I’ve eaten a dozen meals or so, at Out of the Blue (OofTB). I think they were one of the first few places to serve Italian-Continental fare in Bandra. Situated a stone’s throw away from where I stay. I used to return for their sizzlers which were perfectly sized and priced. I was back at the restaurant after a while, to try their Friday Spa Buffet Lunch. (Shameless Plug-In: Read about my previous wine tasting experience at OofTB here).

OofTB does two weekday buffet lunches: Women’s Wednesday Buffet Lunch and Friday Spa Buffet Lunch. Both are fairly reasonably priced at Rs. 395 + taxes and Rs. 495 + taxes, respectively. Mom and I decided to check the lunch buffet out, and pamper ourselves on occasion of Ganesh Chaturti (and the fact that it was a bank holiday). 

The buffet is fairly extensive with your usual suspects: appetizers, soup, salads, dips, breads, mains, desserts and even a Make-Your-Own-BBQ section in the menu. I was looking forward to getting a hand/foot massage while I ate, but the restaurant was undergoing some renovation the day we visited, so we couldn’t.

I love the outdoor section, with canopy covered booths, natural lighting, and a white grecian look. We sat indoors, which has more of a lounge like feel.

We sipped on the complimentary sparkling wine and a decent Virgin Amla Mojito, and made our way through the bread basket which had the most lovely olive focaccia. Repeat orders of the focaccia were placed, and gobbled up with the Carrot and Walnut Dip. (I skipped soup because I strongly believe it’s only flavoured water that fills up your stomach space). 

We started off with the appetizers which had a customary Spicy Grilled Basa, with an outer green coating, reminiscent of a Paatra Ni Machi. Fiery Jumbo Prawns and an average Cajun Chicken were next. The Spicy Cottage Cheese Fry lacked spice. The stars were the two Chindian starters: Red Eye Chicken and a Crispy Baby Corn which was the surprising winner. If you enjoy spicy, batter fried veggies/meat in Chinese sauces, you’ll enjoy these.

For the mains, they have a ‘Make-Your-Own-BBQ’ where you can choose your protein, sauce and add a side to the dish. Or you can be lazy like me, and choose from their existing suggestions. We had a ‘Banana Leaf Wrapped Basa with Stir Fried Veggies.’ The basa being well flavoured, was a bit overcooked. The herbed rice on the side was delicious, however.

The highlight of my lunch was the ‘Organic Mix Veg Lasagna’. I dont know what made me order a vegetarian lasagna in the first place, because lasagna’s all about the meat. But I’m sure glad I did! Layers of my favourite veggies: carrots, beans, babycorn, zucchini alternated with pasta and tomato sauce. (I wish they had put in mushrooms too). And came with molten cheese at the bottom of the dish.

Desserts were an equal hit and miss. There was the Chocolate Mousse that needed more chocolate and an average Cream Tart. They were compensated by an old school Chocolate cake, that reminded me of the ones I used to cut on birthdays as a kid. The lemon panna cotta was delicious, where the sweetness of the custard was contrasted with the acidic lime. 

Overall, OofTB does a decent lunch buffet. It does have a couple of minuses but that gets overshadowed by the positives. I think the buffet works because of the variety of food that is covered in the price point. For Rs. 495/- + tax (roughly about Rs. 622/-) in an a la carte setting you would barely be able to order two-three dishes at a moderately priced restaurant. Here, you get to binge on a lot more. If buffets are your scene, and you are looking for one that is paisa vasool then go for this. But do not go expecting gourmet, fancy food or you’ll be disappointed. There’s just comfort food and old favorites here!