Love, sugar and dough

There are times when you want to die a sinful death. Sinful is the new British substitute for "wicked" which is a substitute for "delectable!" 

Bombay is catching up to these adjectives by catering the taste buds of us mere mortals and playing the wicked trump card of offering us pure delicacies that melt in the mouth as if they were those soda pop candies. LSD, or also known as the Love Sugar and Dough has taken up the liberty to play with our sweet tooth and made us utterly dependent on these craft fully made cream cheese red velvet and butter cream red velvet cup cakes!! 

My friend, Kinjal visited me last week and I had a privilege to make her taste one of these and it would be foolish to NOT say she dreamt of them for 3 consecutive nights. Red velvet gets its color from beet or the artificial color red. I am not sure whether LSD opts for natural beet or the artificial color but none the less, the cup cake seems to be a perfect blend sweetness, cheesiness and bread crumbles. 

I give a five on five to this particular cup-cake and plan to have one every week so that I can die a sinful death, literally.

It is moderately priced, where a box of 12  as above will cost about INR 200. 

Go, let your tongue loose! 

Quesso Ristorante, Andheri West

Today I'm writing about this lovely restaurant Quesso [cheese in Spanish] that my friend chose for her birthday dinner. It's a multi cuisine "ristorante" that mainly serves Mediterranean dishes, with a sprinkle of Lebanese and Mexican.

So, we step into the place. Interiors? Well, it was subtly lit. Perfect actually. Not too bright, not too dim either to make me wonder if I should be straining my eyes to search for things that shouldn't be present my food in the first place.

 
And we were seated here:

The best part about our table was its strategic placement. Mainly because ours was a big group of 20-something-years old friends, who'd obviously be loud. So, I called our seating area perfect as did we make a LOT of noise and never got shush-ed once! :)

Our appetizers for the night were Jalepeno Cheese Poppers and Nachos El Classico.

Nachos were fried perfectly and even though they were with salsa, guacamole, and other sauces on top, the dish hadn't turned soggy when it was served on our plates. Good job, chef!

And the star of the night, Jalepeno Cheese Poppers. It was an 11/10 dish! Wow! What a delightful preparation! All of us fell in love with them. Crisply-fried exteriors, cheese and finely-chopped jalepeno that burst in my mouth. Yummy. It was outright delicious. This was the dish that can make any dieter feel guilty to the core. So good was this dish that it was ordered again after we finished the main course... :)

Then came our virgin drinks. On insistence of a friend, I tasted the Orange Mania. But, it was slight bitter for my palate, though that's how it was supposed to be. So, I went ahead and ordered my good ol' Peach Ice Tea. It was perfectly mixed! The taste was so amazing that the tea left a beautiful flavor lingering in my mouth. I wanted to savour it and drink more at the same time. This Ice Tea was the nukkad-cutting of all the Ice Teas I'd ever drank!

Then came our main course. Lasagne and Ravioli. The Ravioli was good - the sauce was really good. Slightly bland but delicious. And then my sinful cheeeeesy (pardon the extra 'e's but the amount of cheese in the dish demands it) Lasagne. Perfect for my Indian palate that mostly demands a chatakedaar (loosely translated as a mix of flavours) dish.

Finally, it ended when my stomach started to tell me I should stop eating as it had reached its limit. (I thinks those Jalepeno Cheese Poppers were the culprit - all 12 of them!)

To end with, I loved the fact as to how I didn't have to think twice before putting any food item in my mouth because this place was a pure vegetarian. Although, undoubtedly, the owner had taken great efforts in turning this restaurant affair into a memorable diner, making it no less than any other upscale counterparts that whip great non-vegetarian fares.

So it's goodbye for now - until I post my next blog...

Alfredo's, Andheri West

The place where Salt and Pepper existed once, seems to be rather haunted. Tonnes of restaurants took up the base and were shut in no time. I wonder why! However, I cant complaint about this change. I live very close to that area and having a new restaurant in the same place makes it easy for me to try out new cuisines right in one place literally!! 
Never the less, Alfredo's has been in Juhu for years now. However, this one here has a nice seating set-up and a rusty garage look that can please a certain set of people but for me it was rather dull but comfortable. Outside was filled with rather mosquitoes and we decided to sit inside. They serve the same Continental & Italian Cuisine that they serve in Juhu but with a sit and dine experience. Our menu for the day was potato dumplings in cheese along with some Minestrone soup for starters accompanied by vegetarian Caesar salad. The presentation was simply fantastic and I would acknowledge the effort that must have gone in that. However, the service was very slow. We waited for almost 40 minutes to get the starters. 
A little disappointed there but the yumness of the food made me forget that fact easily. The Caesar salad was very well done and the croutons were just hard enough to give that crispy taste. Minestrone Soup was quite a delicacy too. 

The place is coloured teal and it looks rather unique. However, teal attributes to a rather dark shade and personally I prefer lit up places. The mahogany tables are fancy and the crockery is quite classy too. I feel its an attempt to call it fine dining but the ambiance spoils it for me. 
Our main course consisted of Bombay Rouge Pizzas along with Shashlik Sizzler. The Bombay Rouge Pizzas were not exquisite but again, presentation has stolen the scene here. Beautifully done Pizza made us fall in love with it before we actually had a bite of it. The sizzler too was quite fine, nothing extra ordinary but the way it was lying on the table with an oriental arrangement made it palatable. 


All in all, our dining experience at Alfredo's was just fine and I would recommend you to visit the joint once for sure. I would consider it to be a little expensive as their idea of fine dining clearly holds in the prices of the dishes and drinks : )

Candies, Bandra

Bandra is the place you want to be in if you want to feel the air of young, elite and interesting Mumbai. It has a lot of Portuguese elements that are surfacing and adding that tinge of vintage to it. The small lanes surrounded by green trees, the houses on hills, the rugged woody and ebony look to coffee shops and obviously the handsomely dressed Bandraites!

Candies is one of those places where history of past India surfaces out immensely. A very old set-up, Candies is coloured in Portuguese blue and whites with beautiful beautiful tile paintings. It has two levels and both of them serve the same food. Surprisingly, the restaurant can accommodate about 100-150 people at a go and still it does not accept credit cards or debit cards. This point is very interesting as Candies has tried to keep it really old school and that makes it unique. With an in house bakery that makes Mumbai's famous angry birds cup cakes, Candies has an exemplary menu of vegetarian and non vegetarian dishes. They serve Thai, Italian, Rolls, Toasts etc etc.
However, the food at Candies is not what you go to Candies for. The food is more like a light meal served in foiled bowls and paper cups with no intention to stuff you up and give you a full blown food experience. It serves you food across the counter and its a one item choice that you usually go for. The quantity and the price is quite fine and I think that should give you a kick to visit it!

What really matters at Candies, however, is the open to sky ambiance of the place. The ambiance where there are metal chairs and flower pots around you. A balcony designed in levels would be the apt way to describe the candies architecture. Some balconies allow you to smoke while others are smoke free. The feel of being directly under the sky surrounded by bougainvillea trees is priceless.  Along with that, the traditional ways of serving food with a small cupcake and salad on the side is definitely a charmer.

I believe the best dish I have had at Candies was the Cheese Potato Balls along with the Mint drink. Thus, as a part of food experiments, I suggest you visit Candies for its feel and less for the food!

Olives, Bandra

A lot has been said about Bandra and how it appeals a lot of people because of the perfect location for people from suburbs and SoBo as it is equally distant for both the residents and always turns out to be the most ideal location to meet up. Bandra has other appealing factors too. The kind of restaurants that Bandra is opening up to are artistic, different, quaint, rustic and highly non-traditional. Being in a humid city like Mumbai, the last thing you want to do is sit in open air without air conditioner and sweat profusely. Surprisingly, these restaurants have managed to overcome this hurdle to a certain extent and the entire concept of closed restaurants in Mumbai has been revised.

Olives is a quaint, rustic, candle-lit restaurant that appeals your eyes for sure. With a very cow boyish entrance, the restaurant opens up to this pebbly ground and very poor lit porch where there is a lot of rustic furniture laid down. The white uneven walls are the most striking feature as white soothes you thoroughly. House music in the background and a live bar are some other attractions that catch your eye. The waiters are dressed in these floral shirts which create a feeling of relaxed surroundings all around. Picturesquely this restaurant scores a ten on ten. It is supposed to be a celebrity frequented place and thus the standards and beauty of the place has been preserved delicately.
My visit to Olives was very brief and chose to drink there instead of eating food. Extensive drink menu is offered where it becomes increasingly difficult for you to choose the drink that can appeal your mood. However, I zeroed on Kiwi and Watermelon Mohito. The name was exotic enough to titillate my taste buds. The cut Kiwi pieces added flavour to the drink and it brought a different layer of solid food with the regular basil and brown sugar Mohito mix. I quite liked the drink and I enjoyed the stirrer. Surprised? The stirrer was apparently a sugarcane root. Having a sugarcane root in the month of October was a pleasure in itself. Upon requesting, they gave us complimentary sugarcane roots to nib on. Though our nibbling didn't really suit the ambience of the restaurant but then again, seize the day! The classic Olive flaming shot! In a beautiful Margerita glass, they pour kahlua and light up the glass with fire. On top of that, they stream continuous baileys and you suck the alcohol with the straw! Beautiful experience having this shot at the live bar of Olives.
I would rate Olive a definite one time experience because of the way it looks. The alcohol here is definitely very expensive and I would compare it with the prices charged by Novotel Gadda Da Vida which is apparently a high end lounge. Olives has probably the most well dressed and loaded people that frequent it but the experience is pretty exhaustive. I am sure there are better places which can be tried rather then repeating this venue again. 

Firangi Paani, Andheri West

The feel of an English pub is something I have always yearned for since I came back from the UK. The draught beer taps and the wooden furniture are characteristic British. Firangi Paani has been able to replicate that style exactly! The difference being, this place also lets you dance on a dance floor and lets you order food from a plethora of options unlike any traditional British pub.

They have started a concept of Nano Sizzlers recently. Over expected volume for a name like Nano Sizzler. We ordered the Blazing Thai Curry Sizzler, Italian Connection and Paneer Shashlik and Cheese Sizzler. The delicacy was palatable and it longed me to have more. I also ordered Caesar Salad as a side dish. Well, I can assure you that I have had better salads! Inspite of that, I will not speak less of the credibility of Sizzlers as they did the job of filling up our stomachs thoroughly well.

Moderately priced if the only thing you order is food. Drinks are expensive and the combination can be a little above Rs.700 per head. The aroma of the food is surely worth the entire experience. WARNING. Their AC is completely uncontrolled and it would be wise to drape yourself up before you go to this place.

Aromas of China - Andheri

Chinese has me enticed recently. Especially the Indian version of Chinese. The saute brocolli is my favourite dish. However wit Aromas of China, I learn to have different favourite dishes when it comes to Chinese cuisine. Aromas of China have some of the best buffets in town and the ambience that the restaurant has maintained, gives you an elite experience. 

Sumptuous foods and palatable desserts make the experience worth a visit. A Chocolate fountain does justice to the dessert department. It has incessant chocolate showering from one layer to another and it gives me the calling of life which is enjoying delicacies thoroughly till you exist on this planet! Some people call people like these foodiots but I call them fortunate :)

Aromas of China is famous for the wontons they serve. They are mouth watering and almost replicate the Chinese dumplings except for the fact that Aromas also serve these in a vegetarian format. It is kind of interesting how Indians can tweak the exact food form and recipe with vegetarian substitutes so that vegetarians can also try some of the standard dishes with variations :)

Every buffet is complimented by one drink and I always prefer the Rose wine as it bring outs the flavour from the food and makes it mouth watering. The palatable noodles along with the live mix the ingredients counter are to be visited whenever you go to Aromas.

Aromas has a couple of other outlets in Mumbai as well. Please check the internet for more details and I would recommend this place strongly for the rich (financially) Chinese lovers!