Forget Coffee Go Crazy For Chai At Chaayos Phoenix Marketcity | Food Review | Food Photography

Chaayos in Mumbai recently opened an outlet in Kurla and we were lucky enough to land here for review invite on the opening evening itself. We have been to quite a few launch events, blogger tables and usually there is a lot of chaos at any outlet during the opening days which is excusable. Very pleasantly surprisingly, the chaos here was very nicely contained and the staff was on their toes to attend to everyone. The ambiance is bright and quirky, menu is limited but has enough to bring back the feeling of having chai at roadside tapri with a bit of snacks thrown in, good old nostalgia with a modern twist in a contemporary ambiance :)

This review is comprehensive since I was here with my family, so it is not just me but even my mom and dad whose opinions matter! My mom tried Kulhad Chai- Saffron Masala Chai served in traditional Indian Kulhad, as well as Chatkaara Chai-Indian Masala Chai, and loved both, piping hot, very fragrant and flavorful.

My dad had 2 rounds of Pahadi Chai -Kashmiri Kahwa,basically this is Kashmiri Green Tea with a mix of almonds, saffron, very good for health and ofcourse light on the tongue, he loved it and wants to go back for this :)

My sister tried to go a different route and had a round of Desi Cold Coffee that was creamy and milky,not icy (hence superb for Mumbai summers) and a round of hot Drinking Chocolate- Thick Cocoa Indulgence, the big blob of cocoa actually settled at the bottom that we loved scraping off with a spoon :D

I meanwhile stuck to Golden Green-Green Tea with Honey, Tulsi, Lemon, nice and nutritious :)

For food, we tried Thepla Tacos Paneer -Thepla served in tacos style with spicy paneer chunks,juicy and flavorsome,

Kulhad Matar Kulcha -a classic from Amritsar, thick Kulcha bread served with green matar in earthen pots (kulhad),

My favorite Pakora Basket i.e. a platter assortment of paneer, mirchi, potato pakodas, these I can have any day, just the kind we love to have at home during monsoon with piping hot cups of chai :D

My parents would like to mention 2 must haves on the menu, the first being Palak Patta Crispies-Palak Chaat with Jalapeno Chutney & Masala, these are a novel concept with palak pattas being fried crispy and then masala + chutney splattered all over, oh boy, this is like chaats made by grandmas at home! Pure love,

And second one is Spinach Corn Cheese Sandwich with fresh Spinach, Crispy Corn and melted Cheese served in a Croissant, buttery, fresh, cheesy, lovely, something we would reorder without a doubt,

For desserts, do try the Blueberry Lemon Cake-light and moist, summer special, this is perfect for those who want to try something different than chocolate and/or do not like anything too sweet, it is light on palate as well as stomach :)

All in all, we are keeping this on our list of must-visits with fabulous food, chai, very value for money pricing depending on quality, nice ambiance and good service.