Restaurant Review - Shanghai Club

During the time, when I first started teaching Special Children, I used to travel from Bandra to Byculla by 4ltd bus everyday, I passed through the mill areas of Parel that had mainly small community homes and chawls, there were some traditional small food joints that served delicious authentic food to the cotton mill workers. It used to be buzzing center of activity and prior to that, during my grand parents times, it used to be a posh colonial residential settlement where governor of Bombay-Sir William Hornby lived.

A lot has changed in Parel over the years and it has a different skyline now, the beautiful ITC Grand Central Hotel with its majestic Indian touch adds an ethnic charm of this place.

This week I had an opportunity to visit Shanghai Club that is located inside this hotel in the celebration zone, the wing separated from the peace zone by a long corridor, lined with designer stores and an open lounge with water fountain in the center..

I was invited for Sagria and Seafood dinner by FBAI. There were four types of Sangria, fruity and sweet, (my favorite being the Berry flavor although the other three, the cherry and plum, watermelon were equally good) they were very refreshing after a long walk from peace zone to celebration zone.

In between my sips, I took in the beautiful ambience of this place, the charming parasol lanterns against the polished Burma teak rafters, the porcelain pots and other art work all around the room.

There was a set of 5course meal prepared specially for us. We had fan-shaped menu card,, which in a way was a good idea, that we could ration our serving to be able to enjoy all that restaurant had to offer.

The appetizers arrived as soon we were settled. Master chef Yuanzhing Jia had crafted a new Seafood Menu and was eager for us to start the party. We took a little time to click pictures before we began to eat (food bloggers are weird that way, before the aroma touches the senses, the cameras captures its visual impact) the lighting was low, hence I was not able to get very good shots, I decided to concentrate on food instead.

Main course was to die for. The Singapore chili crabs in egg white were perfectly cooked, tender meat under shells so brittle and juicy that there was no need for nutcrackers. I got my hands dirty, just relishing its flavors of marinated meat infused with sauces. I was happy when they gave me wet towel to wipe off my hands before I went on to continue with my next dish. But this is one dish I enjoyed thoroughly and will be the good reason for me to return once again.

This was followed by Wok fried Lobster with chili black bean sauce cooked from freshly made lobster stock. This tasted delicious when mixed in the bowl of brown garlic fried rice dish.

The attractive dessert plate of jasmine flavored Tiramisu, star anise torte and vanilla ice cream and mixed fruit bowl marked the end of the meal. It was very satisfying meal.

The service was very good and the staff was quick to refilled glasses with sangria as soon as possible, they made sure that food was satisfying, and even offered to custom cook for us to suit our palate.

I would highly recommend Crabs and lobsters in this restaurant. They are truly amazing, waiting for my next guest to visit me, this is on my to-do-list for sure……

Blueline in Promenade at Puducherry

During my visit to Puducherry, My friend and I wanted to try a typical local food. Someone suggested Blueline, a restaurant in Promenade hotel at Goubert Avenue at White Town. It turned out to be a continental restaurant with Thai, French, and North Indian cuisine. Surprisingly there was no typical local cuisine. I was too hungry to look for another one so we settled on a two-seat table to try what the restaurant had to offer.

The ambience is very warm and vibrant. We sat by the large glass window facing the sea front. The view was beautiful with huge palm trees swinging with the breeze.

I would have loved to sit on those wicker chairs by the water fountain but the afternnoon was quite warm outside.

Blueline is one of the three restaurants in promenade hotel, where buffet is served for people staying in the hotel. It looked like a dining hall with souvenir shop at the far corner. We couldn’t eat too much so we settled for a la carte ordering just soft drinks, non-veg salad, prawn dish and white rice.

For a moment, I thought I was in Europe because while we waited for our order to arrive, we were served breads platter with olive oil and salt. The breads were freshly baked and they tasted divine. (It was so filling that we could have easily cancelled out order and walk away) but of course not, we wouldn’t do that!! ….

I reached nirvana when the Nicoise salad arrived. Such a fine combination of olives, anchovies, tuna, eggs and herbs in the bed of salad leaves with tomatoes, green beans, cucumber and onions.

Okay, although the Goan Prawn Curry cooked in kokam and coconut milk did seem tempting with its bright red color, I couldn’t eat because I was too full. Guess what we did, we packed Prawn curry and rice for dinner. It was delicious even after few hours as we feasted in our hotel rooms.

I would highly recommend this restaurant to everyone visiting Puducherry. The staff is very polite and alert. The quantity of the serving is good and does not create too deep a hole in the pocket although it is comparatively three times more expensive than normal restaurant at the end of the lane.

But then you pay for the ambience and the service…….and that complimentary delicious bread platter too.

An Exotic Vegetarian Cuisine at Govinda

As more people are turning vegetarian, the pure veg-restaurants are also growing in numbers. Govinda Restaurant in South Mumbai is more special because they do not use garlic and onion in their kitchen and all the dishes served are pure satvic food, a strict diet followed by certain sect of society like Jains and BrahmaKumaris.

But that does not limit their variety of dishes; the menu card had listing of more than 200 varieties to choose from. Indian, chinese, continental, there is dish suitable for every palate. Every dish was special but different from what you would get at other restaurants and at a very economical prices.

The street food like Sev Puri had garnishing of pomegranate, The pizza had topping of exotic vegetables layered with pesto and basil leaves, the mint chutney was spicy and tasty. Then, there was Chinese Bhel, a perfect blend of deep fried noodles with grated vegetables. The main course of noodles and Manchurian vegetable balls tasted great although there was no garlic used during cooking. All the fruit juices are freshly made, and the natural ice creams like custard apple and watermelon was favored by all, the kulfis in clay cups was a delight.

Friend who is a regular at this eatery, says she loves to come here after her session of devotional music next door, which is actually an Ishkon temple at Kemp’s Corner. She finds peace and solitude.

I believe her

The ambience is very soothing with devotional soft music in the back ground, a jasmine fragrance in the room from the incense burning in dark corners of the restaurants, mythological stories depicted in the painting on the walls and hand made articles, like bamboo lanterns adorning the shelves.

The art blends with religion setting the moods.

I would highly recommend this eatery for people who enjoy vegetarian cuisine.

Hoppipolla comes to Mumbai

In 80’s College canteen was the place where youngster used to hang out. In between lectures, youngsters slipped into canteen to enjoy the fun times over cup of tea, sometimes sitting long hours on those wooden benches, it was a good place to while away the time, where  new friends were made, food was shared and days passed well in laughter and games. But things have changed. Presently, Mumbai is full of such hangout, dotted in different parts of the city and Hoppipolla is the new addition for youngsters to laze around over glass of beer.

Hoppipolla that literally means ‘hopping in the puddles’ is inspired from the song by Icelandic band Sigor Ros from their 2005 album. And that is the idea adopted by this restaurant that makes its debut appearance in Mumbai after its success in Bangalore and Pune.

Although the restaurant has some strict rules, it is a fun place where young and old can shed off their age difference and engage in fun activities over pastas, pizzas and drinks.The prices are affordable ranging from as low as Rs90 for peanut bhel to Rs295 for a hard drink.

The restaurant is separated into two sections: AC and non-AC.

Sit anywhere, the ambience is vibrant. The high ceiling interior has props like air planes, there is a huge bar and an open kitchen, one of the walls is decorated with trophy cups, the winners hold the trophy and enjoy one minute of fame by posing for a picture after having won some game or competition. A quiet Video corner had indoor board games and comic too to bring alive the child in them. I saw one set of youngster enjoying the game of Taboo and Jenga over the cups of Sangrias.

Non-AC area is in the open, surrounded by trees, birdhouses decorate one of the walls that have surprise elements behind the tiny door.

All tables have black granite top on which people can doodle with colored chalk, while they wait for their order to arrive.

There was a great variety that restaurant had to offer

Must try their drink watermelon with basil.

I loved the presentations. A special mention to Crispy pizzas with meat balls which was a delight. Finger foods were served in colorful crockery of bright vibrant colors, blues, orange, red, etc. that can attract even a person who is high on alcohol.

I was disappointed with seafood dishes like Fish and chips, shrimps and fish fingers. They were too salty. I was drooling at the first glance of Fish and Chips, the presentation was tempting but I immediately looked for large spittoon after the first bite. It was pretty terrible.

Unfortunately, there are no hot beverages like tea and coffee nor are there any desserts, the restaurant believes in the pleasure of hard drinks, the games like gulping down endless glasses of beer in seconds is the new pastime for youngsters.

Although they have board games comics and books to keep the youngsters occupied at the restaurant, I am not sure if this concept is going to last for long. Youngster might stay in the restaurant for example, maybe 5-6 hours at a stretch, engrossed in group activities or other board games but they may not continuously eat or drink…that means that although there is crowd of youngsters having fun, restaurant sales may not shoot up because tables may not be vacant for new customers to walk in, and that is the bad news for restaurant looking for business.

However, this is a great place to be for fun afternoon to enjoy the game or two over drinks, or to enjoy loud music at the bar till late nights. There is a big screen at one end of the room, which may come alive on Karaoke nights or on those days when there is live telecast of football or cricket match.

I heard many youngsters say that they would love to hang out at this Hoppipola… It did appeal to them…