Chef Sisters, Borivali West, Mumbai

Borivali. It is like the end of world for anyone living in Dadar-Lower Parel-Bandra stretch :D It is a 2 hour drive for someone like me who refuses to get squashed in local trains which are now crowded 24/7, no concept of  'peak hour' anymore :P I don't even remember the last time I was in Borivali, let alone eating here, BUT and that is a biiiiiig but, this time it was about eating at Chef Sisters i.e. 2 sisters running a pure veg restaurant in Borivali West. How could I miss this :D I just took hold of my sister and we went to meet the Chef Sisters. Was the trip worth it? YES, a 1000 times YES, and more ♥♥♥

Chef Hasti and Chef Hiloni are the brains behind this funky,vibrant and cool place situated just before Vijay Sales on S V Road, Borivali West. While Hasti specializes in desserts (she studied at Le Cordon Bleu!), Hiloni specializes in Indian & International cuisine, so aptly described as creating magic with masalas :) There is a delicious dessert counter with a quite spacious outdoor seating as well as AC indoor seating which is a bit small. Cheerful colors, basic ambiance, keeping in tune with their aim of providing delicious food at value for money price point. I love how honest they are about not aiming at connoisseurs or gourmands with 'authentic fine dine' but about providing lip-smacking fare that normal people, our families love to eat regularly, delicious everyday dine! You know, what we call comfort food, what we love to eat again & again, what we crave for. I like that. Not that there is anything wrong with fine dine or anything but in a world where so many people pretend to be something they are not, these sisters are upfront about presenting food (even International dishes) in an easy to recognize-and-love format, just for our taste-buds :) It was interesting to chat with them about how they are still learning and growing as they go along, taking in feedback from customers, regularly adding new dishes and updating the menu and so on. So when you go here, do not forget to chat with the sisters :) 

The menu is quite extensive and once again dispels all notions that veg food is in any way limited or inferior :D LOVE THAT! There are choices of North Indian, Mexican, Italian, Continental, Chinese. Some regular favorites like Milkshakes, Biryani, Hakka Noodles, Nachos as well as some innovation such as Pav Bhaji Fondue, Moroccan rice, Rabdi cake and much more! Mix and match all you want just like we did and you will find something to love for sure :)

We had Kit Kat Milkshake, Oreo Milkshake, Blueberry Mojito and Dryfruit Milkshake to start the proceedings on the sultry afternoon. Pure bliss was had with Dryfruit milkshake in particular. It was a bit too sweet for my sister but for someone with sweet jaw like me,it was perfect :D You can tell them to make it less sweet, but have this for sure. Reminded me of amazing Thandai I had at Varanasi once,with real dryfruits and Kesar strands :) Kit Kat and Oreo Milkshakes are better than what many gourmet cafes serve, especially since there was negligible ice,something that bothers a lot of us when milkshakes become watery,right? Nothing like that here, everything was dense, creamy, flavorful :) Blueberry Mojito was a bit tangy and again a bit too sweet for my sister's liking, but if you have been roaming around in the sun for too long,this will be the perfect refreshing drink. As I said, you can always ask the Chef sisters to make anything as per your liking. So if you are a normal human like my sister (and not endowed with a sweet jaw), ask them to make it less sugary or more icy or whatever else you wanna personalize it with :) They are all great drinks,especially for the summer season!

While my sister and I were debating about whether to have a burger or a pizza, we sampled some fantastic starters. Cheesy Loaded Wedges would be a cheese lover's dream come true with an overload of carbs with potato as well as gooey cheesy goodness all over it :D I am not much into spices,so it being a little bland was fine with me, while my sister generously sprinkled oregano and chilli flakes over it. The Garlic Bread with Cheese basket was too cute and the garlic bread itself was perfectly soft in the middle while crunchy on the sides. My absolute favorite was Paneer Schezuan, the juicy soft chunks of Paneer in mildly spicy-kick laden sauce, yummy! My sister's favorite was Potato Chilly, just perfectly done up potatoes in a bit spicier (chilli,obviously!) sauce :D So you see, everyone was happy as we all got something to savor.

Willing to try something different as we were feeling adventurous, we ventured into Pav Bhaji Fondue, Moroccan Rice and Mexican Pizza territory. Being a huge Pav Bhaji lover, my sister simply cherished every bite of the Pav Bhaji Fondue. How innovative! A big bowl of Pav Bhaji (not too spicy, real flavor of minced veggies coming through) with bread pieces (with cheese in the middle), papad pieces, puffs and grilled pav. This is a must try dish here, a twist in the tale sort of thing :) If you love pasta (as my sister and I do) and especially white sauce pasta, then Moroccan Spiced Veg with Garlic Rice will definitely steal your heart as it did ours. Very sublimely flavored garlic rice with creamy,mildly cheesy, very filling and dense gravy with exotic veggies. This dish is perfect for 2 hungry souls in itself. Lovely dish,not too heavy on the stomach either, perfect for a summer lunch where you want to stuff yourself but not become comatose :D Finally, the Mexican Pizza which was my favorite. As everyone knows by now, my taste-buds veer towards sweeter things automatically. This particular pizza has beans salsa as base, with crunchy capsicum, corn and of course an avalanche of gooey cheese on top, all together a medley of flavors. The base was a bit thick, but it was not soggy at all, which is what happens at a lot of places when one puts on innovative toppings. I loved it. Perfectly baked, it was warm, fragrant and comforting. I am sure nobody in Italy has pizzas like these :P But as it was clear from the beginning, this place is all about comfort food.

Oh, it is not over yet! Even though we were full, we had to have the famous Rabdi Cake dessert here. This dish alone is enough to inspire me to come back here again and again. Now, it looks like a simple enough pastry-kind of dish, served with Rabdi. But when we dug into it, there were layers of flavors,all melding together perfectly and EVEN my sister, who is not at all into sweets, went right to foodie heaven :D The secret is that they soak the base in Basundi and then serve it with Rabdi. Anybody who loves Indian sweets and knows actually what Basundi & Rabdi are,would instantly know what a killer combination that is. Just look at the picture of the dessert because I don't think anything I say could do justice to how good this actually is. Just. Go. And. Eat.

There are many dishes on the menu that I would love to eat here for which I would love to come back here again :) Lovely portions, homely service, comforting and delicious food, value for money price points, interactive sisters taking feedback from customers, what else could one want? I just wish they grow into many more branches and open some in Bandra/Andheri/ Lower Parel area (so it would be closer to me) and because the food here is definitely going to pull crowds :) I love the Chef Sisters, we are like foodie soul sisters ♥♥♥♥♥