Global Culinary Journey At The Sassy Spoon Powai | Beautiful Modern Dining Destination | Food Review | Food Photography

Powai has suddenly turned into the party zone and top culinary destination in the suburbs, giving tough competition to venues such as Lower Parel, Anderi, and BKC. One of the newest entrants here is this sassy place. Walk in to feel like you just entered the saner version of Alice in Wonderland. 

The greenery below the ceiling with the fairy lights, the differently-colored chair cushions, the careful arrangement of quirky collectibles along the booth wall, the life-size van fixture at the well-appointed bar, the medley of high chairs with zebra pattern, the cherry blossom motif on the pillar in the center and the juxtaposition of primary colors against each other. Look at me, I can write an architectural digest episode here! 

Combine this with an ever-helpful staff, a menu that promises a tour around the world, live music on special nights, a general bonhomie in the air and you know this is a winner. Prices are on the higher side but cannot complain looking at the location and the brand name. The quality of the food certainly justifies it to a large extent.

For our review session, we had and loved-

TOMATO, OLIVE AND PARMESAN SOUP- LOVED, hot bowl of warmth that I needed on this chilly evening,

WARM LEMONY COUSCOUS WITH TOASTED ALMONDS, PEPPERS, CHILLI, CORIANDER SALAD- Healthy wholesome bowl, different flavors and textures went well together, a nice trip through west asia,

SPICY KIDNEY BEANS EMPANADAS WITH QUESO - Straightforward, heavy dish, try it when you are in a group, could feel a bit dry but tasty nonetheless, 

BAKED BEETROOT & FETA KEFTEDES IN ONION SEED PITA WITH CUCUMBE TZATZIKI -LOVED, MUST-HAVE, the beetroot & feta koftas were OUTSTANDING, if I could make beetroot taste like this I would never eat outside food #justsaying :D Would come back here just to try this,

BAKED LASAGNA WITH CREAMED LEEKS, MUSHROOMS, SWEET POTATOES & CHEDDAR - Again LOVED, and on the healthier side with layers of lasagna sheets, mushrooms, sweet potatoes in a hearty tomato sauce, Italy tastes good :D, 

NUTTY RICOTTA RAVIOLI WITH HOMEMADE RICOTTA, WALNUTS, PINE NUTS AND GARLIC CREAM SAUCE- Hands down my FAVORITE, the play of ricotta mounds with nuts and creamy sauce, explosion of flavors in mouth, had the potential to be bland or heavy and was none, try this for sure!, 

SEVEN TEXTURES OF HAZELNUT AND CHOCOLATE-Think of every chocolate and hazelnut based dessert form-pastry, disc, biscotti, mousse, molten sauce..this ultimate dessert has it ALL, if you love chocolate and hazelnut, try this. If you don't, well try this anyway and then probably go for therapy :P, 

RASPBERRY MOUSSE- Dark Chocolate meets Raspberry in a mousse form and gets immortalized in a fluffy decadent dessert with tangy raspberry sorbet by the side. MUST-HAVE!

True to their promise, you can travel around the world on one plate here with fresh ingredients, delicious culinary experimentation, cool ambiance, prompt service, and smiling helpful staff. On all points, a complete pleasure. This hungry hippo gives a thumbs up. 

Poolside VITS Hotel | Pre-Christmas Dinner Buffet | Best Dessert Spread In Mumbai | Food Review | Restaurant Review

Spent a lovely evening with mom a couple of days before Christmas. The poolside atmosphere is charming and they had spruced it up with some christmas special decorations too. Good lighting and extremely courteous staff ensured we had a gala time. Of course, the food at their dinner buffet spread was perfect in every way and made us vow that we would be back soon, especially since the Chef and every staff member personally make sure to take feedback from every visitor.

Started off with FRUIT PUNCH that was not overly sweet or tangy, but deliciously fragrant and fruity. Thereafter the starters made their way and we loved everything as the flavors were balanced and distinct.

PANEER TIKKA

GOBI MANCHURIAN

VEG KEBABS

TIL KI TIKKI 

While the starters were served on the table, we made our way to the scrumptious buffet spread for the rest of the delicacies. The SALAD table beckoned and we had our fill of GREEN SALAD, HUNG CURD AND BEETROOT SALAD, MEXICAN BEANS SALAD, RAITA, SEV PURI. Healthy eaters won't be disappointed here.

Even in main course that seems to be the weak point at many buffet places, we found each dish carefully conceptualized and created with distinct flavors that did not make it seem like a mishmash of this-and-that. We absolutely loved-

TAWA PULAO

PANEER KHEEMA MATAR

CHOWGRA (similar to mix vegetables,a bit on spicier side)

STUFFED BELL PEPPERS

CHEESY PASTA (it looked simple and bland but turned out to be every child's favorite!)

CHOWMEIN

And of course, a bevy of rotis, parathas, naans, that the staff is more than happy to get as per the visitor's preference.

It was difficult to stop ourselves from overeating thus far because we also wanted to try out the fantastic desserts that included not just the usual pastries and ice creams but a plethora of Indian desserts such as RASMALAI, MALPUA, ORANGE RASGULLA, SHAHI BARFI, and everything is authentic to the T. Even the biggest buffet places in most big cities cannot replicate the authenticity of Bengali or north Indian sweets the way these folks have done. I have forgotten the number of RASMALAIs I had here but it was surely more than a dozen :D And the next time I am here, I will double that number :P

Try their buffet out today, and come away impressed just like this hungry hippo did :) 

House Of Mandarin Powai | A Royal Chinese Feast | Food Review | Restaurant Review

I am not a big fan of Chinese food, not the way it is consumed in India. There, I said it. I know it is sort of a sacrilege for a foodie, but somehow I have not warmed up to the excessive use of spices and oil in the Indo-Chinese cuisine..yet, once in a while, I do come across some establishments that try to provide an authentic Chinese experience with appropriate focus on using quality ingredients instead of over-using of artificial sauces and spices and oil, and I fall in love with them. House of Mandarin falls squarely in that category :)

Situated the latest hip-and-happening area of Hiranandani area in Powai, the House of Mandarin is a spacious and tastefully decorated dining destination with a plethora of veg as well as non-veg options in soups, appetizers, noodles, rice, dimsums, sushi, desserts, drinks...basically, a cool place to be with family for celebration or friends for chilling out or office colleagues for a gossip section over drinks! Staff is super-polite, helpful and takes feedback seriously, service is very fast, prices are reasonable looking at the quality and quantity of food as well as the superb plush location.

Tried, loved and recommend-

CRANBERRY KISS- A nice peppy mocktail with the right balance of sweet and sour,

TURNIP CAKE- This is like corn-curd, soft and mushy inside while crisp on the outside, a great balance with Burnt Garlic and Scallions for an added punch,

CRISPY HONEY LOTUS STEM- On the sweeter side, wholesome lotus stems coated lovingly in a blanket of honey glaze, 

VEG CRYSTAL DUMPLING and CORN & WATER CHESTNUT DUMPLING- I am not exaggerating when I say These. Are. Among. THE BEST. Dimsums. In. Mumbai. The delicate covering, the expert fillings, the textures, the flavors, MUST-HAVE,

ASPARAGUS TEMPURA ROLL- I am not a Sushi expert but these were among the best too, try them and make your own opinion, I loved them,

SPICY MAPO TOFU and SOFT NOODLES WITH VEGETABLES- Semi-gravy noodles with loads of wholesome veggies such as Carrots, Water Chestnuts, Bok Choy, a bit bland on its own but went seamlessly with soft Tofu in a spicy gravy, surprisingly it was not a heavy combination in stark contrast with other chinese places where I am stuffed uncomfortably by now!

Special shoutout to desserts that finished this meal perfectly- LEMONGRASS CREME BRULEE, simple and sublime with mild lemongrass flavor through a soothing creamy dessert, perfect for those who do not like too sweet dishes,

STICKY TOFFEE PUDDING- Absolute SMASHER and MUST-HAVE here, the spongy pudding with HEAVENLY CARAMEL on the base and Vanilla Ice Cream and a strong kiss of Candied Ginger, what is not to love!!!

If you love Chinese cuisine, be here. If you love Indo-chinese cuisine, be here. If you do not love either of the two, still be here, this happy hippo is sure you will find something worth loving :)