Not Just Parathas At Only Parathas Mumbai | Delicious Family Feast | Food Review

Half of our life in Mumbai is spent in traveling, and the worst part of traveling to far off places for food reviews is when the place turns out to be an utter disappointment. Thanks be to the Lords of Food that braving the traffic for 2 hours one way to reach Oshiwara from my office for dinner was completely worth it and I would gladly make the trip again, this time with family. 

Lip-smacking food, absolute value for money looking at the quality and quantity, excellent service, spacious elegant ambiance, Only Parathas provides all this and more. The place is huge and can accommodate an entire wedding reception, staff doesn't slacken for even a minute and it is situated right behind Heera Panna Mall at Oshiwara. The menu is replete with about 400 dishes (I swear,not an exaggeration!) from Parathas (obviously) to Dosas, Noodles, Nachos, Chaats, Pav Bhaji, Manchurian and soooo much more. You can conduct an opera here and not a single viewer would go home with an unhappy tummy, there is something for everyone here. I would stick to the North Indian food and Chaats though, they satisfy my soul. Enough said :)

We started with a round of drinks that included refreshing Water Melon Mojito and Sweet Lime Soda, my sister called for Sweet Lassi served just the way they do in Punjab, so thick that it has to be eaten and if you have a small appetite like my sister then this would be a mini meal in itself :P We also tried Green Apple Fizz and Kiwi Litchi Bubble mocktails but they were both too syrupy sweet, kids would love them though (candy overload, remember? :D)

Do try the Burnt Garlic Soup, warm, luscious and soothing, the garlic punch evident in each spoonful, easy to lose heart to this!

Now a special mention for the chaats section, the must-haves when you are here, go for anything be it Samosa Chaat, Kachori Chaat, Tikki Chaat, Tokri Chaat, there would be crunch and an explosion of flavors with the help of spices, chutneys, dahi, boondi and all the regular chaat trappings. Personalize it as per your palate, I like things sweeter but if you love it spicy, ask them to make it so and they shall happily oblige. But before you hog all that, go for the brilliant Pani Puri that comes in flavors such as Heeng, Pineapple, Orange and Kala Khatta! Remember the 90s when we grew up eating Poppins? These Pani Puris will remind you of just that! Cheapest Time Travelling Machine EVER :D

In Mumbai, Chole Bhature usually means huge Puris in the name of Bhature and Kala Chana instead of Chole, very few places get it right, Only Parathas sure is one of those :) Really nice Chole Bhature, again enough to stuff up one Hulk Level appetite, so binge on!

Yes, by the time we had finished so much, we were almost 75% full but our tongues were still watering, so we had to go ahead and try their Mix Tandoori Platter (We Are Foodies, And This Is Sparta :P) Absolute melt-in-mouth, perfectly marinated Hara Paneer Tikka, Jalandari Paneer Tikka, Tandoori Aloo and Gobi (I am not an Aloo person so Tandoori Aloo was not my favorite, it was perfect in taste though, so Aloo fans note it) We were encouraged to try Tandoori Stuffed Mushrooms too which were every bit as oozing with cheesy deliciousness as we expected.

By this time we were wishing we had 3 stomachs extra to try at least 10 more dishes from the menu but not wanting to get hospitalized due to overeating, we just settled on Lazeez Paratha, an enviable mix of Cheese, Garlic, Paneer & Spring Onion. I was not expecting much from this- I know Only Parathas is known for Parathas but I never have parathas anywhere nowadays, it almost always comes across as an inconsistently filled, over-fried piece that I abhor. I take it all back, this Lazeez Paratha was perfectly filled and fried and every bite was heaven. Truly Lazeez and I swear, I just wanted to sleep there for 10 hours, wake up and start trying out 100s of their other paratha varieties. Coming back soon for that :D

How can Richa have desserts after all this? Well, Richa is Hulk, deal with it :D While Kesar Falooda was good by not being overly syrupy sweet, it could have been a bit colder and milkier to be excellent. It was the piping hot Gulab Jamuns and fresh, crunchy Jalebis that put the final stamp of perfection on our already great meal. 

One. Of. The. Best. Meals. Ever. Hulk Happy :D