Father's Day Brunch at JW Sahar

Leave it to the Marriotts to make any celebratory day even more special! 

We were invited for a special Father's Day Brunch with our dads this Father's Day at JW Cafe, JW Marriott Sahar, one of the best hotels in Mumbai. It was an event dedicated to our first superheroes and successfully made them realize their importance in our lives. 

Italian, Japanese, Thai, Indian, Continental; name the cuisine and it's there! The ambiance is so peaceful and plush that you won't feel like doing anything but sip on a drink and stare at the greenery outside. The service is no less than what one would have expected at a King's palace; there are people waiting at your beck and call. 

We tried everything we could till the point of saturation and managed to try out all the cuisines. First off, we tried the waffles - 

Waffle with whipped cream and blueberry compote

Look at how perfect that waffle looks! Claiming to be the best waffles in Mumbai, these crispy ones with a dollop of whipped cream and blueberry compote were the perfect way to start our meal. 

Next, we tried the sushi counter - 

Assorted vegetarian sushi

One thing not everyone can master is the delicate art of sushi making. JW Cafe has absolutely nailed it! We tried the 4 vegetarian options and couldn't stop relishing them. Beautifully crafted, all 4 were absolutely delicious and were definitely the star of our meal. 

Then, we proceeded to the live chaat counter. 

Tokri chaat and dahi wada

Tokri chaat

We tried the tokri chaat and the dahi wada. Who doesn't like them some good Bombaiya chaat? They had a huge array of options that one could choose from and then they'd make it for you. We absolutely loved both. Bursting with flavours, this was definitely our favourite counter. 

Then we tried the burger station and the Italian counter - 

Veggie burger

Penne alfredo

The burger we tried didn't please us much, The patty was a bit too dry for us and there weren't any other juicy elements or enough sauces to balance the dish. 

The penne alfredo, a classic, was made to perfection. Al dente pasta tossed with a few veggies cooked in a delicious creamy sauce. 

We also tried their kebabs - our favourite being the succulent paneer one.

Next, we moved on to the most awaited and biggest section - desserts!

Yes, that's how huge the dessert spread was. Spoiled for choice, we indulged in quite a few kinds of desserts.

Our favourites were the motichoor ladoos, delicate macarons, smores brownies, smores cookies, and the rich chocolate cake. 

We would like to thank the entire team of JW Sahar for this wonderful experience and for making our dads feel special too. The team put up a special musical performance using only culinary objects, breaking into a wonderful medley as a tribute to all the wonderful fathers. 

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Brunching at MasalaBar

The Kalra family is doing what it does best again! 

The 5th brainchild, MasalaBar is up and running successfully since a couple of months as a great place for sundowners due to its magnificent view and has now opened its doors to diners for the early part of the day as well. 

Having been to Farzi Cafe, and Pa Pa Ya, our expectations for MasalaBar were obviously sky high, and MasalaBar did not only manage to meet them bu to raise them even more for the other family restaurants. 

Known for its molecular cocktails and the breath-taking view of the sea, it is the only functional place that runs solely on candles; not even a single light to be spotted. The dim lights overlooking the calm waves mingled with an intimate ambiance make for a picturesque setting.

We were recently invited for lunch. The menu for both is the same and it is open from noon to 3pm for the same. We tried a couple of things, none of which failed to wow us and left us wanting for more. 

Raspberry smoothie

First off, we started with a raspberry smoothie. Simple well-blended and refreshing! The flavoured yoghurt was a great change for our taste buds. 

Then we moved on to the appetizers -

Truffled fries

Kabuli chana chaat

One of the best truffled fries, we've ever laid hands on, the flavour left us mesmerized. Crispy, salted fries with a burst of flavours, topped off with truffle shavings and some cheese, what more does one want?!

The chana chaat looks like a well-garnished version of a normal chaat. However, that's not the case. Chickpeas boiled enough to not break your teeth, but not so much to lose the texture and crunch, tossed with some well-balanced spices and herbs, to have a tangy yet spicy taste, presented in an eye-pleasing manner. 

Next, we tried the puff pastry, with the pan tossed shrooms

Puff pastry, with the pan tossed shrooms

Sounds complicated, looks simple, tastes delicious! Served in the style of a bruschetta, the crunch of the puff pastry with the texture of the shrooms makes for a delicious appetizer that you won't stop after one. The tiny smear of the chutney with the beetroot isn't only for presentation, but it packs  a flavourful punch. 

Next, we tried the carbon pav bhaji -

Carbon pav bhaji - black pav bhaji. Will this ruin your beloved pav bhaji for you? Absolutely not. Don't worry, the food is not burned to make it this way. The edible carbon in it gives it the rich colour. A bit hatke from your regular pav bhaji, this one is sure to make you swoon, The highlight of our meal, this one is not to be missed. 

Then we opted for the caprese goat cheese buns - 

Caprese goat cheese buns

A bit too mild for us in terms of flavours, we missed the zing. However, the buns sure are appload-worthy. The bun itself is so soft, it will literally melt in your mouth. A little bit of some spice or something tangy would've made the cut for us. 

The last dish we tried was the morel do pyaza, wilted spinach, and jalapeno chutney. 

Morel do pyaza, wilted spinach, and jalapeno chutney accompanied by kalonji naan

Paints such a pretty picture, doesn't it? This dish is basically mushrooms sauted in a gravy, cooked wonderfully to reach the point of perfection. However full we were by the end of it, we just couldn't stop digging into this sinful dish. Another one of our favourites, this one stood out for us. 

We couldn't wait till dessert but we've tried the bailey's lollipops at Farzi Cafe and can vouch for that. 

There are just a few times when you are truly satisfied with each and every dish that you have devoured and this was one of those. Every dish we tried kept wooing us and left us begging for more. 

We would like to thank MasalaBar for having us over and for the wonderful experience, and also the Kalra family for bringing yet another brilliant masterpiece to our city. 

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A few over-hyped places in Mumbai you can miss

Ever been super excited for a movie or a book launch after seeing its presence all over and once it's all over, wondered what all the buzz was about? 

We have been there too. Repeatedly. Hence, the need to curate this list of a few places in Mumbai that you should definitely give a miss. 

1) Sardar -

Ask any Mumbaikar about Pav Bhaji and 8 out of 10 times, the first place they'd recommend to you would be Sardar. However, we didn't quite like the taste. The only reason behind its hype would be the sheer quantity of butter and cheese it is laden with. 

Image source - www.flickriver.com

Heart attack? Umm, no thanks. 

Brown in colour, as opposed to the red colour, this bhaji did not match up to our expectations. Better alternatives would be Maji Sagar, Amar Juice Centre, Santosh Sagar or Achija.

2) Merwans Cake Shop -

This is one legendary cake shop that's been around since years. It had been on our bucket list since years due to all the praise and reputation is has created. Located amongst the hustle and bustle of Andheri, is this tiny shop, always flooded with customers waiting for their orders or tucked away in corners, enjoying their food.

 We tried their chocolate cake, chocolate square, mawa cake and pizza. The only thing we liked out of the lot was the pizza. The mawa cake had far too much cardamom in it, thus killing all the other flavours; the square got stuck to our tongues and refused to go down our throats. The chocolate pastry tasted stale and inedible. With such a horrible experience, we failed to understand how the overfull bakery was yet working so well. A better option would be B Merwan.

3) Grandmama's cafe - 

Grandmama's cafe is so pretty; Grandmama's cafe is the place to be at; Grandmama's cafe is so vibrant and lively; the food at Grandmama's cafe is absolutely ravishing. These are just a few of the things we heard about this place. Hence, we couldn't wait to visit it.

However, I would like to strongly disagree with all the hype. Yes, the place is one of the prettiest we've laid our eyes on. Yes, it is vibrant and it just makes you want to sit and admire the beauty of it all. However, it all ends there.

We decided to visit the place for breakfast. It was totally packed and we had to wait for 5 minutes to get ourselves a table. We called for waffles with nutella and whipped cream and french toast. 

The waffles were soggy and were torn apart from the middle. One bite into them and we couldn't down them any further. The nutella and whipped cream, we helped ourselves to. 

A basic French toast is bread soaked in eggs and then fried or roasted and served with maple syrup/cinnamon/any other topping of your choice. The one at Grandmama's cafe was a complete disaster. Normal bread toasted sprinkled with some castor sugar and butter is not French toast! 

Post two horrendous dishes, we decided to continue our breakfast someplace else. 

A friend of mine, on another occasion, was served non-vegetarian food instead of the vegetarian she ordered.

4) Di Bella - 

The most photographed and talked off waffles in the city! Di Bella, an Australian coffee brand was introduced to the Indian market just last year and their ridiculously photogenic waffles have already carved a niche for themselves. 

The waffles are loaded generously with the desired topping and served with 2 bowls - ice cream and whipped cream. However, the waffles are soggy and undercooked and reallly difficult to break into. Better alternatives here. 

5) The Fatty Bao - 

This Delhi chain, recently opened its doors to Mumbaikars. And since the day it has, it is always filled with over-enthusiasts. After trying for weeks, we managed to finally book a table here to check out what all the buzz was about. The waiter had given away our table without informing us about it, thus making us wait for a good 40 minutes. 

The food is really ordinary, staff pretty okay, ambiance nothing great. Can totally give it a miss. 

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Cook-off with Sonali Bendre!

      Going for restaurant reviews day after day, week after week, can prove to be really monotonous. That's why this particular invite inviting us for a food cook-off excited a lot of us food bloggers and food influencers. 

      All geared up for a fun evening, we all reached the venue, Hoppipola. A brief introduction of the product was followed by the CEO and Mrs. Sonali Bendre whipping up a few simple yet delicious dishes for us. The most awaited masterclass followed suit. 

      16 participants were selected and divided into teams of two each. There was a huge spread of ingredients, a few recipes and all the variants of Fun Foods mayonnaise at our disposal. Given a span of time, we were asked to prepare whatever we wished to and the creative juices of all the participants started to flow. The judges were ofcourse Mrs. Sonali Bendre, and the CEO, Mr. Oliver Mirza. We managed to put up a mayonnaise pasta roll. 

        The winners, obviously, were rewarded handsomely with a basket full of goodies and vouchers. 

      Our take on the mayonnaise - We tried our hands on all the different kinds of mayonnaise they have to offer. And, we were pleased! As goes, it actually does turn boring food into beautiful delicacies. Every flavour has a different taste and a different use. Our favourite would definitely be the tandoori one. We know have the secret ingredient to make everyday boring food into something mouth-watering!

       A big thank you to Edelman and Fun Foods for having us over and for all the hands on cooking experience. 

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Sunday brunch at Fratelli Fresh

    Whenever I heard the word Sunday, the first words to strike me are laziness, relaxing and brunches. Now a perfect brunch according to me would be one where you're having a quality time with a few loved ones, sipping on some great wine/drinks and gorging on some delicious food whilst enjoying the pleasant view outside. We were able to do all of the above with some amazing artwork on display during our recent Sunday Brunch at Fratelli Fresh. 

       First off, we definitely must start with the ambience. The sheer beauty of the Renaissance is such that as soon as you set foot inside, you're bound to never come back. The Sunday brunch at Fratelli Fresh is one of its major attractions. We were invited to Art and Lunch - R Art Series by artist Ram Kamath, followed by an exotic Italian Sunday brunch by Chef Cristian. 

       Here is some of his well-known work -

       The spread at Fratelli Fresh is a humongous one, including some gorgeous breads, cheese platters, salads, pastas, pizzas, cold meats, over 30 varieties of desserts and what not. It is an absolute treat for the eyes and the body and the taste buds. The spread is beautiful and leaves you tantalized.

       Our favourite out of these would be the jalapeno ones. Bread with a strong flavour of jalapenos, topped with cheese and an jalapeno in the middle didn't need any other component alongside and were baked to perfection.

       Out of the main course, the best would definitely be the Chef's specialty - the ravioli. One of the best things about them is that they make their own pasta in their kitchen. Their pizza, lasagna and pasta were pretty ordinary and didn't meet our expectations. 

        Next, we moved on to the desserts. Just looking at the variety took us on a sugar high. We had to take 3 rounds of the entire round to taste even 1/4th of the desserts. Did I mention that they have a chocolate fountain too!? Here a few pictures of the desserts to leave you drooling -

        Lastly, we would like to thank FBAI and Renaissance for organizing this lovely meet. 

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Best waffles in Mumbai

The new talk of the town in terms of food seem to be freshly made waffles generously loaded with toppings.

Earlier, these were limited only to places like San Churro or a few European places serving high - end English breakfast. Nowadays, these can be found at every nook and corner; there are a few outlets that are exclusively for waffles, too. 

We have curated a list of the best waffles you can find in Mumbai -

San Churro -

These win the battle of the waffles, hands down! Prices at Rs. 325, you're served 4 pieces of crisp waffles with 6 toppings - Vanilla ice cream, chocolate ice cream, maple syrup, whipped cream, warm chocolate sauce and seasonal fruit. 

Belgian Waffle Co. - 

This outlet, that opened a month ago, has already been on everyone's tongues. They have introduced the novel concept of wafflewiches which are a boon for people who eat on the go! Priced from Rs. 90 to Rs. 150, these sinfully loaded babies are pure egg less. 

Prithvi café -

This quaint little café in the midst of the hustling streets of Juhu is often visited by a lot of top celebrities for its wonderful ambience and delectable food. The waffles here are priced from Rs. 200 to Rs. 250 and make you question why you haven't yet ticked off this place from your bucket list! 

Image source - @thefood_dude

Waffle House - 

Waffle house was the first place to come up with Waffle sticks. Another innovative concept, this has been a hit among the youth because of its great taste and hassle-free concept. They have recently come up with Waffle sundaes.

Food for Thought -
This under-hyped place is one of the best spots for book lovers with a sweet tooth. Hidden inside Kitab Khana, you can tuck yourself in a corner with your favourite book with a gorgeous cupcake in hand. Or you can enjoy the cute little cafe, helping yourself to some amazing waffles with a side of some sinful hot chocolate.

Tuk tukk -

This one is a special mention to savoury waffles.

Tuk tukk in Shivaji park offers its diners waffles made with French fries. Yes, you read it correctly! French fries. Topped with some guacamole and sour cream, these ones are a must try for people without a sweet tooth.

Now for the photogenic ones - 
Di Bella and Wafflist - 
These have been quite the talk of the town since the beginning of these two. A lot of people describe them as the best waffles they've had in their lives. However, both are over-hyped. Kudos to the presentation; but the waffles fail to live up to the hype. While Wafflist serves extremely chewy waffles, Di Bella waffles always seem to fall apart.

Any suggestions/comments/feedback is welcome. Do follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Zomato.

Keep Gobbling!