Last week’s food journey was memorable. I re-discovered an old favorite restaurant. And made a new favorite. But over and above all of that, I had two special meals with two special men. Having the perfect dining company accentuates your meal, taking it to a whole new level, and I experienced that two nights in a row. Read on for the full story:

Mamagoto with my Papa:

Really, I am the last person to go around celebrating Mother’s/ Father’s / Neighbour’s / Kaam wali Bai’s Day. But this year dad and I decided to make an exception to the rule, and actually go out, dine and celebrate. Sometimes you just need a reason to go eat out, and I think this was our reason. Also the rains were making us both mope around the house, and there’s nothing like good Asian food to cheer you up. So we decided to brave the downpour and trek up to good ol’ Mamagoto for some steaming hot dimsums, and curry.

Mamagoto turned into Papagoto on ocassion of Father’s Day which I think was such a cute gesture with a huge Papagoto sign at the entrance. I was back to Mamagoto after a really long time. Sometimes we tend to visit restaurants when they launch, and then forget about these places because of newer places cropping up. The same happened with Mamagoto and me. I had a memorable meal here a year ago when their Andheri branch launched, and somehow the place managed to slip out of my memory.

I really love the ambiance here. Quirky pop art and Oriental anime adorns the room, and adds such colour and life to the industrial, bare walls. The meal we had was delicious, just like the last time. Dad loved the Honey Chicken with Bell Peppers which was the perfect balance of sweet and spicy, and is a comfortable Chinese dish. I particularly enjoyed the Gyozas where plump herbed chicken pieces came steamed and then pan fried. With the perfect outer coating, and a drizzle of chilli vinegar on top, I loved eating this! 

I visited the much talked about The Bombay Canteen four days ago. Yes, I know I am late to the bandwagon, especially since everyone rushes to review a new restaurant seconds after it has just launched. Some how I am always weary of those reviews since initial teething problems need to be taken into consideration. My The Bombay Canteen visit was long overdue, for some reason I was never in Lower Parel during meal hours. Having gazillion dining options in and around Bandra makes one lazy.

I had read and heard such wonderful things about The Bombay Canteen – impeccable food, innovative menu, comforting ambiance, and an ever smiling staff. I went and experienced all those things for myself. My The Bombay Canteen experience was filled with lots of hits, a few misses, making for an overall above average meal. I decided to do a review of the place initially, but I later realized nothing I say or write will make a difference to the popularity of The Bombay Canteen. It is a hit, immensely popular, and will do well irrespective of what we write about it, akin to a Salman Khan blockbuster if I may.  

The Bombay Canteen is here to stay. Here is my take behind this eatery’s unprecedented success. And why I think we need more such innovative dining out options in a city like Mumbai which is open to experimenting with what’s on their plate. 

Hello, and welcome to another episode of The Food Week That Was. (Sorry, I have always wanted to say that.) This weeks eating out schedule featured a whole lot of Chinese food. One pan-Asian delivery joint operating out of Lower Parel, and another Bandra based QSR focussing on make your own woks. I was craving some dirty Chinese after my Lanka trip (read about Part One here) and both these places satiated my cravings. Read on to know more:

Tao 9 Delivery, Lower Parel

Tao 9, a take away and delivery joint, serving Chinese, Thai and a spattering of a few dishes from a few other Asian cuisines, launched a month ago. Purely operating from the Lower Parel – Mahalakshmi belt, I was lucky that they made an exception to get my meal sent all the way to Bandra. My meal got delivered on the promised time, and arrived warm even though it arrived all the way from their Lower Parel kitchen, in sturdy packaging. I did not even need to re-heat the boxes. Major plus points there!

Silken prawn green Thai curry with steamed rice (Rs. 259/-) started the meal off with a bang. Flavourful, with a lingering aroma of lemongrass and basil, and chunks of prawn floating in between – this makes for a hearty meal by itself. Must try! Both the Basil Wine Prawns (Rs. 219/-) and Black Pepper Fish (Rs. 189/-) were a delight, with robust desi Chinese flavours – garlic, pepper, bell peppers, Thai chilli – to name a few. I’m ignoring the fact that they used basa here, and two thumbs up to the portion sizes.