty Tangles completely. However, they triumphed. The dumplings displayed some very refined hand skills, and the spicy flavor was well balanced. Two just quickly melted away, and I was compelled to ask for another round.

The Char Kway Teow Beef noodles were also good, made particularly special by the tender well marinated chunks of meat. Something about the Steamed fish in XO sauce reminded me of my stay in China. The dish had a home-made charm, but the strong fishy smell is probably an acquired taste for most.

Asian restaurants usually fail when it comes to dessert. So my skepticism was warranted when I reluctantly ordered Cinnamon Honey fried wonton with Ice Cream. I’ve had countless renditions of this dish, but I finally found a place that got it right. I would go back for those fried strips of wonton drizzled with cinnamon powder and honey. I also sampled the fruit pudding, which was summery and fresh.

The ambience is boring, even borders on cheap. But the staff is polite and the food itself is well presented. Something about it fits all Asian restaurant stereo types, with Chinese paper lanterns and odd looking plastic pens. But I’d readily ignore all of that for this lunch. i

Damages : Rs.499 per head

Location : Khar west, in the lane next to Nike show room, above Sancho’s

Ming Yang ( Taj Land’s End, Bandra)

The Bitter Sweet End ***

I wouldn’t have known about or visited this restaurant, had it not been for an old school friend’s birthday dinner. It was a mini reunion of sorts. So the food should not have mattered, but of course, it did.

I entered the richly decorated dining area with high expectations. The place reeked of old school opulence, from the faux-gold accented furniture to the concierge who greeted us with proper colonial etiquette. Classic? Or stuffy? The décor sat on the thin line between the two.

As we were ravenous, we got right to it with Mushroom dumplings and Pork Buns, both were exquisite. The soups were nothing spectacular, nothing memorable. I must mention here that the timing of the service was spot on. Once we finished entrées, and were ready for our next course, we were served the Five Spice Pork, Burnt Garlic rice, and Hoofan Chicken noodles. The pork was tender, and was complemented perfectly by the rice. The noodles may have been the best flat noodles I’ve had; could’ve kept eating those.

I really wish I had ended meal here, because what followed was nothing short of disastrous. It was like following good sex with that ill-timed smelly fart. The pastry chef I think was hired straight from the renowned kitchens of Shiv Sagar ( no disrespect to Shiv Sagar ). The batter on the Fried Ice-cream was thick and oily, the Custard filled Spring Rolls were dense and the Date Pancakes were chewy. All the deserts left an oily aftertaste, reminiscent of cheap malpua. Even visually, there was nothing appetizing about them. Thank god my fortune cookies came with very pleasant predictions, at least the meal ultimately ended on a sweet note.

Fortune #1 – “Your lover will never wish to leave you” (phew!)

Fotrune #2 – “If you want good advice, ask your mother” (duh! mommy’s always right)

Damages : about 1,000 per head without drinks

Eat Around the Corner

Nip-n-tuck(in) ***

Bombay’s restaurants much like it’s population are in perpetual state of flux. Restaurants get bought over, renamed, revamped and made-over to whet Bombay’s unending appetite for the ‘new and improved’. The case in point, the swanky white washed ‘Eat around the Corner’ that used to be ‘Just around the corner’. The name is definitely a downgrade, but the place has received some much needed nips-n-tucks which makes it once again youthful and perky.

There are certain nice touches to the eating experience, the service is quick, the salad bar has a fair variety and it is one of the only joints that has a much needed community table. (Which by the way is made from beautiful rough cut solid wood, very stylish ) The place wins points for having some great burgers and sandwiches, and a variety of bread options.

You will not be able to resist the desserts. They are strategically laid out right near the cashier’s end of the bar. All mouth-watering and decadent looking, they will call out to you. You would be foolish to resist. I’ve tried the Fruit tart, the Orange Yogurt, the New York Cheesecake, the Baked Lemon Cheesecake, the Blueberry&Chocolate Mousse, and the Chocolate Danish. Visit the place enough times to try out all. I’m about half way there. They’re good enough to feel no guilt, although a workout after always eases the conscience.

In all honesty, the place does feel a little bit over priced, and the pizzas were surprisingly bad. A place that offers such nice sandwiches and deserts must work on their coffees, which are pretty sub-standard. However, you can always wash the coffee down with dessert.

Location – Junction of 24th and 30th Road, Bandra West