Boveda Bistro, Andheri West, Mumbai

Life is all about accumulating and disbursing varied knowledge and I am thankful that each day, I learn something new. For ex-what is a bistro? A casual place to have some comfort food, I think that is the gist of it. And Boveda Bistro is one place that completely does justice to this :)

The traffic at Andheri no matter what time of the day or day of the week it is, is killing! This we can all agree on. Still, it remains a prime suburb where a lot of new restaurants open up, a lot of cool places spring up and cream of Mumbai society resides. This too we can agree on. So it is always a delight to come across something beautiful and warm in the hustle and bustle of daily life right here in Andheri, something that can make wading through that traffic worthwhile. Boveda Bistro is barely 2 months ago but already has made a nice place inside ardent foodies' hearts and it is not difficult to see why :)

Situated near Infiniti Mall, right beside Brewbot and Billionaire, it feels like a hidden gem. There is literally a small door to walk into but once inside, a inviting cottage meets castle place opens up, enclosed away in peace from the crazy traffic outside. Charming outdoor seating area and a relaxed, dreamy indoor beckons, I reckon it will be difficult to choose at night where to sit. Lighting is dim and soft dreamy (catch those little bulbs overhead), giving it that perfectly romantic feel at any time of the day. Remember how we all have grown up hearing how Paris is the most romantic city in the world? Walking in here I can imagine how true it must be since this bistro has that same romantic vibe intact. It is all my imagination of course, I have never been to Paris. But the lovely owner of the place has who makes all the difference :) I can see myself chatting with friends at length or just sitting in a corner reading a book for hours here, it is that homely and sweet.

The owners of this bistro have traveled the world and this bistro springs up from their passion to bring something comfortable, charming and chic to this neighborhood, with not just good or great but soul food to be enjoyed in a relaxed ambiance. The best part is that this is a young group be it the owners or the chef, growing and learning every single day, honing their passion with finesse, so don't be afraid to give them feedback, a process made easier by the fact that the lovely owner goes around personally to each table, interacting with one & all :) 

The menu also comes replete with their personal experiences,tweaked a bit here and there. Ask them to suggest something suited to your tastebuds and they will do a good job. Service is fast,polite,attentive and efficient, Don't be fooled by the menu being just 3 pages thick. Look carefully and they have got everything to last us through the day, first off the bat is All Day Breakfast served till 1 AM (haven't come across any other place doing this!) and then there are Pizzas, Pasta, Sandwiches, Burgers, Risotto, Salads, Soups, Small Plates. It is a LOT of choices for anyone and portions are quite good, with 1 Pizza, 1 Pasta and 1 Salad being enough for filling lunch for 2 people, so it is not very expensive either (looking at the location, quantity, quality and service) :)

My sister and I were honored to be able to taste some deliciousness as invited guests here. Started off with Masala Tini for me and Oreo Mint Milkshake for my sister. I wanted something refreshing to offset the horrible heat we had encountered in the traffic and Masala Tini was perfect while my sister who is an Oreo fanatic was happy with the mint twist,which made the concoction again refreshing enough for this weather, difficult to imagine since everywhere else Oreo Milkshake comes across as a dense but not refreshing drink. Well, try it here, both of them come heavily recommended from us :)

 Pickled Roasted Aubergine with Mint, Pomegranate and Mascarpone Cheese (Small Plate) was the surprise of the day for me since I stay away from Aubergine at the best of times :D This one however was not the usual taste of Aubergine at all, the pickled taste with vinegar and some olive oil when mixed with mascarpone and pomegranate was tangy, bit dense, bit fruity, popping in mouth all at once. Liked it and so glad I tasted this. Perhaps the only time I will ever order Aubergine anywhere :D

Being an ardent Mushroom lover I would not leave any opportunity to have any dish with mushrooms and spotting one of the Specials on board as Mushroom Sandwich was my jackpot. Assorted Mushrooms slathered in Goat Cheese with fresh Iceberg Lettuce and Cherry Tomatoes, this dish is better than I have made it sound. And the fries alongside were perfectly crispy (my gym instructor wants to instruct a note here that fries are not good for us, so feel free to negate his advice :P)

Final dish which for me was a complete winner was the Pizza where we had one half of Pesto Primavera with Vegetables and other half of Roasted Bell Pepper, Capers and Goat Cheese. I found the Pesto one a bit on the saltier side but my sister gobbled it up - I do have a tendency to rake up the salt issue often without any reason even at home,my family will vouch for that, so they have even stopped listening to me unless salt is realllllly out of balance, that seems to be my special problem, to be fair :D What I did love was Roasted Bell Paper and Goat Cheese where the cheese was as lovely in texture as pounded Cottage Cheese! They get it from a buffalo farm which gives it a lovely flavor and I am just glad we had a 7" pizza otherwise if we had a larger one I would have gobbled it up all by myself (and then you can imagine the reaction of my gym instructor :P)

Honestly,we were stuffed by now,even though we had told them to get us smaller portions. Yet, as anyone who knows me knows, my sweet tooth is always ready to indulge. The dessert menu is displayed on a board everyday and we went for Dense Chocolate Loaf. OMG is the right expression for this dessert as the softest yet densest chocolate loaf is presented that manages to keep the moistness consistent through all the layers (a superhuman feat as recently we have tasted quite a few pastries with moist exteriors and dry cores). This is one must-have and the pictures really don't do justice to how indulgent an experience this is :) There might or might not be an embarrassing video of me actually licking the chocolate sauce from the plate in the end that might or might not be leaked on YouTube in near future :D 

I found out later that Boveda means a vault. This thus is literally a bistro vault, a cozy nook, a piece of peaceful haven. One of those few places which would bring me back and YES, I would brave the traffic for the dessert and that goat cheese pizza, along with trying out everything else on the menu while reading through my Sherlock Holmes collection :)