Tao, Tunga Regale, Andheri East

Tao is the fine dining Chinese outlet of Tunga Regale hotel. The decor is classy and of fine dining standards as is most of the food. Unfortunately as is the fate of most such restaurants in office infested areas in Mumbai, the positioning of the outlet as a fine dining experience is obscured by the great value for money buffet that is served at the restaurant and is devoured in plenty by ravenous Chinese food seeking office goers in the SEEPZ/ MIDC areas of Andheri East.

Tao gives you an upmarket fine dining feel with its decor, the only area of improvement would be the spacing which is slightly cramped due to reasons of economy. The staff is well dressed, polite and attentive. They are willing to go out of the way to get a few dishes to the table also.

The buffet spread is fantastic, ranging from a choice of soup, to a large array of starters and main course. Tao also has a fair choice of 4 to 5 types of dessert to choose from which nicely rounds off the selection. You get all this for the great price of Rs 249 for Vegetarians (the spicy baby corn is really nice) and Rs 299 for Non Vegetarians (no sea food but the price in unbelievable given the quality).

The food itself is well made and very tasty, the spread offers 3 to 4 types of Chinese preparations of Vegetarian and Non Vegetarian dishes. The preparations are good, I particularly like the Hong Kong Chicken which was there both the times I went, its slightly dry and spicy - exactly the kind of chicken preparation I love in Chinese food. The last time I was there, I also loved the shredded chicken preparation which was prepared in a mild white gravy - the combination with the fried rice was perfect. What I do not like at Tao is the flattish noodle they serve similar looking to Phad Thai. I am sure it tastes great but according to me it does not go with the rest of the buffet. Tao also serves a variety of other preparations of Tofu, Baby Corn, Mixed Vegetable and Lamb - all good but not as brilliant as the two chicken dishes I mentioned.

The dessert had Vanilla ice cream, honey noodles and a few pastries. The best part is that you get all of these for just Rs 299/- inclusive of taxes in the year 2010! Unbelievable and deliciously so!!

A meal for two at Tao without drinks will cost you Approximately Rs 500 - Rs 600 depending on your Vegetarian/ Non Vegetarian preferences.

How to get there: Tao, Tunga Regale is on the MIDC road connecting Mahakali caves road to JVLR. If you are driving towards JVLR the restaurant falls on your left. Take care not to confuse the two Tungas, The Tunga Regale falls to your left. The other Tunga hotel where Something Fishy is situated is far earlier on the right.

Something Fishy, Tunga International, Andheri East

Something Fishy, at Tunga International is one of the favorite haunts of office crowds at MIDC who want to have a good meal and are willing to spend some good money for some really good food. The way the restaurant operates is simple enough. A buffet lunch - All you can eat for Rs 355/- only. This includes Non Vegetarian food and usually on Fridays - it includes Prawns also!!! I would however advise Vegetarians to stay away because the options for Vegetarians are not nearly as great as that for the Non Vegetarians. The decor is not flashy and not too elaborate. Slightly crowded as they obviously wanted to pack in as many people as possible.
Last time I went to Something Fishy was unfortunately on a Thursday. The lack of prawns however was largely sub vented through a more than decent option of fried fish - Bangda, Konkan preparations of a hot and spicy mutton and a not so hot, coconut flavoured chicken. There was also the very popular Pomfret curry as well. I am sorry but I do not remember the Vegetarian option. The dishes are to be had with plain rice, fried ginger rice or Kerala Paratha. An earlier visit had Appams instead of Parathas but Kerala Paratha was what we got this time around. The dishes were OK from a taste perspective. The chicken particularly was outstanding! We rounded off the meal with Vanilla Ice Cream and honey noodles. There were also a decent mix of cakes and pastries but we just did not have enough space to accommodate.
A meal for two at Something Fishy without drinks will cost you approximately Rs 710/-
How to get there: Something Fishy is on the MIDC road linking the Mahakali Caves road to JVLR. If you are travelling from the Mahakali Caves road and moving towards JVLR you will find Tunga International and Something Fishy on your right approximately 200m from the turning. You will need to take a U turn to get on to the other side of the road.