Kareem's, Galleria, Powai

Firstly, Kareems at Powai is in no way related to the similar sounding Karims in Delhi. Not only is the spelling different, the Mumbai chain spelling a “double e” against the “i” of Delhi, the font is different, the logo colors are different and alas from the point of view of the Mumbai restaurant, the quality of the Biriyani is completely different. Not that Kareem’s in Mumbai is devoid of brilliance some of the food at the restaurant is of a very high standard, but you need to know what to order. You need to steer clear of the Biriyani!

I love the décor at Kareems, it is one of my favorite restaurant decors in Mumbai. The restaurant has brilliantly used the natural beauty of the Hiranandani Gardens, has take advantage of the natural roof the Galleria building provides and has made the seating space in the restaurant completely outdoors. Yet, and this is where Kareem’s deserves a pat on the back, one does not get a sense of any lack of hygiene that is so evident in the food court next door. They also have an open kitchen and you can see the chefs at work, as well as the succulent kebabs hanging from well ordered sheekhs in front of you.’

My favourite dish at Kareems is the Peela wala daal and the Kali Miri Kebabs. Both are extremely tasty, the chicken kali miri kebabs have the overwhelming taste of pepper, but the chicken is very tender and very amenable to whatever the marinade that they used. The daal however is the highlight and is one of the better daals I have tasted in any restaurant, rivaling the Kaali Daal at Bukhara. The daal is definitely not at rich but is served with a Tadka, which Kareems does an excellent job of. It is however important that you finish the meal at Kareems with the daal, as the Biriyani really, really sucks, one of the worst that I have tasted. The other dishes whatever I have tasted are not very great either. Kareems is a restaurant that combines the brilliant with the pathetic. Hopefully when you do go there you will order the brilliant.

A meal for two at Kareems without drinks will cost you approximately Rs 450/-

How to get there: Hangla’s is on the first floor of Galleria in Powai.

Hangla's, Galleria, Powai

Hangla’s is probably the best name possible for a Bengali, restaurant that serves primarily snacks, and that is what Hangla’s is. “Hangla” is the Bengali word for greedy and I think it makes for a great name for a snack joint. Most people, on seeing the sign, break into a smirk and are immediately curious about the kind of food on offer at the restaurant. Gluttony after all is one of the most popular and safe of the seven sins, and along with lust, probably the Bengali's favourite!

Hangla;s is situated on the food court at Galleria, Powai. It is no more than a hole in the wall and shares rather unattractive seating with 5 or 6 other restaurants, all operating on a primarily home delivery based business model. The service is almost non existent with dishes arriving at their own sweet time. You will be lucky to get what you order and it’s about a one in a million chance that you will be served on time, if you have ordered anything outside a chicken roll.

The last time I was there at Hanglas, I sampled some chicken Rezala with Paratha and some mutton biriyani. I had actually ordered Mutton Rezala and Chicken Biriyani but was served the opposite. It was also served rather late so we went along with what was brought before us. Excellence in operations is obviously not one of the restaurants strengths. The Chicken Rezala tasted ok, but seemed to be more like a Chicken Kassa rather than a Rezala, if it was indeed the Rezala then it was the most curd-free Rezala that I have had in my life. The Biriyani was decent without setting the world alight, but Kolkata Biriyani always tastes good as the same is infrequently available outside Kolkata. What was brilliant though, were the Parathas which were served with the chicken. Soft, tender and going excellently with the chicken that was served! Although brilliant, the parathas could not completely salvage the meal as the service really sucks. Placing an order at the restaurant seems to be rather pointless. It is advisable to stick to the rolls which are tasty, if slightly expensive.

A meal for two at Hangla’s without drinks will cost you approximately Rs 450/-

How to get there: Hangla’s is on the Galleria food court in Powai. The food court is on the first floor.

Yoko's, Galleria, Powai

Yoko's along with Kobe's are the two 4 letter - well 5 letter word's which define Sizzler eating in Mumbai. I have gone from hating the Mumbai steak to accepting and even liking the preparations. I have a simple policy of always checking with the waiter if they serve rice or noodles with the steak and insisting that my sizzler is well clear of either - both of which in my mind renders the sizzler as a complete hotch potch mess without any semblance of harmony.

Yoko's in Galleria, Powai however was a throwback to the sizzlers I used to hate when I had initially moved to Mumbai. The restaurant has recently moved from one part of Galleria to another and seems to have left its decor and the quality of its food. The nice decor has been discarded and the new place is quite plain, which is disappointing but not necessarily bad. The food however has really dropped in quality and the well done Garlic steak that I had ordered was devoid of the essential juices that really are a must to a good sizzler. The quality of the meat was good enough but the serving was so dry that the last quarter of the meal was a bit of an effort. I may be comparing the experience to Kobe's and the earlier meals at Yoko's that I have had but, Why Not? Same price, Worse Decor and Worse food. Definitely a come down and not at all recommended. Powai is in need of a good Sizzler joint!

A meal for two at Yoko's without drinks will cost you approximately Rs 900/-

How to get there: Yokos is next to the food court in Galleria, Hiranandani, Powai.