Cafe Indigo, Andheri West

We went to Indigo Cafe on a lazy Saturday afternoon and it seemed just the right place. Although slightly difficult to locate the place is nice and welcoming. There are two different seating areas - firstly semis outdoors with the sides and top covered by opaque glass. The area was nice and sunny and we sat there. There was also an indoors option which we could peer through at through the glass partition. The feel is very casual and is typically suburban Mumbai. People seem to be casually chatting all around and everyone seems very comfortable. As is the case with most cafe's the menu is not really a large one but what they make, they seem to make decently well. I had the fillet beef steak which was recommended as being one of the best in Mumbai and the same did not disappoint. Great sauce and great mash potatoes. The quality of meat was inferior to what I had in South Africa but that is a wholly unfair comparison! The others at the table ordered Pasta - ok and Pork ribs which was served in humungous quantity. We also sampled some of their blackberry cheese cake for dessert which was quite nice. I would rate the food to be better that Salt Water Cafe but not as good as a mainstream restaurant. A great place to go during the day but I personally would prefer Salt Water Cafe by night.
One sour point - They forgot that we ordered a starter, having mixed the order up with one at another table and that is really bad.

A meal for two, without drinks at Cafe Indigo would cost you approximatley Rs 1400/-
How to get there: Cafe Indigo is on Vastu Heights lane in Lokhandwala. You need to drive towards Lokhandwala from Cinemax Andheri West. Go straight ahead past the Lohkandwala market. Do not enter the Lokhandwala Market. At the circle turn left. Do not take the first left - which is the Oh Calcutta left. Take the lane after the Oh Calcutta left, also on your left. You will see a signboard pointing towards the Vaastu Heights building and indicating the Vaastu Heights lane. Just drive along the road. Cafe Indigo will fall towards your left.

Kabab Lucknow Wale, R-City, Ghatkopar

The first time I had food from Kabab Lucknow Wale I had gone there with great expectations. I had recently read somewhere that Lucknow's great Tundey Kebabs were expanding to other centers and certain office colleagues of mine had told me that Kabab Lucknow wale was the place. I had immediately planned and gone. I had come away disappointed. Kabab Lucknow wale was no match for Tundey Kebabs. But hey neither is Michael Slater a match for Sachin Tendulkar - that does not mean he isn't a good batsman and isn't fun to watch.
However the experience had made me strike off Kabab Lucknow wale with a big red mark and not even consider it as an option in the R-City food court. It happened by accident when my younger brother ordered a plate that an offering landed on my table. I tasted and found that it was actually pretty good. Whether the serving was actually as tasty as it seemed or whether it was the effect of low expectations and hence surpassing of expectations we will know when I go there next. But the basic level of achievement has definitely been achieved. Kabab Lucknow Wale is where I will be having food from on my next visit to the R-City food court.
A meal for two at Kabab Lucknow wale will cost you approximately Rs 350/-
How to get there: Kabab Lucknow wale is on the R-City Mall food court in Ghatkopar.

Salt Water Cafe, Bandra

Salt Water Cafe Bandra is well...very very Bandra...atleast for the common suburban Mumbai resident. Chic interiors, casual decor, uncovered wooden benches and tables which I have seen to be a common feature in most Bandra restaurants and of course the upmarket, trendy crowd creating a rather casual, typically Bandra ambience.
The food is good without being really memorable which is fine really as the food is not the prime reason for going to Salt Water Cafe. Salt Water Cafe lives up to the promise of giving you the right ambience for an evening out with friends. We were a largish group of eleven people and were able to sample a decent variety of the fare. The Cafe has a set menu with not too many food options. The wine list easily outdoes the food menu. There was a decent vegetarian population among us and we had a lot of veg food on the table, both starters and main course. The highlight of the starters was the Feta Cheese with Olives and the Sea Food Crab Cakes. The cheese is served in a smallish jar and is really nice - it serves as a great accompaniment to your drink. The crab cakes were pretty tasty even though the quantity served was pretty small. For mains we had ordered among us Risottos, Pasta and servings of Salmon. I ordered a serving of salmon which was good but the quantity was too small to act as a main course. Luckily for me the risottos were actually too much for a single person and I could have my fill. The risottos were a little bit too creamy and cheesy for my liking. I also sampled some traditional pasta with tomatoes and olives, which my vegetarian friend claimed to be the best amongst Italian joints in Mumbai but I cannot corroborate that as I did not want to have seconds. While the vegetarians are a rather under privileged lot - I am sure they can do better.:)
I just realised that the blog has been rather harsh but seriously the food is fine. It is just not a patch on the Italian cuisine you get in other places in Mumbai. So do go to Salt Water Cafe. Go there to have reasonable food in a great ambience. Go there with lots of good company. Go there to get some typically Bandra eye - candy. The only sour point in terms of ambience was that our table was close to the door and due to the crowd, it was getting slightly hot, but I guess were just slightly unlucky.
A meal for two at Salt Water Cafe without drinks will cost you Rs 2000/-
How to get there: If you are coming from the eastern suburbs, take the Western Express highway and use the Lilavati Hospital exit. Go right around the hospital and keep following the road. You will see a natural right which the cars going towards Bandra take. The Salt Water Cafe will fall on your left soon enough.

Lings Pavillion, Colaba

Lings Pavillion in Colaba will stay in my mind for its Chimney Soup. The Chimney Soup which is essentially a large bowl of soup having almost everything you can think of, from chicken to sea food to sea weed!... They will avoid beef if you instruct them. They will also tether on refusing to serve you anything more before just yielding. It may be a marketing strategy but it does work!This post is however not about the Chimney soup. The first para was an outcome of the association with Ling's and the uniqueness of the Chimney soup. Last time I was at Ling's I was not my usual regimental Chinese self but ventured out to try the set meals that Ling's has on the last page. After a round of regular wanton soups which were slightly on the salty side, we sampled the assorted meat stew - which was a real revelation. The assorted meat stew is a mild white gravy with lots of meat and vegetable pieces served over a bed of white rice. There is a pretty large ginger influence and the gravy tastes really nice. The highlight though is the perfection on the rice which is somehow soaked just right with the sauce. The dish was certainly a highlight and I will be definitely turning back to the set meals section, the next time I go to Lings pavillion.

The other aspect of my visit which I will always remember was the mode of communication between the manager and the waiters during our visit. When we asked the manager if there was seating available, he did not speak to the waiters, neither did he use hand signals. He "clucked" and that is not a misprint. He got a cluck right back and the waiters led us to our table on the mezzanine floor. Overall Ling's definitely is a must-go if you are in Colaba side for Chinese food. The joint is comfortable and reasonably classy. They have a ground and mezzanine floor. You will also notice the slightly odd ceiling decor. There is an attempt to recreate the heavens with a moon and lots of stars. I don't think it works but I guess nothing is perfect.

How to get there: Lings Pavillion is in Colaba. Take a left from Cafe Mondegar towards the gateway. Lings Pavillion will fall on your right just as you take the left towards gateway.

A meal for two without drinks at Ling's Pavillion will cost you approximately Rs 500/-

Uttam da Dhaba, Marol, Andheri East

Uttam da Dhaba on Marol Maroshi Road in not in a great location. The decor is not great. The atmosphere is not great. So why should you go there? Well I am not saying that the place deserves a mention in the Top 20 restaurants in Mumbai but it offers quality food at a great price. Go there with office colleagues, preferably in a large group and relive in a small way - the enjoyment of eating in a roadside dhaba. Sit on the khatiyas, gossip about office and enjoy well made, tasty and very affordable priced food.
The hotel is very unassuming and difficult to locate. The outside is a red brick wall on which there is a signage in Hindi and a larger one in English which was unfortunately for us hidden by plastic. The get up is the highlight of the place and is done up in a quaint if slightly funny manner. There are a number of khatiyas laid out around tables and each table is labeled after a city from the land of five rivers i.e. Jalandhar, Patiala etc. I think we were sitting in Jalandhar. There is no AC which is a real downer (maybe it adds to the rustic experience ;p), although that is made up somewhat by large standing fans. The food is actually very good even if you do not consider the price. We ordered saag chicken, chicken bharta and kadai paneer. The chicken preparations were decently good but what was really nice was the kadai paneer, really large pieces of paneer cut into squares and a rich onion laden gravy. The same was far better than the multi vegetable laden kadai one gets at most shops. The chicken bharta was a dish I was having after years and brought back memories of Ballygunj Phari Dhaba - but do not get your hopes up as it was not as good. Sigh!
Another downer was the service which was really slow, but we really were not in a hurry. Although the negative points on this post outweigh the positives. I would still recommend a visit as it is a decently adventurous outing with office colleagues, very different from the regular fare that one is usually served up.
A meal for two at Uttam da Dhaba without drinks will cost you approximately Rs 250/-

How to get there: It is difficult to locate and is on Marol Maroshi road. If you are coming from Powai, get into the SEEPZ exit towards Andheri. At the turning for ICICI Bank on the right. Go left, the opposite way from ICICI Bank. You need to go straight down, past the HDFC Bank on your right. Continue over the flyover and turn right at the signal. You need to go straight after that, no turns to be made. The restaurant falls on your right after a decently busy signal. This might sound confusing but it is. You might need to ask around a bit.

Aromas, Powai

Aroma's in Powai is one of the classier cafe in Mumbai. I really like the place. I do not know if I can put a finger on why I like the outlet so much. Maybe its the frontage and the location, giving it a feel of an European bistro. Maybe its the get up with some options of outdoor seating separated from the interiors with glass doors. It could also be the well placed, yet unobtrusive televisions or may be its the colour of the seats and the interiors a mild and very understated crimson. I just feel that it is a very chic place, perfect for an evening out with someone you love, or even for a quick lunch with some office colleagues. I have been to Aromas, a number of time, mostly for some coffee and snacks, both of which were decent without being extra special. Last time I was there was for dinner, which although not really exceptional will stay with my taste buds for a decent amount of time, especially the lemon grass chicken.

We were two of us and between us ordered servings of Egyptian Keftas with Pita Bread - the place has some uncommon sounding dishes, a club sandwich and a plate of Chicken Lemon Grass. The Egyptian Keftas with Pita bread definitely had some arabic influence, there was hummus and pita bread and a few keftas which were very like kebabs. The kebabs were made with minced chicken and were very light, with a decent amount of lime and olive. I must say they were presented very well and were pretty tasty, at least as much as minced chicken kebabs can be.

The club sandwich was just about Ok. Not as good as a club sandwich should be, but really how bad can a sandwich having ham and eggs get? What was really worth remembering was the chicken Lemon Grass, when I hear Chicken Lemon Grass the tendency is to think Thai or Chinese but this particular preparation was chicken pieces served in skewers. It tasted good but what was really noteworthy was the essence of Lemon Grass that the chicken pieces had. It was really strong, without being over powering. The dish is a definite must have for Lemon Grass lovers and fans. I would recommend you go once anyway for a coffee - just for spending some quality time at a pretty cool place.
A meal for two without drinks at Aromas should cost you approximately Rs 600/-

How to get there: Aromas is in Hiranandani Gardens Powai, on the opposite foot path to D-Mart. You just cannot miss it as it covers the entire corner.