Category: Restaurant Review

Wholsome ​Fine Dining Experience At The Basil Leaf

Situated in the Golden Plateau Hotel, right on the Porvorim Highway, is the recently opened fine dine restaurant Basil Leaf. Honestly speaking when I attended the launch of the place, I couldn’t make much of it. There were a lot of guests back then and I had reached quite late, also I tried only Thai Chicken Curry and Rice during the launch which was good, but I wasn’t really sure how it would turn out when dining on a normal regular day. So when I headed to The Basil Leaf for a lunch with my family, I had no expectations at all, but at the onset, I have to say that I was taken by a complete surprise.

Bikes, Good Food, Great View and More At Enfield Garage Cafe!

In one word if I have to describe this place, it would be AWESOME! Enfield Bikes, Good Food, and A Great View, what more can you ask for, still if you want more, Enfield Garage Cafe organizes regular events to keep you amused. The Sunday Stories especially is a very popular weekly event that happens at Garage Cafe.

Have You Been To Cuebebar Smokehouse Yet? If Not, You Must!

There is food, then there is food made with a lot of love, there are restaurants, and then there are dreams, this place Cuebebar Smokehouse Goa falls in the latter category because it isn’t just a restaurant but a dream that a young boy of 23 all has seen and pursued, it reflects his passion along with that of his friend. Arjun and his friend Bunty are the two boys behind this amazing place. Arjun who worked with Marriott in Texas before coming back to India is the main chef while his friend Bunty takes up the charge for the bar and shakes up some amazing cocktails.

To Experience Scrumptious Bohra Cuisine, Dig Into ‘Thaal’, Goa

Bohra Muslims, who are said to have migrated originally from Yemen to Gujarat, are firm believers in the maxim: “The family that eats together, stays together.” The entire Bohra family dines out of one platter called the thaal and it typically accommodates 4-8 people. Each dish is placed in the centre of the thaal and every member pulls his or her share. Bohras have a no-wastage policy. Not a single grain of rice is left on the plate when it is taken away.
To promote this thought and keep the tradition alive, Rumana came up with the idea of ‘Thaal’ as she too believes in community eating and bonding over food.

Head To Burrito Boys For The Best Mexican Food in Goa

I have been a fan of Mexican food for quite some time now and I always love exploring new restaurants that offer Mexican food. Just recently I came across this amazing place called Burrito Boys located at the Calangute-Arpora road.

The Flavors Of Bombay Come To Goa With Old Bombay Cafe

Even though Bombay doesn’t have any specific cuisine, different parts of Bombay are famous for different types of food. From the typical street food that includes Pav Bhaji, the very famous Bombay Sandwich to the food made popular by the old Parsi cafes in South Bombay, it has a lot of variety to offer. When in Bombay, you have to travel across the length and breadth of the city to savor these different delicacies, but when in Goa, you can taste all of this amazing food right from one beautiful cafe, bar and bistro.

Habanero- A Tex-Mex Culinary Experience

The moment someone says Mexican, I imagine cowboy hats, a raw appeal, some Guns and Roses type music and Nachos! So it was about time we explored this Tex-Mex Restaurant & Brewery in our very own Goa, and hence Habanero happened. Living up to its name, Habanero, which means North America, looked every bit Mexican. I especially loved the vibrancy of the place, the bold colors of lamps and those big Mexican hats adorning the tables. It has a picnic table kind bench seating, which gives it a very appealing look overall. You feel as if you have entered a happy zone and this seating enhances the experience. They usually have live performances quite often and there is a decent size stage where it happens. Unfortunately for us, it was only instrumental music, but anyway the place seemed lively enough. As we settled down, the first thing we did was to pick up those hats and of course, pose and get some pictures clicked 🙂

 

The lady manager at the Restaurant was a very warm person and came forward to both welcome us and then also suggest the must-haves. So going mainly by her choice we ordered:

[easy-image-collage id=9837]

Starters

Macho Nachos, Chicken

Fully loaded with chicken, tomatoes, beans, jalapenos, olives, melted cheese, sour cream and guacamole, these were simply the best. Rated amongst their signature dishes, I would say it does full justice to it. I have eaten loaded nachos at a lot of places, but topping it with sour cream and guacamole was an add-on that I had just at this place.

[easy-image-collage id=9838]

Sesame Shrimp Lime Tostada

Lightly grilled shrimps, cooked with a sesame lime sauce on a bed of lettuce leaves and salsa on a crispy tortilla, it made for an interesting dish. Totally worth indulging.

[easy-image-collage id=9839]

Chipotle Chicken Skewers

I totally loved these, grilled chicken chunks in sweet and spicy chipotle sauce. The first bite may feel more on the sweeter side, but as you eat, you feel the chipotle spices doing the work. I quite enjoyed this sweet and spicy combination.

[easy-image-collage id=9840]

Drinks

Bloody Mary

Pineapple Mojito

[easy-image-collage id=9842]

Beer Sampler

There were 3 beers served as a part of the sampler, IPA, Lager and Mango Wheat, of all three I liked Lager the best. IPA was ok, but the Mango Wheat did not leave me with any mango flavor.

[easy-image-collage id=9843]

Main Course

We were so full with the starters, that main course almost confused us. We glanced through the entire menu, shifting choices between Burgers, Tacos, Mexican Rice Bowl and Pork Ribs. All of them seemed appetizing enough to order, but we weren’t sure if we would be able to finish. Hence after a lot of deliberation, we settled for a Mexican Thali. Yes, even Mexican menu has a thali, though reading the word thali with Mexican food, didn’t quite gel well for me, but it made me all the more curious to see what was it all about and how was it served.

Well to be honest, when I saw the thali, I was disappointed. I understand that thali concept basically means getting to try a little bit of everything and we are normally used to seeing traditional thali’s in many cuisines, but with Mexican, all I expected was at least a different presentation. A typical steel thali with compartments didn’t do justice to this cuisine. I was quite put off with that, the food did not look appealing at all presented that way, neither did it look Mexican. It’s my heartfelt suggestion to the management, that even though the concept is great, it would be better it items are presented in some other manner, more like a combo than a thali. Taste wise the food was very Mexican and alright, but the presentation kind of ended the game for me, as far as the main course was concerned.

[easy-image-collage id=9844]

Desserts

Fried Ice Cream

This was nicely done, but the outer covering does have a scope of improvement, it should be slightly thinner, the quoting was too thick.

[easy-image-collage id=9846]

Tres Leches Cake

This definitely was a very soothing experience, both of the eyes and the mouth. It looked beautiful and tasted equally good. Again a small suggestion here would be to not sprinkle too much of cinnamon powder on the cake, as it takes away the subtle taste of buttercream cake dipped in milk.

[easy-image-collage id=9847]

Overall the experience was not very great but wasn’t bad either, it was good, and I can surely give another chance to the place because I enjoyed the starters and my drinks.

 

Habanero Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Artjuna- A Prefect Combination of Food & Lifestyle Place!

Normally, we don’t think of a lifestyle shop and food together, for most of us they are two different things and we have to go separately for eating and shopping, but If I tell you about Artjuna, it offers more than just food, its a perfect place to shop apparels, fashion accessories and even furniture, yes you read that right, Artjuna has all this and a lot more to offers its visitors.

Right from the entrance, the warm vibes engulf you, the place has such a colorful and vibrant feel to it that one can simply spend hours chilling there. I am sure once you step in, you make up your mind right then, that you don’t want to leave soon. It’s a place that holds your attention and keeps it intact until you leave and even after that. For me, Artjuna has been a wholesome experience. The Bohemian fashion apparel, accessories, and furniture is something that Moshes and his wife Anastasia, two passionate people who own the place, have collected over the years. Their love for art and classy things is evident in their collection. If you really take a closer look at the items on display, they give you a feel of a very personalized collection, it’s not that they have just picked up anything and everything to fill up the place, but its a very selective and tastefully placed collection.

An old Portuguese house that has been converted into this lifestyle shop and restaurant also houses a decent sized library for book lovers and also a place for yoga and recreation.

 

Coming to food, Artjuna takes great pride in not just saying but maintaining high-quality standards in all their food items. They strictly use fresh farm produce, seasonal vegetables, extra virgin olive oil, imported tahini and wild honey to prepare healthy meals. They serve Meditteranean, Israeli and Lebanese cuisines. This garden ambiance adds to the overall appeal of fresh serves and healthy food. Every juice that you order at Artjuna, is prepared right after you order, nothing is pre-prepared and kept and hence the freshness is always guaranteed.

I began my culinary experience by ordering a Watermelon Salad with Feta, as it has been one of my all-time favorite dishes and Artjuna totally lived up to my expectations. The best part was the Feta, it was perfectly balanced and not over salty as most of the places serve. To go along, I settled for the Energiser, a combination of beetroot, carrot, orange, ginger and some cinnamon which gave the kick to this fresh juice.

Followed this up with a Mazzet Plate, served with Pita Bread, this platter had a perfect selection of Meditteranean flavors, with a smooth tahini, greek kalamata olives, olive pate, feta cheese and mixed vegetable pickle. It makes for a really delightful dish and is surely a must try.

Baba Ganoush was another dish that I tried, flame roasted eggplants, creamed into a thick paste with tahini, and seasoned with lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil, this makes for a flavourful dip to enjoy with pita and I loved it. The creaminess was almost mouth melting.

A chocolate fondant cake with vanilla ice cream and a chocolate eclair is what made for the amazing desserts. The cake was so soft and fresh, that the quality of the products used was once again brought to notice.

The place has its own charm and I insist on a visit at least once, the second time you would not require any conviction from my end :). The food, the ambiance, the warm people, the lifestyle shop, the books and a couple of dogs and cats will give you more than you need to enjoy a day out. Trust me on this one, not that you shouldn’t trust me on others ;), but do give it a try, it will be worth your while.

As far as I am concerned, I enjoyed myself thoroughly and look forward to visit the place soon again. Let me know what you think about it, have you visited it yet, or is it on your list now?

Artjuna Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Experience Ultimate Luxury and Great Food at Simply Sushi and L’Opera by PVR Director’s Cut!

To get your tryst with luxury and enjoy some awesome food, head straight to PVR Director’s Cut in Ambience Mall, Vasant Kunj and I am sure you will fall in love with it.

Though PVR Director’s Cut is a cinema hall and operates largely on membership, it has two stand-alone restaurants, that anyone can walk into.

Simply Sushi, is a state of the art Japanese Cuisine restaurant, spearheaded by internationally renowned Chef Yutaka Saito, who understands the nuanced Indian palate and has introduced innovative offerings on the menu, under the guidance of Chef Mayank Tiwari, Group Executive Chef of PVR, who is a celebrated chef in the culinary world of International cuisine.

I began my culinary experience by trying the Salmon Carpaccio and it was utterly delicious. I polished off the entire dish on my own. The taste was subtle and very very soothing on the tongue. The light tanginess added more depth to the overall flavors and I loved it.

The next I tried the Avocado Tartare, which will remain one of my most favorite dishes at Simply Sushi. It was delectable beyond words can justify. Such creamy texture, such rich flavors, loved it. Along with it I also tried the Tofu Spinach and this too was an awesome tasting dish.

Coming to Sushi, I tried the Spiced Tuna Rolls and Salmon Rolls and enjoyed them both, but preferred the Salmon Roll more over the other.

But let me tell you something, Simply Sushi is not just about food, it is about an overall experience. The charm of sitting over the counter and watching the chef prepare sushi right in front of your eyes, the luxury and class that the ambiance engulfs you into and who knows you might get lucky and bump into a celebrity or two as PVR director’s cut is all about the Creme Dela Creme of Delhi. And yes I did bump into Smriti Irani and her husband, while I was relishing my meal at Simply Sushi.

Simply Sushi Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato
After Simply Sushi, it was time for desserts, and for that, I just hopped on to the other outlet of PVR Director’s Cut, L’Opera. Inspired by French designs, this patisserie looks very classy and rich. The pastel colors, the furniture design, remind of you of French Colonial Cafes. Also, this outlet at Vasant Kunj, leads in a fact that there are about 3 desserts that you get to eat only here and nowhere else. One such was the chocolate hazelnut with baileys, it was a truly mouth melting experinec with burst of flavours in my mouth. The chocolate, the hazelnut and of course baileys, its definitely a must try. They offer some savoury items as well and are in particular known for their wonderful sandwiches. All I can say is that both these places within PVR Director’s Cut are completely worth a visit and since they no not require membership, you must pay a visit.

 

 

 

 

Bo-Tai, Not Just Food, But An Experience!

Some places offer great food, while some offer experience, very rarely we come across places that offer food which not just food, but a wholesome experience. Coincidently, I have felt this at two places and its no surprise that both these places come from the same group. Masala Library by Jiggs Kalara was my first such experience where in I felt that its not just about food, but everything put together, and now my second experience came when I recently visited Bo-Tai. Conceptualised by Zorawar Kalra, this restaurant offers all the ingredients be ranked amongst the top. The ambience is perfect, very classy and refined, the hospitality is top notch, from the moment you enter, you are entire experience is personalised. The staff attends to you with utmost care, attention and knowledge of food and drinks.

 

The presentation of food is commendable and the most important thing, the taste is unmatched. Bo-Tai is a Thai speciality restaurant and it truly serves the best Thai food in the city.

Here are some of the highly recommended dishes

Scallop Carpaccio- A mouth melting experience, the scallops were just so delicious.

Crispy Caramelised Raw Mango Prawns- These are definitely a must try, super scrumptious prawns and that tangy taste of raw mango was just perfect.

Chicken Florets- True to their name, these blue coloured chicken dimsums in chilly oil were delectable.

Duck Sausages- The best dish I had, the sausages were simply mind blowing and the duck meat was so soft and juicy. The pumpkin dip and baked mashed potatoes as accompaniments enhance the taste greatly.

Lamb Satay- One of the finest satays that I had in recent times, you cannot afford to miss this dish, and the peanut dip too wasn’t the regular type and was really delicious.

Lamb Chops- Utterly delicious and succulent lamb chops, totally worth a try.

Masamman Curry- So when we talk of Thai curries, this curry usually sets the benchmark and I have to say that this was perfect. Served with Steamed Rice, they completed my meal.

Dessert- You have to try to believe how delicious it was.

Also for dessert you can try the Caramelised Banana Cocktail, it was just too good.

Me and my son had a great time enjoying this scrumptious food and overall experience at Bo-Tai. Highly recommended. Do share your feedback if you happen to visit.

 

Bo Tai Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato