Punjab Grill, Juhu, Mumbai

Punjab Grill is an attempt to fill one of the most obvious need gaps in the culinary land scape of Mumbai. The city (at least the suburbs) really has relatively few options (discounting the 5 star chains) if you want to sample high quality North Indian / Punjabi cuisine and to a large extent Punjab Grill manages to fill that rather glaring culinary hole.
Punjab Grill is a fine dining restaurant aimed at bringing you the best flavours of the undivided Punjab and as soon as you enter the restaurant, one gets the impression that the evening will be an enjoyable one. They have two layouts, an air conditioned interior as well as an adequately fanned outdoor option. The outdoor option is very classily done up, so much so, that we decided to sit outdoors inspite of the Mumbai heat. What I particularly liked from a customer experience perspective is the outdoor bar they have set up near the entrance which can and was being used by guests while waiting to be seated.
What also strikes you is the amazing level of service you experience, the waiters are all smart and knowledgeable. Service is paramount and their is no division of tables or zones at least visibly, in case the waiter allocated to you is busy, others are most willing to pitch in. What I appreciated from the waiters was also their honesty with the items on the menu, we were very clearly informed when we were ordering some aam-panna that the same was not original Mango and so might not be as authentic as some other available options, especially the shikanji.
The food at Punjab Grill is something that they take a lot of pride in and not without reason as we experienced. We sampled their kebab platter, the galouti kebabs, Daal Punjab grill and Kheema naan. The Kebab Platter had servings of Mutton Chaap, Chicken Reshmi Kebabs, Chicken Tikka and Fish Amritsari. The chicken was soft, well flavoured and very tasty, the fish was authentic with the flavour of ajwain standing out. The star of the platter was undoubtedly the mutton chaap, well chosen pieces and cooked so that the mutton adequately stays attached to the bone while perfectly cooked. The melt-in-your-mouth Galouti kebabs were also very good, among the best I have sampled in Mumbai, the only negative being the way they were served, on a small bread with an onion slice. It looked great and tasted okay but it was almost presented too well to be interfered with. I like a little bit more freedom in the way I want to have my Galouti.
The Daal - Punjab Grill was as good as you expect in any high quality Punjabi restaurant and did not disappoint in the least, I however felt that there was room to improve with the Kheema Naan as I felt that the flavour did not really come through and got a bit awkward to finish and reduced me that I had opted for the Garlic Naan. Overall, while I would have to say the food was very good but did not floor me and make my mouth water. Call it being spoilt but the food of undivided Punjab makes me yearn for food I have sampled in Amritsar, Chandigarh and Ludhiana. I expect the food from present day Pakistan to be as good as the kebabs in Lucknow. While Punjab Grill does a fantastic job, those levels of culinary experience are never quite achieved. To be honest I have sampled similar culinary excellence only at the ITC Grand Maratha in Mumbai so the comparison might not be fair.
Punjab Grill however won my heart with the little touch at the end. I absolutely adored the complementary Paan shots. Served in Tequila glasses and with all the flavours of a good paan the Paan shot made me rank Punjab Grill as one of the restaurants I would definitely go back to, inspite of the slightly steep price.
A meal for two at Punjab Grill without drinks will cost you approximately Rs 3000/-
How to get there: Punjab Grill is opposite the Costa Coffee in Juhu. If you enter Juhu through Juhu Gali and turn right towards Juhu Circle, it will fall on your left. The gate falls to your left, after you take a left past the restaurant boards visible from the main road.

Mia Cucina, Andheri West

Mia Cucina came with a reputation. In the times food guide that I have Rashmi Uday Singh had rated the food as the best Italian restaurant in Mumbai. I tend to agree partially with her and would rate the restaurant at par with Don Giovannis as the place to sample Italian food in Mumbai. Mia Cucina, "My Kitchen" is a high end Italian restaurant which has just opened in Versova. The place is chic and the decor very classy and very Italian. I loved the picture of Marlon Brando as the Godfather at the entrance and was pleased to see that the place had both outdoor and indoor seating options. The tables were long with a wood finish, the interiors were well lit without being too bright and the walls had a brick finish adding to the overall feel of the place. Mia Cucina is also a favorite with the film/ TV Serial crowd of Suburbian Mumbai and we spotted Arshad Warsi, Maria Goretti and Anchal Kumar in the time that we were there on a Saturday night.
We ordered quite a spread at Mia Cucina, the food at Mia Cucina as we found is served not as full plates but as smaller bowls from which you can share which was a departure from the regular high end Italian restaurants which I think is great as you can taste a larger number of dishes without awkwardly transferring food from largish place. The other slight difference that we noted was the fact that the restaurant accommodates slight changes in the ingredients of the preparations. If you want your favorite ingredient added to a particular dish and it makes sense, the chefs comply to your request.
At Mia Cucina we tasted Lasagna Al Forno, a lasagna made with a mince mix of beef and pork, a really nice taste though I felt that the cheese was slightly on the lighter side, Risotto al pollo - a risotto made with chicken and mushrooms which was good without being really brilliant. We also sampled a bit of grilled Rawas which was also very tasty and had a lot of herb flavour going well with the fish - again very good quality. The undoubted highlight of the meal however was the tagliatelle pasta with mascarpone cheese and spinach. My sister had the brainwave of adding chorizo or pork sausages to the preparation and it tasted absolutely fantastic. The spinach, cheese and the pork was a truly outstanding combination which must be tried and will be definitely repeated in my next visit. As is the case at most high quality Italian restaurants, leaving space for dessert is a must and we sampled the cheesecake, the tiramisu and a chocolate pastry all of which were of the highest standards as far as taste goes. Do go to Mia Cucina for outstanding Italian food!
A meal for two at Mia Cucina would cost you approximately Rs 1300 without drinks.
How to get there: Mia Cucina is on the main Versova road. If you are coming from the station side. You have to keep driving down the road past Indian Oil Nagar and straight past where the old Versova bus stop used to be. You have to drive straight as the road bends left from the bus stop and then goes straight before turning left again before taking a half u-turn towards the right. Mia Cucina will fall towards your left just after you take the half u-turn.

Calcutta Club, Andheri West, Mumbai

Calcutta Club in Oshiwara, Andheri West is one of my most favourite restaurants in Mumbai. It serves decent Bangali food, not as good as what you get in Oh! Calcutta, however the outlet serves what according to me is the best Calcutta Biriyani you get in Mumbai.
Replete with a full hardboiled egg and a large half potato - ingredients which might make a Hyderabadi and Lucknaowi cringe makes a Calcuttan salivate. The version that you get in Calcutta club although slightly heavy on the oil is exactly what I like and makes me feel almost at home. I also love the decor at Calcutta club and the pictures of Old Calcutta are really nice and gives the place a nice feel. The only issue is how cramped the place is and I hope that they soon open another larger branch closer to Powai.
Last time we were at Calcutta Club, we ordered the Biriyani obvously and preceded that with some Luchi , Cholar Daal and Aloor Dom. The Luchi and Cholar daal is just an unbeatable combination and was great, however the Aloor Dom was really bad and all of you would be strongly advised to steer clear of the preparation when and if you decide to frequent the place.
A meal for two at Calcutta Club will cost you approximately Rs 300/-
How to get there: Calcutta Club is in Oshiwara Andheri West. It is a bit difficult to spot alhough you will not really get lost. If you are driving from Bandra via linking road. You will have Fame Adlabs to your left. You have to drive straight on past Cinemax mall and crossing two further signals. Calcutta Club will be towards your right. You will know that you have missed it if you come to a T junction. In case you do take a U turn and keep an eye on your left.

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.

Don Giovanni, Juhu

The same upmarket hotel which has forced the relocation of Bistro Grill has also forced the relocation of Don Giovanni in Juhu. Though in this case, paradise has not been lost as the food remains as good as it ever was. I say that with a pinch of salt as their signature dish - the Risotto - a - la - Don Giovanni, an outstanding preparation of a cheese, and bacon risotto with a dash of vodka has lost the mind blowing quality that it had the first time. But I would attribute that to the high expectation that we place of the dish.
Don Giovanni has moved from opposite the JW Marriott hotel to the lane on which Prithvi theatre is located. It is on a semi complex on the left, you have to to drive in a bit before the valet parking gets into action. The interiors are quite large and seating 50 plus people comfortably does not seem to be an issue. We sat on a table near the bar, there are two other sections in the restaurant. The decor is apt, paintings adorn the walls and there is far more space than at the previous outlet. The only thing I missed was the Azzuri football shirt, present at the previous outlet which I could not locate here. Music, I presume Italian is played at just the right volume which provides a perfect ambience for a great lunch/ dinner. I have made several visits to Don G's in Mumbai but to my mind three dishes stand out.
1) The Risotto - a - la - Don Giovanni : When you put cheese, vodka, bacon and arborio rice in just the right combination you come up with this dish that causes me to salivate as I am writing this. The risotto is the best I have ever had, although they have increased the size of the bacon pieces which according to me does not taste as good as it used to the smaller pieces of crispy bacon.
2) Chicken Involtini - The Involtini is an outstanding starter of chicken stuffed with Mozzarella cheese. The cheese is folded into chicken breasts which are supported by a toothpick and then cooked. The cheese is just right and tastes brilliant when the dish is served. The only tricky part of the preparation is dealing with the tooth pick elegantly which is sometimes difficult to execute.
3) Lasagna - I tasted the chicken lasagna at Don Gs and it was exceptional. I can only imagine how good the beef lasagna must be. It is not too crisp as is the case in certain restaurants. It is just hard enough for the multiple layers of pasta, tomato, cheese and meat to stick together in perfect proportion
These are the top three dishes but it would be a great injustice to not talk about the Tiramisu and the coffee. Problem is that it would be difficult to fit both into the menu in the same meal. Both are outstanding, I urge you to go twice, or better still before the meal have a chat over some coffee and end with the Tiramisu. Only thing, you have to pre-book the Tiramisu as it runs out very quickly. So coffee for a pre meal conversation, Chicken Involtini for starters, if there are two of you order the Lasagna and the Risotto ala Don Giovanni, and end with the heavenly Tiramisu. You will fall in love with Italy right in the heart of Mumbai.
Good Italian food does not come cheap and a meal for two, with starters and dessert but without drinks at Don Giovanni will cost you Rs 2500/-
How to get there: Don Giovanni is in Juhu, at the signal between Juhu and Andheri, instead of proceeding on Juhu Tara Road toward JW Marriot. Turn right at the signal to go toward Prithvi, there will be a semi market complex on your left. Don Giovanni is one of the many restaurants/ shops. It is visible from the outside.

Sernyaa Momos and Barbequed Pineapple!

Well yes! We barbecued pineapples and it tasted bloody good. Probably the second most tasty item just following the chicken marinaded with lemon. Bloody Brilliant!!

But let me start with Friday first... Ritwika picked me up from office and we went to Burandis for the marinade party, i got mostly bored as there was no flash on burandis comp effectively ruling out Zynga Poker. The highlight though was the dinner we had just after at Sernyaa on Link Road, Andheri West. The place is owned by an elderly gentleman called "Uncle", he is warm, friendly and the ambiance sort of reflects his persona. The place has great Momos and a whole array of Tibetan stuff (i frankly found it hard to decipher, but the great part is that uncle is usually around to help you order). The place also has one of the best condiments you will ever have. Made of finely minced cabbage marinated in lots of chilli (beware! its very spicy) and other sauces this particular condiment makes you order and extra plate of Momos just so that you can have some more.

We were joined by Burandi and Rajneesh and we ordered Momos, Stir fried Sausages and Chicken and Vegetable pot rice. I have already spoken about the momos, the sausages were good and a particular favorite of Ritwika with a good sprinkling of bell peppers, the pot rice however was surprisingly rather good. I say surprisingly because apart from the sea food pot rice at China Gate which is mind blowing i have not liked the other versions i have had. This one however was quite good and had enough veggies and chicken to not need an accompanying dish - it was a mini meal in itself so it scores on the value for money parameter.

We rounded off the evening with fresh strawberry and strawberry ice cream at Naturals in Powai to round off what had been an appetising day dreaming of further gastronomy with the barbecue that was to follow the next day.

I was not super excited for the barbecue. Firstly - we had some Goan Pork sausages for lunch and i had had my fill - as usual a little more than i should. Secondly - I was driving and boozing was not possible. Ritwika and Dripto however were super excited and were looking forward to barbecue ing and being the DJ respectively, i trying vainly to raise my personal excitement level. This was however till i started to actually barbecue.

Dripto was telling me that there is something manly about a barbecue, i only partially agreed with him, I think that a barbecue is "caveman"ly. There is something animalistic about cooking raw meat on a fire which appeals to our guttural instincts and makes the food which i doubt would otherwise taste great, taste so bloody awesome. We had a fantastic evening, highlights have been mentioned earlier. The "Lemon Chicken" and the Pineapple, although the Apples were a disaster - Chhoto Bou - you were right!!

So that brings us to Sunday, Chhoto Mashi thankfully did not bring Biriyani, she got some home grown veggies we had for dinner last night. Phul kopir torkari (Cauliflower Curry) with Parathas is very tasty also as is the Deccan Chicken, Ritwika had made for lunch, but more on that later...With the In-Laws landing on Wednesday the world is going to get a good deal tastier...Burp!

How to get there: Sernyaa is on Andheri Link Road. If you are driving from Juhu side towards Malad, you will have Fame Adlabs and Cinemax on your left. Cross the signal and drive straight on towards Oshiwara. Sernyaa is a 2 minute drive on the left after crossing the signal.