This week has been exceptionally hard for me. I am literally counting minutes to my impending vacation where I shall be sipping cocktails on the beach, leaving behind work and all such worldly woes. But time just refuses to pass! And the heat is adding to my misery. It feels like we are sitting inside Satan’s Inferno, and the flames are going to eat us alive. Amidst all of this, came one positive that added sparkle to my dull week. A visit to Pizza Express happened!

My name is Zenia Irani, and I am a Pizza Express-o-holic. I love the pizzas there, the Calabrese and Padana being my favourite. And let me not get started on their Baked Vanilla Cheesecake. *wipes drool off her screen* So when invitation bells arrived, to review their Summer Menu I jumped for joy. 

Pizza Express’s new summer special menu has both extremes, one will make your summer more bearable, and the other will raise temperatures. The menu comprises drinks and a few mains that are light, refreshing, cooling and perfect for the summer. And then some of their pizzas are fiery, scorching and leave you sweating for more. Depends on how you want to celebrate this festival of heat. 

Mumbai’s restaurant scene is ever evolving, and ever changing. On one side we have older restaurants shutting shop, and we mourn the loss of heritage eateries. Let’s blame this on the city’s soaring real estate prices, and the ‘fast food’ culture that has led to the replacement of older, stand alone restaurants. And on the other side there are newer, evolved restaurants emerging, not only highlighting different world cuisine, but also experimenting with Indian fare.

Di Napoli, a stand alone pizzeria in Nariman Point shut shop recently. They were known for their delicious, authentic Naples style pizza and a lot of fans, including me were heart broken to hear about their farewell. But what goes around, comes around. Di Napoli’s closing led to Crave – an all day cafe cum pizzeria in Prabhadevi by the same owners. 

Jai Thakur, owner and pizza aficionado invites me to Crave one evening, to chat about his new venture, and of course sample the delicious pizzas. Amidst conversation over soaring real estate prices in the city, and restaurant trends, I check Crave out. Situated in Prabhadevi, in an area where there is a severe dearth of cafes, and Quick Service Restaurants (QSR), a place like Crave serving up and delivering pizzas, burgers, sandwiches, and desserts has immense potential.

(The author apologizes for the cheesy title. She can’t help but love alliterations).

I have this list of restaurants/ cafes/ food stalls on my phone. I call it ‘To-Eat List’. It includes places that I’ve never eaten at, but intend to in the near future. The list undergoes modifications constantly, older entries get deleted, newer entries get added, and some restaurants endure the test of time. (New Blogpost Idea: Share ‘The List’ with you readers). Hakkasan in Bandra belongs to the latter category. 

Now Hakkasan is not a place to just randomly pop in for lunch or dinner on a random day. The ambiance, the buzz, and most importantly the price bracket it falls in makes it a place you would only visit on a special occasion. For me, it had been many many years and that occasion never came. 

Bee being the food lover that he is, decides that a mid week holiday is an occasion by itself and we decide to go lunch at Hakkasan on Maharashtra Day. This impulse decision was thanks to the random surfing he did on the Wow Tables (née Gourmet It Up) website and we found a deal that was a dream! The next day we trot up to the restaurant hungrily, to devour a four course meal with a glass of wine at Rs 1100/- plus tax. I told you, it was a dream! I am listing below three reasons why you must consider the Hakkasan Wow Tables experience. 

Ohh God, I love brunches. I love brunches as much as I love chocolate. And Sundays. And all-you-can-eat buffets. This particular brunch had all of these – a Sunday Easter buffet brunch. Good food, on a laid-back Sunday afternoon, with wonderful company and conversation brings me lots of joy. This post has all of those. Read on.

The occasion was Easter Sunday. The location was JW Cafe at the newly launched JW Sahar. This fine dining cafe cum restaurant is situated in the newly launched JW Sahar, on the international airport road, and I was there to try their Sunday brunch. Sprawling, green manicured lawns greet me, leading me up to the palatial hotel which was buzzing with people even before they had officially launched. 

I had read and heard so much about the magnanimity of the brunch spread at JW Cafe from fellow bloggers and the internet, that I had come all prepared. Skipped breakfast, wore Joey’s ‘thanksgiving pants’, and I had my game face on. But no amount of pre-reading or starving could have prepared me for the variety of food I was about to witness. This one’s the big daddy of all Sunday brunches. Counters of food, fitted into any space available at the restaurant, what I found noteworthy was the presence of different cuisines, along with different chefs specializing in those cuisines, manning the counter.

A friend and I were driving around in Juhu recently, looking for a place to stretch our legs, sip a beer, and eat a leisurely meal. Not wanting to repeat any of the places either of us had dined at before, we had run out of all options. Until we passed Hotel Oakwood Premier situated in a leafy Juhu bylane, and a quick run through the good reviews on their Zomato page ushered us inside. 

The Oakroom is the Hotel Oakwood Premier’s restaurant cum bar that is open all night long. Walk through the hotel’s marble patio into the restaurant that is open to all. The entire space was beautifully done up – the inside section screaming elegant vintage with plush armchairs, opulent lights, elaborate sofas, and an illuminated wine rack.