Pub Review: WTF Khar

In my effort to revive pubbing days, I pledge to visit a new pub in Mumbai every fortnight. :)
The first one I went to was a "low-cost" joint named WTF (off SV Road, Khar). Its a good VFM joint with pub style oily snacks and popular music. There are TVs around to catch live sport. Like most places in Mumbai, it gathers steam only after 9'o clock on weekends (no early evening drinking here)... decor etc is basic and good. It works fully well for the costs. The only downer (& a big one)- no draught beer

Ray's Pizza

Thought this place is tops. Tucked behind the Nature's Basket outlet on Hill Road (opposite the legendary St.Stanislaus-my school), you wouldnt believe how they have managed to make it a nice & quite place- kind of cut off from the hustle and bustle of Hill Road. It has an open air and an AC section. The AC portion would be good for summer !:)
The place has a Pizzeria association & hence, the a good range of pizzas including just the slice. In addition, there are burgers , salads and the normal sides. I had the chicken burger, which was juicy and quite liked it. No alcohol license, hence make-do with Cokes/Iced teas. Specific yet limited coffee and dessert menu, which I didnt try. Pricing is all good at around 200-odd for the burger.
Strongly recommended.

Aer@the Four Seasons..over-rated?

Great idea and good place for a drink with office folks/clients etc not worth the over-hype.
Open-air and on the 32nd floor of the Four Seasons (right next to the slums of Parel:)), Aer promises to be brillliant on a breezy, not-hot or even slightly rainy evenings. Its got a decent bar and good cocktails. Not so sure about the food. Its dam small and tends to get too crowded taking away from the "open-air" experience (I feel). Of course, steeply priced (Cocktail for 650 bucks types) as you would expect at the 4S.
Overall, good to go at times..definitely , a great place for taking clients etc out.

Aromas, Powai- review

Decided to check out a restaurant at Powai.
Got into this coffee shop-Aromas (no need for a map, its bang in the middle of the Hiranandani area)..Its the first outlet in India of an Aussie chain.
Great ambience (by which I mean, nice & lazy). The ACs werent working. The crowd included the normal Powai type mix of expats.
The menu is much more than a normal coffee shop - includes a range of pizzas & pastas besides various coffees, sandwiches & desserts.
I tried a pizza & some pasta- they were good without being spectatcular or v authentic. Service was prompt & good, prices generally in the 120-125 buck range per dish. Tried out a "pepper" cheesecake which again was nice.
All-in-all, good place to catch up with friends on an afternoon !Food alone is not worth going for but the ambience & service makes up for that !

Tam / Udipi Food @ Matunga

I am a big fan of nice veg tam food (& also the peppery non-veg chettinad too, though thats reserved for another post). This is on the veg food.
Matunga has this line of veg restaurants which are traditional (are they still?) and dam popular- Cafe Mysore, Cafe Madras , Rama Nayak-old & new, Mani's and so on..
I have always ended up eating at the Cafe Mysore though.
-Cafe Mysore is more udipi food in taste than tam
- The normal suspects- idlis, vadaa, dosa are of course there. I always start off with the rasam vadaa (a bowl containing rasam and vadaas)
- If breakfast, I tend to follow up with mysore masala butter dosa. (Do go for the butter version, for sure). The Udipi sambhars arent great, but its ok with the mysore masala dosa combi
- Lunch typically is a taali - like a plated meal with puris, subzi, rice, dal, rasam and a sweet
- I always end with pineapple sheera
- And a filter coffee for sure !!!! followed by the dry pan with cocount fillings (Wow)
My guess is the other restaurants in that are kinda similar - maybe more Tam in taste than Udipi. (will try them sometime soon)
Cost is never gonna be an issue with these places. Waiting time maybe there and finding parking if you are driving the car, is a pain.
All-in-all, great option for a nice breakfast or lunch ended by a great coffee.
One point of caution- these places have huge demand from the large Gujarati population in and around Matunga. This , in my view, has resulted in a gradual change in the menu and tastes & definitely takes away from the authentic South Indian taste..Point to worry, but nothing can be done about it. Every business, I guess, adapts to the tastes of the modal and most-paying customers ! :)

Restaurant reviews: Tote & Salt Water Bandra

Tote:
Interesting concept once again from the Akerkar stable located at the race course (Yeah- no parking woes). Fusion menu with some neat options and good seating space outdoors too (especially for the 15-16 degree Mumbai winter)...I had some grilled meat & it was a tasty fusion with a north indian tandoori feel to it !! Had an awesome banana cake dessert...Very large menu..worth going but be sure to reserve a table..They have got these 8 pm & 10.30 pm sittings in the evenings, so, timings need to match !
Feel for prices: Normal premium pricing on drinks, each appetizer / entree / dessert costs in the region of Rs.350-450, the exquisite ones like tiger prawns in the range of Rs. 750-1,000...So, decide how much you wanna eat / drink & do your own math..
Verdict: Must Go

Salt Water Cafe (SWC):
Located at Bandra Reclamation (opposite the Barista), SWC offers a continental menu. I have always ended up trying the fish options especially the rawas prawn (yes) combi ! The pastas too are not bad and the menu contains a good list of sandwiches / burgers..Good place to chill out for a Saturday lunch ..Seating capacity isnt too high-again calls for reservations on the weekends ...The menu also isnt too large , so, thats a note of caution !
Feel for prices: Beer in the 250 buck range, cocktails between Rs.280-400, main course in the 300-400 buck range
Verdict: Must try once, the ambience will probably take you there more times !