Family Dining Redefined At Family Tree Thane | Food Review | Restaurant Review

Universe works in delicious ways :D Thane is a tad too far off from my residence but it was Dussehra, my family had a much needed holiday to spend with some friends who happen to live near Thane and the whole plan came nicely together so we could land at Family Tree Pure Vegetarian Restaurant at Panch Pakhadi, Thane for lunch. 

 

 

Walked in to a large inviting family home veranda-style set up followed by an elegant yet funky and very homely proper restaurant set up, both filled to the brim with happy families. The décor and ambiance scream comfort and elegance, with cute family portraits, grandpa clocks, books, teapots and such knick-knacks giving it all European bistro look yet an inherent Indian vibe intact! Even the menu has been designed like a photo album which can easily take hours to stare at. The cute chairs have smiling faces of different family members at the back, signifying the tradition of our whole families sitting down to dinner together, with each member having their own reserved place. Ladies & Gentlemen, a family that eats together stays together, hence proved :-) 

 

 

The menu has something for everyone, selection of choicest Vegetarian as well as Jain preparations in Indian, Chinese, European, Mexican over Soups, Salads, Main Course, Desserts and Drinks. We would have to make 4 trips just to try everything out on the menu! We wanted to try different dishes so we asked them to provide us with only half portions because their quantity is quite awesome, especially in main courses where we saw almost every table asking for leftovers to be parcelled. Absolute value for money with a family of 4 spending about Rs. 1700-1800 for a Hulk –level meal! 

We started with Creamy Broccoli soup, so dense and flavourful, I never wanted to stop slurping it (and yes, I slurped it, just like I do at home :-D) For starters, we had the softest Shanghai Paneer in mildly sweet-spicy sauce along with soft yet succulent Hara Bhara Kebab and hearty,creamy Paneer Makhmali Tikka. But the absolute star stunner, unexpectedly so, was Pita Pocket Falafel Wrap with the crunchiest veggies and most delicious mix of Falafel, cream, hummus inside. I love Falafel anyway but my mom doesn’t and here she was going for seconds!

Corn Shots and Jalapeno Potatoes came in packing quite a punch too and am glad we decided to try them. At one glance, these do not sound like extraordinary dishes but tasting them made us happy about the burst of flavours and textures. 

We also enjoyed Jamun Shikanji, Masala Lemonade and Cold Coffee alongside. True to its name as the ultimate destination for each family member, they have a wide variety of drinks too to offer and some of these are mini meals in themselves. Do keep the Dessert Shakes for the end, they are pieces of art in themselves. When it comes to coffee, both Mocha Chip & Roasted Almond are among the best we ever had. EVER!

Navratan Korma, Stuffed Kulcha, Lachedar Paratha and Veg Dum Biryani made up our main course which would be more than sufficient for a family of 4 to eat before going on a fast for next 2 days :D Navratan Korma was sweet as expected but I like sweet things and I cannot lie. The Kulcha and Paratha were succulent and good enough to eat on their own. My mom says it is very difficult to find good places with authentic Lachcha Paratha and this is one of those rare ones she has loved, so there. Dum Biryani was flavourful, very mildly spicy and very light on the stomach too, no heaviness normally associated with Biryani. 

After a long loooong time, we all binged on hearty Indian food, replete with spices and gravies, yet not a tinge of heartburn even hours later, a mark of how fresh everything was and how only quality ingredients were used in preparing them. Otherwise, ask anybody who has binged on Indian food in most restaurants and they are running around for Eno 4-5 hours later! These things matter when one goes out to eat with family, we want to enjoy delicious food without any health hazards and we appreciate when we find a restaurant providing us just that :)

We ended our meal with Paan Ice cream, Banoffee pie and Raspberry Cheesecake dessert shake. I am not a Paan fan but this ice cream is a must have for everyone, same goes for Banoffee Pie which my mom doesn’t like much but couldn’t stop herself from polishing off here! Raspberry Cheesecake dessert shake is the meal every 10 year old would love to have, in fact parents would have a hard time trying to convince them to eat anything else once they have tasted this, that’s why I recommend that you order it in the end :D 

Splendid is the word for everything at Family Tree-be it the menu with massive choices, the wholesome inviting ambiance, the quick and helpful service, the down to earth price points when compared to quality and quantity of food or the hands-on approach of the owner himself who takes feedback from all visitors. Not a single false note anywhere. Pure bliss is finding a perfect family dining place that motivates us to travel over and over just to dine there and Family Tree is certainly that place for us :-)