Food Review: Bombay Brasserie

Pauwa Cocktails at Bombay Brasserie

Bombay Brasserie is quickly spreading around India, with branches in Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Bangalore – Pune is coming up soon, too! We’re sure you must have heard a lot about their famous Pauwa Cocktails, which will offer you a multicultural high with every sip. But, do you have any idea about all the veggie offerings they have? Let’s take a look at our yay’s, nay’s and more! –

Yay’s –

Chilli Cheese Kulcha at Bombay Brasserie

Chilli Cheese Kulcha is the one dish you have to order here – the amount of cheese packed into every mini kulcha is simply amazing and delightful.

Chatka Chhole Kulchey are a good option if you are really hungry – the chhole are well-done and rich in flavor. We personally preferred pairing the chickpeas with the crispy, layered Chur Chur Paranthas. People sure think vegetarians are in dire need of carbs and dairy, because most of the veggie options on the menu do fall into these categories, speaking of which, Amritsari Aloo Kulcha is another safe and sound option, especially if you love butter.

Chatka Chhole Kulchey at Bombay Brasserie

There are lots of dessert options that caught our attention, too, including Bombay Ice Cream Sandwich and Anglo-Indian Bread Pudding.

If you are in the mood for some High Chai, a curation of chaats, toasties, pao pairings and more will provide you with fuel to get through the rest of your evening.

Nay’s –

Aam Papad Paneer at Bombay Brasserie

The paneer component of the Aam Papad Paneer dish was a bit off in its texture, tasting a bit too chewy for our liking. And, the Parda Sabz Biryani had a bit too much going on for any flavour to really cut through and stand out.

A meal for two, with alcohol, costs approximately Rs. 1,800 (plus the much-dreaded GST).

Address: Villa 12-A, Lotus Cinema Building, Opposite Nehru Centre, Worli, Mumbai

Food Review: The Gallery Cafe (Hyderabad)

We love it when we stumble across a vegetarian place while traveling, and when that place also happens to cater to artists, we get even more excited. While recently visiting Hyderabad, we conducted a review of The Gallery Cafe in Banjara Hills, which is one of the few venues in Hyderabad dedicated to offering budding artists a platform, whether it be to showcase music, photography and art or other talent forms such as stand-up comedy and poetry – to a certain extent it reminded us of The Project Cafe in Ahmedabad (which is a good thing).

The best dish we tried here is definitely the Spaghetti in Curry Sauce – we loved the idea of adding madras curry powder to spaghetti! It tasted flavourful and unique. The Tomato Basil Soup was decent, and the Corn & Spinach Focaccia Sandwich with fries on the side was filling.

The Funky Veggie Lover Pizza was average, compared to places which specialize in pizza, but if your group of friends are all having pizza cravings, you can consider ordering one to share, nonetheless. The quality of cheese was great, but we would have preferred a better base. The Hummus & Pita was also average – don’t expect an assorted variety of flavoured hummus dip options; it’s basic. Avoid the Stuffed Mushrooms, which are a bit on the dry side.

Definitely indulge in desserts here, for sure, and try out their interesting spread of teas and coffees, by either the cup or the pot! We loved the Affogato and Churros dipped in Hot Chocolate – sinfully divine!

If you are looking for a fun place to read and write out of or to have a fun conversation with friends or want to check out the latest budding artists in action, The Gallery Cafe is your go-to spot in Hyderabad.

The Gallery Cafe is located at 8-2-585/1/B, Road 10, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad.

Food Review: A Bar Called Life

The swanky Villa 69 shut down, and A Bar Called Life opened up here, instead – we were invited to a review session, along with other bloggers, recently. The interiors were not as classy as Villa 69, but we like how there was ample of space to walk around, and that the place transformed into a club after 11pm. Following a philosophical approach stemming from how life changes throughout, the drinks here have fluctuating prices based on what time of evening and night it is (6-8pm, 8-9pm, 9-10pm, 10pm onward). Here’s what we tried –

Beverages:

Kadi Patta Mojito and Orange Mojito – If you are off alcohol, definitely opt for the Kadi Pata Mojito, which is refreshing and full of flavor!

Starters:

Popping Tarbooza – We loved the fresh watermelon garnished with peanuts, feta cheese and sauces. Light, flavourful and tasty.

Ram Laddoo – The ram laddoos were quite oily and average, worth a skip, for sure!

Akhrot Malai Broccoli – Quite an interesting concept, we liked the idea of coating broccoli in malai, nuts and cheese, but we also felt if the pieces were smaller, the flavour would be richer and the broccoli would be crispier.

Burrata Kadak Roomali – This dish was a definite winner! Crisp rumali roti, along the lines of a crisp khakra, sprinkled with masalas like a masala papad, and in the centre a nice serving of burrata cheese and tomatoes like bruschetta – totally addictive to munch on!

Main Course:

Ambarsariya Chloey Kulche – Now, while the chhole were yummy, the kulcha was stuffed with too much filling, which clashed with the flavor of the chhole. Perhaps, laccha parantha or plain kulcha would have been more appropriately paired. We liked the baby jamuns paired with it.

Dahi Wale Aloo – The dahi waale aloo, served with churra and kachumber, was decent, but there wasn’t anything unique about it. Perhaps try the dal makhani or sarson ka saag, which are probably more authentic, given the chef is a Punjabi!

Dessert:

Nolengur Ice Cream – Missing this delightful dessert from Kolkata? You can feast on some right here in Mumbai, though they haven’t gotten the recipe quite that right compared to the original source (we are craving some from Bhojohari Manna!).

Don’t forget to comment below to let us know your food and drinking experience at A Bar Called Life.

A Bar Called Life is located at 30 Janardan Matre Road, Near Chandan Police Chowki, Juhu Circle, Juhu, Mumbai.

Food Review: Cafe Xtasi (Pondicherry)

Wood-fired pizzas sure are becoming a rage across India, and the same holds true in Pondicherry. While people haven’t been raving about it as much as Tantos (Auroville), there is no denying the positive word-of-mouth surrounding Cafe Xtasi has been substantial. So, we decided to end our curiosity and hunger by heading here for lunch recently, and, indeed Dominos (located not too far from here), has some steep competition from these guys.

With nearly 27 veggie pizza options, some standard like Florentina, Margherita and 4 Fromagi, as well as some bizarre options like Go Bananas (pineapple, banana AND vegetables) and Cheese Bomb (paneer, pineapple, onion, chili), the variety on Cafe Xtasi’s menu is plenty. They’ve got regular customers not just from Pondicherry, but also from Chennai and Bangalore coming in.

We tried a half-and-half pizza – one half was Tom Goes Herby (tomato, oregano, green coriander, fresh basil, mint and parsley) and the other half was Paneered (paneer, feta, spinach, olives, garlic, onion). While we really enjoyed Paneered for the interesting mix of paneer and feta cheese and rich flavor brought about by the garlic and onions, Tom Goes Herby didn’t taste as flavorful as we thought it would be given its combination of oregano, coriander, basil, mint and parsley, because the pizza wasn’t crispy enough for the flavor to stand out. Thin crust pizzas need to have a little more crunch when there are lots of toppings!

We’ve got to say the pizzas are reasonably priced for the gigantic portions which they are served in. And, if you’re craving starters, pastas and salads to kill time before you get to gobbling some pizza slices, you’ll find all of these dishes and more at Xtasi. They’re soon rolling out a new menu very soon, which will also feature grilled food, as well as loyalty cards and happy hours, so stay tuned for that, and the interiors will soon be redone over the next few weeks!

Cafe Xtasi is located at 245 Mission Street, Pondicherry, 605001.
(They also have two outlets in Delhi, and are launching an outlet in Bangalore later this year. )

Review: Café des Arts (Pondicherry)

 

Located in the heart of White Town, Pondicherry, Eva Laberibe’s Cafe Des Arts is a nice outdoor cafe to chill at when craving some fresh food – it also helps they have a collection of books you can read while there.

We absolutely loved their Zuchinni Salad – it tasted extremely fresh and healthy, with feta cheese, fresh mint and seasonings adding just the right amount of flavor. Highly recommended!

If you enjoy soups, try the Mint Gaspacho Fresh & Cold Vegetable Soup. Again, this also tastes extremely refreshing.
 

Also worth ordering are their bruschettas and toasted sandwiches. Cafe Des Arts has a fairly decent breakfast menu, too, making this the perfect spot for a morning meal with friends or a significant other :)

And, if you’re looking to beat the summer heat, don’t forget to guzzle down your food with their Lemon Mint Cooler!

Although some of the dishes seem a little over-priced, if you’re looking for a cafe that has a spacious and homely vibe, with healthy dishes that do not compromise on quality of ingredients or freshness, then Cafe Des Arts is for you!

Cafe Des Arts is located at 10, Suffren Street, White Town, Pondicherry.