5 SPICE.

With a number of Chinese joints opening in every nook and corner of Mumbai, it is difficult to come across one which is excellent in every aspect: service, food and ambience. But 5 Spice is one such places which will leave you happy and with almost zero chances of complaining. We happened to come here with a confused mind and left with a he smile.

Looking at the elaborate menu we were highly smitten and decided on ordering our patent Chinese dish before moving further : the Veg Manchurian Dry. We were then about to order two dishes but the staff was decent enough to advice against it because one plate served here has the capacity of filling atleast 2-3 heavy eaters. So on the advice of the staff again, we opted for Peking Fried Rice, a combination of rice and noodles topped with gravy. And delicious it was! And the quantity was as promised -  more than enough for 2.

One complain I had here was with the staff only. The same staff who was all friendly and happy-to-help when we were placing the order, was least interested in serving us or even bothering to look our way one they served for the first time. But other than that, the food here is worth trying. It is so good you will not regret facing the bad service in the bargain.

Ambience: 4/5

Service: 2/5

Food: 3.5/5

Cost: 600 for 2.

P.S. Do not be shy to carry the leftover home because that is the tradition here ( everyone does that).

Khimchi Salad

Veg Manchurian Dry

Peking Fried Rice

B BHAGAT TARACHAND

Bhagat Tarachand is like the identity proof of gujarati cuisine. Situated right in the middle of Zaveri Bazaar, this place is always crowded no matter what time of the day you visit. Excellent food, friendly staff and simple interiors makes you visit this place over and over again.

As suggested by many, we first started the meal with Papad Churi ( a must have). It is a delicious medley of the crunchy papad and fried onions. Then came the Spl. Sev Tamatar Subzi with Lachcha Paratha. All I have to say about this dish is that it is “maa ke haath se bana khana directly on our table.” We had Chaas to give our food company which is served in Beer Bottles and looks as well as tastes amazing. Then comes the star of the day the Double Tadka Daal which is their speciality with Jeera Rice ( I suggest having plain rice because the jeera kills the feel of the dal). By the time you are done eating this all you will be full beyond capacity but then khan eke baad kuch meetha toh banta hai!! We ordered the Rabdi (it’s our new favourite) and again it was as authentic as it can get with that proper ball of Malai at the base of the bowl.

The food was delicious and tasted awesome but can be much appreciated if they lessen the amount of cooking soda in their food which makes you feel super heavy and uneasy after a while. Other than that the staff also is super-efficient and polite as well as helpful and never gives a chance of complain. The surrounding is also very clean despite of the ever-present crowd.

Ambience: 3/5

Service: 3.5/5

Food: 3/5

Cost: 750-800 for 2 people.

P.S.: Look-out for the “B” for B Bhagat Tarachand ( too many Tarachand Restaurants in the vicinity)

Papad Churi

Chaas

Lachcha Paratha

Spl. Sev Tamatar Subzi

Double Tadka Daal

Jeera Rice

This Awesomeness!

Rabdi

NEO-POLITAN PIZZA, BORIVALI WEST.

Located in the very heart of Borivali, Neo-Politan Pizza lures you with the lunch buffet special offer and the smells so good that you just cannot resist going in and having a meal. But as soon as you taste the food you understand very well why is the food priced so low.

We like all the others who have had this bad experience were lured in by the offer and had the worst day ever. The buffet menu promises some 2 Soups, 18 Salads, 2 Pastas, Garlic Bread with Cheese, 3 Pizzas, a glass of Coke and a Desert. All this does sound a lot and they do stand by the all that they have offered but what disappoints you majorly is the food: its quality and taste! The Soups of the day were Hot Garlic Soup and Cream of Tomato out of which the former was worth having and the latter was too sweet to consume. The Salads also were pretty average in taste but one of the many highlights of the meal. The only complain here is they passed 3 varieties of pasta also as their salad along with 2 other pasta dishes which was already on the menu and to make the matter worse all the 5 pastas tasted exactly the same. Coming to the Garlic Bread with Cheese, this was a decent enough thing and worth eating in a larger quantity but I still am confused as to why were there green chillies in my garlic bread with cheese.  Then came the pizzas and eating them can literally kill all your love for pizzas. The Margherita tasted like rubber , the Paneer Makhani was some dirty looking thing with pieces of paneer on top which thankfully was fresh enough to not make you sick and the Hawaiian Pizza which promised Mushroom, Pineapple, BBQ sauce, Paneer and Jalapenos came only with Pineapple pieces. The worst part was all the pizza bases were ready-made ones which you locally get in the market and the topping used was the some cheap version of our locally available Fun Foods Pizza Sauce. The desert was Brownie with Ice Cream whose ice cream was a melted mess which makes you feel yuck even looking at it.

So yes, I do not even want to sum up this bad experience and will strongly advice one and all against going to this awful place who claims it sells some of the most wonderful pizzas you have ever tasted. Nothing about this place makes you feel good, not even the staff who is so inattentive, they just do not give a damn!!

Ambience: 2/5

Service: 1/5

Food:1/5

Cost: 299/- per person ( Cheap food doesn’t assure good taste always)

Hot Garlic Soup

Cream of Tomato

Salads1

Salads 2

2 Pastas

Garlic Bread with Cheese

Margherita

Hawaiian Pizza

BURGER KING

Since the Mumbaikars are going crazy over this much-awaited newly-opened burger outlet, we decided let us not be left behind in the race and so, went to check out Burger King. And we are glad we did. This chain was desperately awaited by all the foodies of Mumbai like how Starbucks was awaited by the coffee-addicts. Wednesday lunch happened at the goregaon outlet of this joint and I personally feel sorry for McD…..every single table had a Burger King!

Coming to the orders: we first ordered Fiery Rings and Veg Chilli Cheezos. Both these side orders were delicious with the rings being crisp outside with a crunchy-creamy filling inside. And the cheezos lived upto their name……crisp from outside and cheesy inside. We then had Chicken Whopper and Veg Whopper for the mains and these burgers totally justify the craze behind Burger King. The patty was perfectly cooked in the veg whopper and the subtle taste of mayonnaise and fiery tomato sauce played havoc with the taste buds. Similarly the grilled chicken of the chicken whopper leaves you out of adjectives to describe what you are feeling after every bite! We also tried their 180° - the Oreo one and yes it doesn’t fall off when you turn the cup upside down. It was the perfect goodness of the crunchy oreos and the smooth vanilla ice cream. The Mango Shake at burger king is so good it makes you forget what season are you actually in!! It tastes as if fresh mango pulp has been added to the milk and cream and blended to perfection.

You definitely should visit Burger King ASAP and the whopper is strongly recommended.

Food: 3.5/5

Service: 3.5/5

Cost: 500 for 2 is not a bad deal !!!

Fiery Rings

Veg Chilli Cheezos

Oreo 180 degrees

Mango Shake

Veg Whopper

Chicken Whopper

PERSIA DURBAR

The cuisine of the great Mughal Empire served right outside Jogeshwari Station !!! True story…..no lies!! Yes the very own Mughlai Cuisine invented in the kitchens of the Mughal emperors is served in its most authentic form at this little joint in jogeshwari. With a pocket friendly budget, Persia Durbar is THE place you should head to for a royal feast. We did the same this week and we were enchanted!!

The ambience of the place also gives the Mughal vibes with Shamiana like ceiling and paintings adorning the walls. Even the staff here dresses up in proper clothes suiting the environment. And the food here is excellent beyond expectations. So yes, coming to the food, we ordered our starter on the manager’s recommendation and he suggested we go for Makai Malai Seekh Kebab. The kebabs were served in a sizzling plate with a salad and the first bite itself left us speechless! It was the perfect mughlai taste with the right amount of cream and sweetness and ofcourse the spices. Topped with a few drops of lemon, they were the best starters we ever had. Coming to the mains, we ordered Paneer Butter Masala with Warki Paratha, Tandoori Butter Naan and Tandoori Kulcha. The subzi was well cooked with a perfectly blended gravy and had the right amount of spices present in it. Also we specially recommend having this subzi with the naan or kulcha because the paratha although delicious did not quite suit the taste of the subzi. The third dish on the list was Paneer Tikka Biryani (ever heard of that at a regular resto?). This thing is pure delight! You can actually feel as if someone has taken great efforts to feed you that biryani and cooked it for hours on the flame and then served it to you. (okay…..overdose!!) So yes, if nothing else just go try the Biryani. Coming to the deserts we ordered Rabdi and I HAVE NEVER TASTED A RABDI SO DELICIOUS ANYWHERE!!! First of all the matka in which the rabdi is served appeals to you and then, the first spoon of rabdi in your mouth and you are in another world!

Also the staff is very friendly and treats you with much love and care. A special thanks to Mr.Rawoot and Mr. Zakir -the managers who made our meal a memorable affair suggesting and recommending their specialties and taking care of our needs from time to time.

I specially recommend this place to all the foodies out there because it is difficult to come across a cuisine so authentic at such friendly rates. And the best part is they provide home delivery in the entire western suburb so just in case you get lazy, you can always order the food and treat yourself!

Ambience: 3.5/5

Service: 4/5

Food: 4/5

Weight on the pocket: very friendly!

Makai Malai Seekh Kebab

On the Plate....Paneer stuffing and the Salad

Paneer Butter Masala ( looked awesome on the plate)

Warki Paratha

Tandoori Butter Naan

Tandoori Kulcha

Paneer Tikka Biryani

Rabdi

Look at that thing!

CHEELIZZA

Cheese + Pizza + Sandwich = Yummylicious meals! A small joint with a limited menu, Cheelizza doesn’t disappoint the pizza lovers but provides a welcome change from the other pizza chains. With a revised menu ( which is very appealing by the way) we decided to go here for lunch one fine day and we were pretty impressed.

As soon as we entered the place, the aromas of the food being cooked made us all the more hungry. So after contemplating a lot we decided to settle for Cheesy Garlic Bread, Classic Crunch Pizza and Chilli Milli Toastatos. The garlic bread was delicious beyond expression and better than what our leading pizza chains provide! The pizza too was very well made except for one small hitch – the pizza bread tasted a little sweet like that of a donut. Other than that the pizza was yummy and perfectly cooked with crisp onions and capsicum. And the sandwich did full justice to its name – cheesy and spicy in perfect balance and was served in brown bread which gave it a whole new taste.

The food was good but to become a little more public-friendly apparently needs to give a quicker service because after smelling the food once it is very difficult to wait for 20-25 minutes for your food to arrive especially when the breads are ready and you are the only customers present ! 

So worth visiting once in a while…serves good food….reasonable rates which makes quick small bites possible when you do not want to eat anything fancy.

Ambience: 3.5/5

Service: 2.5/5 ( Friendly but very slow)

Food: 4/5

Weight on the pocket: Affordable.

Cheesy Garlic Bread

Chilli Milli Toastatos

right amount of chilli jo cheese se milli

the Classic Crunch clearly visible

served with the proper pan and all !! :p

THE IRISH HOUSE

“In Heaven, there is no Beer!! That’s why we drink ours here!!” so says the beverage coaster on every table at The Irish House. Known particularly for its beer and the pub-like warmth as they put it, this is one place that should be on everybody’s bucket list. Serving excellent food with a continuous flow of booze Irish House did win a permanent fan in us.

On an impromptu visit here we decided to go for the set meal combos instead of going through the pain of selecting a la carte. We ended up ordering both Veg. and Non-Veg. Meal sets. The meals are set at affordable prices and include a House Salad and a Mocktail with every meal. For the veg. part we ordered a Vegetable Delight which is a delightful mix of sautéed vegetables accompanied with a yummy Potato Rosti. The flavor was subtle and gave a pleasant change to the taste buds from the regular pasta dishes (but for everyone who does not wish to look beyond pasta….you have that too on the menu). For the non-veg part we went for the classic Barbeque Chicken Burger which was accompanied with all-time favorite Peri-Peri Fries. The burger was juicy with all its sauces in the right amount and it was amazing beyond words! They also had almost 4/5 varieties of mocktails to choose from and we decided to go for Fresh Lime Soda and Virgin Mojito.

With a limited portion on your plate but still an almost three course meal, you and your tummy will undoubtedly leave the place happily post lunch (exactly like how we did). We would personally recommend this place for its overall awesomeness: food, music, service, ambience and booze!!

Ambience: 4.5/5

Service: 4/5

Food: 4/5

Weight on the pocket: Will burn a hole visible to you and the people around you! (but it’s totally worth the bomb that you pay.)

Vegetable Delight

with Potato Rosti and House Salad

Barbeque Chicken Burger

with Fries and House Salad

Virgin Mojito

Fresh Lime Soda

Awesome Beverage Coaster.

ALFREDO’S , THANE.

Alfredo’s created quite a hype around its name when it newly started but unfortunately it couldn’t live up to the same. Highly expensive with ridiculously snobbish staff at their disposal this restaurant offers nothing that you haven’t seen before. We decided to dine at this place on a weekday and what we experienced was utter disappointment.

Firstly we were given a super-warn welcome because we told them we were there to write a review and offered their special dishes as well. So for the starters they suggested we try the vegetarian version of Sicilian Garlic Chicken where the chicken was replaced with paneer and we were served Sicilian Garlic Paneer. The dish was made in tones of garlic and tossed in pesto sauce. Although the garlic gave a nice taste to the dish the pesto did not go well with it and I would suggest not to go for it if you do not like garlic ( in abundance ) + pesto (in abundance). For the mains we were served Conchigle Verdure Pasta which was decent enough to taste but not worth paying a bomb for a quantity which can barely satisfy the hunger of one person. Then comes the deserts the list of which had some 5-7 items to select from but the only things available were Brownie with Ice Cream and Scoops of Ice Cream. And the excuse for the lack of these deserts was that our pastry chef isn’t available today. What do you confer from this?? I leave it upto to you readers. So yes we did skip the deserts because after hearing a no for almost 4 options we were in no mood for a “Brownie”.

So, this place greatly lacked all that it promises and left us highly dejected. The only good thing that happened here was that we got a 50% off on the bill because we made the payment using the Axis Bank card.

Ambience: 3.5/5

Service: 2/5

Food: 3/5

Weight on the pocket: burns a big fat hole!!

Sicilian Garlic Paneer

Conchigle Verdure.

CHHOTU’S KITCHEN, BORIVALI WEST.

A place which used to be a stall on wheels visible only after sunset few years ago is now a proper cabin-restaurant open from lunch hours till midnight and still is a favorite among all the regulars. Chhotu’s Kitchen has been serving Chinese to the people in Borivali and has loyal customers even in the surrounding areas. And the best part is no matter what dish you order -  Veg. or Non-Veg you will never be disappointed.

So lunch one day happened at this place and we ordered a veg. starter and 2 main courses – one veg and one non-veg. The starter was a mandatory order of Veg. Manchurian Dry. This dish at chhotu’s never fails. You can have only one whole Manchurian plate and go to la-la land. The main course included Veg. Schezwan Noodles and Chicken Fried Rice. The schezwan noodles were typical – hot and spicy yet mouth-watering. The chicken fried rice too was amazing and the chicken used was fresh. Having even half a plate here satisfies the Chinese food urges and if you are anywhere in borivali west this is a go-to place for quick Chinese bites and definitely non-disappointing.

Also these people have a welcome dish of sorts consisting of Fried Noodles and Schezwan Chutney with comes on every table along with the glasses of water. 

So all in all, this is a pretty average place serving delicious food and has a good and attentive staff. The only thing lacking here is the ambiance which suits the food. But then anyways the food makes up for the minor glitches so worth a visit once in a while.

Ambiance: 2.5/5

Service: 3.5/5

Food: 3.5/5

Weight on the pocket : somewhere between average and pocket-friendly.

Veg. Manchurian

Veg. Schezwan Noodles

Chicken Fried Rice

Welcome Dish -  Fried Noodles and Schezwan Chutney.