Food update
My new policy is to experiment with one restaurant (or maybe more) every week. The other policy is to skip dinner.
A heavy breakfast, a medium-size lunch and a snack at about 7:30-8 pm , should keep me alive and kicking. You should try it too.
Restaurant 1: Mahjong
On Sunday, my foodie friend Sana and me decided to have a ‘light’ lunch at the friendly neighbourhood restaurant, China Joe located just round the corner from where we live.
When we reach the venue, all we found was a pile of rubble — the place was getting renovated. We shook our heads and felt a tinge of melancholy.
But we had to eat.
The contingency plan was to try out a new Chinese outfit called Mahjong, which is actually the name of a Chinese board game (or aleast that’s what the Metro and the promoters say).
This place is located right next to Irish Cafe. The interiors are very tastefully done. Lots of wood, warm tones and soft lighting — the perfect mix for a quiet lunch or dinner.
I also noticed with immense pleasure the comfortable seating arrangement in the waiting space outside. If it’s 10 o’clock on a Saturday and I’m in ravenous company, I know where to head. The idea of having to stand outside your favourite restaurant, while the aromas flirt with your nostrils, is criminal.
When we scored the menu all good intentions of a ‘light lunch’ melted away. We felt gluttonous. We began our indulgences with a bowl of soup, which was spicy and delicious (Kill me, I can’t recall the name).
Next, the main course. We ordered a gravy dish which had lots of mushroom, babycorn and bamboo shoot, my favourite veggies. Again, it is delicious but not unforgettable.
The killer dish of the day was the clay pot rice. The rice is cooked in a clay pot along with condiments and meat/fish. It has very little oil (smiles), but just melts in your mouth.
We ordered the prawn variant (Rs 150), and if you decide to have it, you could order it as a standalone dish. The servings are pretty good and two people can comfortably share a serving.
Not too much variety in the desserts. We ordered the banana fritters with sesame seeds with ice cream. It was too die for, we polished off the plate in a jiffy.
Today, we visited this seafood place called Jini’s. But I am currently too stuffed and still recovering from a monster-size meal, to write about that.
Foodie update 2 shall follow tomorrow. Watch this space!
Sounds yummy! ‘Tis a shame I can’t find anywhere I can eat like that for the equivalent of three dollars.
It looks like you’re on your way to write a restaurant guide to Mumbai. Seriously, the way you wrote this sounds like a page from one.
And imagine all the research you would have to do. (darn!
)