Grain & Bagel

Dexter’s Lab *

Hearty breakfasts are the ultimate comfort food: syrup covered pancakes, perfectly scrambled eggs, crisp hash browns, french toast and cream cheese topped bagels. These make the kind of meal one dreams of waking up to. I find it quite odd that Bombay has only a handful of restaurants and cafes that open early and serve breakfast. Grain & Bagel does.

I woke up early last Saturday and headed over to satisfy a craving. The meal got off to a great start. We were welcomed by smiling faces and an open spacious dining area flanked by a huge black board with a handwritten menu. After a fair bit of deliberation orders were placed. First to arrive: soft doughy bagels with a barely there layer of cream cheese. Disappointing, for a place that’s named after bagel. It lacked the pre-requisite crunchy exterior. This was just a bun with a hole. Needless to say the bagel sandwiches too were disappointing.

Anyway, the eggs and pancakes made up for the blotched bagel. In fact, I’ll go so far as to say those were the best buttermilk pancakes I’ve ever had. I assumed all the other pancakes would be just as good. Boy was I wrong! We ordered the peanut-butter pancakes topped with apple syrup. The pancake itself was no different from the buttermilk one. There were no tangible traces of peanut butter. And the apple syrup was a ghastly looking green liquid that looked like it should be used to color a cheap birthday cake. It tasted synthetic and smelt positively sickening. The minute I poured some on the pancake the table was enveloped in a brain tingling green apple smell. It was like being in Dexter’s lab. All that was missing was the green fumes.

Yet another treat from the lab was a Raspberry Mango smoothie. Am I wrong to expect a breakfast joint to use fresh fruit? I thought synthetic fruit flavoured syrups were reserved for street side stalls and McDonalds. Had I skipped the apple-syrup and smoothie, I may have returned. But I’m pretty certain those outlandish pink and green syrups aren’t something I will ever want to subject my senses to.

It’s a shame really. Still looking for the perfect breakfast.

Location: Behind Infiniti Mall Malad.

Damages 300-400Rs per head for Breakfast

 

 

Discovering Dimsum

I’ve always appreciated the craft of dimsum making. I love to watch nimble fingers deftly shaping dough into little parcels of love. There’s such finesse and skill involved, yet the concept of dimsum is so simple. If I ever get the chance I would love to study this art from some old wrinkled Chinese man who learnt the art from his father, like his father before him.

Though there was no wrinkled man involved I recently had the lovely opportunity of attending a dimsum making demo and workshop. Rushina (of A Perfect Bite) and Trikaya (Versova, Andheri west) hosted this dimsum making session. Chef Nilesh Vaidya taught a bunch of excited bloggers & food enthusiasts how to make the dimsum pastry, the filling and how to steam dumplings. There was about an hour of kneeding, rolling, stuffing and pinching the bunch of us amateurs made a few odd looking lumps. It was a fun process, and we got a sense of what the dough should feel like and what the dimsum should look like. But to perfect the art, of course one will have to practice.

After our dimsum making session we were fed a lovely meal where we tasted the work of the experts. We had some beautiful Leafy rolls, Chicken dumplings and Vegetable Kothe, enough of each to satisfy my every desire. This was followed by some more of Trikaya’s lovely food. At the end I left with a light smell of dough and sesame oil on my fingers, a smell I deliberately left lingering on for a bit, and of course that happy happy belly. ( And a small little certificate which says I’m a dimsum maker!)

Sketch & Design by Rushina M.G. of A Perfect Bite

When the Wine was Out of Place

This Friday I had the opportunity of being part of a very special dinner. Masala Bay (at Taj Land’s End, Bandra) hosted a food tasting and an interactive session with Chef Abida Rashid, who had specially cooked what could only be described as a royal feast. Hailing from Calicut, Chef Abida’s culinary expertise lies in Moplah cuisine, of north Kerala. The food she served was rich in spice, coconut and history.

The Taj aims to share these food traditions with it’s customers, and with Chef Abida’s help has tried to elevate Moplah cuisine to what is conventionally thought of as a ‘fine dining’. Though I commend the effort, I cannot but question popular notions of what fine dining really is. It didn’t sit well with me, that what should have been an Indian thali style meal, was restructured and served in multiple courses with wine as an accompaniment. Since I was eating Indian food, I was hoping for an Indian fine dining experience. Why not eat the way Indian royalty eats, with heavy thalis, ornate bartans and silver katoris? Would that not be the way to do justice to the food and culture that it comes from? The way food is eaten is as relevant to a fine dining experience as the food itself, and am strongly against such westernization Indian cuisine.

I would very willingly trade in my wine glass for a class of cool Roohafsa, Kokam sharbat or Jal Jeera, which would have eased the spices in my meal. I felt absurd trying to eat a fish Biryani with a fork. I felt like my cutlery kept getting in my way and my food quite literally turned cold in yearning for the the touch of warm hands. I am not being Nationalist, I have nothing against the poor wine, I’d gladly drink wine while eating a steak. But when I have pappadums on my plate, I think wine is out of place.

Sernyaa ( Oshiwara, Andheri West )

Meaty mouthfuls ***

In the sea of cheap Chinese joints that dot the Oshiwara landscape, one may easily miss this tiny Tibetan treasure. Had it not been for some recent twitter buzz about Sernyaa, I may have never ventured there. (thank god for tweeple!)  What I discovered was a low lit, little hole with a lot of soul and an underground appeal. It was packed, I had to wait for a table. Every one waiting had a knowing air;  like they were all a part of a secret that I had only just been let in on.

Luckily I was famished, so my appetite that day allowed me to really indulge. The pork momos were gorgeous, and a great start to the meal. The accompanying sauces perfectly complemented the dumplings. Based on many a recommendation, we had the Pork spare ribs and Tibetan chicken sausages. Both gloriously meaty mouthfuls. The tender peppery meat on the ribs, fell right off the bone. The sausages were spicy and with perfectly crisp outsides. I didn’t mind that they were made with chicken, as opposed to the more traditional pork variety.

The main course is not worth a mention. The dishes are essentially Indian Chinese-ish with tongue twisting Tibetan names. Next time I visit I will definitely stick to the starter selection, and if the weather permits try the soups. I highly recommend Sernyaa to all meat lovers; I was too distracted by the pork and lamb to try any of the vegetarian food. Don’t judge me; it was melt-away meat that fell right about the bone. I would unabashedly and unapologetically eat all that meat again.

Damages – Rs. 250-300 / head. (They do not serve any desert and only packaged sodas )

Location – Link Road Oshiwara, soon after the HP Petrol pump

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

Café Mangii (J.P.Road, Versova)

Sigh! **

For about a month I’d been tryin to peep in through Café Mangi’s large windows, and catch a glimpse of what promised to be elegant interiors. I subtly sighed everytime I drove past hoping my hints would prompt a date night. Finally my sighs were heard and I can drive by in peace without straining my respiratory system.

On a cold winter’s evening, the first floor dining space was perfectly warm and cosy. The open air dining space on the roof was definitely tempting, but I just wasn’t ready to brave the cold. It certainly is charming though, with a visible pizza oven emitting mouth waiting aromas.

Unfortunately, here’s when I began to sigh again. This time they were sighs of exasperation. We started with a plate of Mushroom Aglio Olio e Pepperoncino; nothing spectacular and unexpectedly spicy. We were expecting a salad, but our Alla Fiama pizza came out first. Since the place boasts of its pizzas we really had our hopes up. However, it was mediocre at best, the topping was sparse and the base a little burnt. The pizza too was spicier than we expected.

Now here’s where it got downright disappointing, the Caprese salad was a neatly arranged line of tomato slices and buffalo cheese, topped with pesto sauce. I was promised “field greens” ! Somehow the elaborate description on the menu did not lead me to expect what I was served. Lastly, we ordered a medium-rare Minute Steak, which was served to us well done, with partially uncooked potato wedges and almost rare broccoli florets. By this point I was ready to cry, partly from rage and partly because of the big hole this disappointing meal was about to burn in my pocket.

Since we were still hungry, we ordered a Caramel Banana pie, in a last feeble attempt to redeem the meal. We didn’t have our hopes up, but we were finally served something delicious. It didn’t save the meal, and I certainly won’t be visiting Café Mangii again, but at least I know where to get a damn good Caramel Banana pie.

Damages: Rs.2500 for a meal for two, without drinks.

Fellas

jolly good fella ***

I’m the kind that likes the corner bookstore with a friendly bespectacled owner who’s always up for a chat, as opposed to the Landmark / Crossword variety, where books are tracked by a computer. (The kind often touted ‘romantic’ )  Much the same vein I’m drawn to cafes with soul where every cup of coffee does not have the same sort of factory made uniformity. Lucky for me, Mumbai has an increasing population of these sort of joints, tucked away in easy-to-miss corners of the city. Fella’s is one such. I must admit, my first visit was prompted by a very prominent sign outside which reads ‘Valet Parking’, a real treat in Khar/Bandra’s always packed by-lanes.

This first visit however, was followed by several more. Built in the garage space of a building, Fella’s offers juices, smoothies, wraps, sandwiches and pizzas. It seems to have it’s patrons ; always a few hanging around reading or working at their computers ( they have wi-fi ). On any odd day you are likely to have their two resident pet pooches for company: a rottweiler and a bull-mastiff, who hang out on the periphery nonchalantly. The staff is polite and enthusiastic, service is quick.

What I particularly like about the place is that they make fresh juices & smoothies ( not with canned fruit or poured straight out of tetra-packs ). Their coffee is not remarkable. The sandwiches and wraps are wholesome; and make a good snack. I like the Chicken Cilantro Wrap. The whole grain pizzas are fairly enjoyable, though the topping choices are limited and the crust is always a little on the burnt side. They do serve main course dishes , but I’ve only ever visited the place for a snack.  If what I’ve had so far is any indication, I don’t think you will be disappointed. All in all, it’s definitely a nice place to meet-n-greet or maybe just spend some alone time.

Location – 14th Road Khar West.

Damages – Rs. 200 – 300 / head

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