Hrezzo Ghatkopar Mumbai | Vegetarian Vegan Jain Feast | Food Review | Restaurant Review | Family Favorite

So glad to see Ghatkopar turning into a foodie paradise with so many new cafes, restaurants and delivery restaurants coming up in the vicinity. Hrezzo is certainly one of the most memorable ones in this regard. Was here with family last week for review and while some dishes need fine tuning, overall we loved our experience so much that we ordered in food from here 2 days ago when we had guests at home, and will certainly reorder again :) 

It is not only a pure vegetarian place but also has many Jain and Vegan dishes on the menu (Indian, continental, oriental) and there are choices for health conscious people too. Basically, one roof with something for everyone in the family, from fitness freak to Indian cuisine fanatic to global cuisine lover and enough deliciousness that even staunchiest meat lover won't miss meats. The ambiance is fantastic too, with huge indoor as well as beautiful outdoor seating. Staff is extremely polite and service is fast. Prices are a bit higher compared to portions (in starter section) but as far as quality of food is concerned, prices are worth it.  

We started off with VEGAN LEMAK LAKSA- Spicy Coconut Flavored Laksa Noodle Soup, the flavors were nice, it was fragrant too but had a little bit too much oil that should be reduced,

Then we had salad VEGAN SUKHOTHAI- Spicy Thai Salad with Raw Papaya, Raw Mango, Peanut Chilli Honey Dressing, EXCELLENT, served exactly what was promised in menu description,

For starters, we had huge choice and we zeroed down on-

PANEER PIADINA - Silky Paneer Roll, Multani Marinade, Chili and Dry Fruits Vegetable Salsa, Mint Chutney, this wholesome delicacy is a MUST-HAVE,

VIETNAMESE PARCELS - Bok Choy, Cucumber, Carrot, Avocado wrapped in Rice Paper Roll, very crunchy and had a healthy feel to it, it is not 'adapted to Indian palate' and is quite bland, I loved it but people like my mom who love burst of flavors should stay away from this,

HAZARVI BROCCOLI - Broccoli Marinated with Chef's Spice Hazarvi Mix, this one was actually on creamy-very-mildly-sweeter- side and made broccoli extremely tasty, MUST-HAVE for sure, 

STIR FRIED LOTUS STEMS - Lotus Stems in Classic Plum Sauce, a burst of Sweet-Tangy-Very-Spicy flavors on palate, absolutely crackling dish, MUST-HAVE from my side but beware as the flavors (especially spicy) here is very strong, one of the rarest dishes in my life where I have liked something spicy :D

For main course, go for Buddha Bowl, it is a 1-person complete filling meal and quite pocket friendly,

MUST-MUST-MUST-HAVE is NAWABI KOFTE BOWL- Kofta Curry, Nawabi Kulche, Jeera Rice, Kachumber Salad, Kale Apple Lemon Salad, Spinach Garlic Dip,  every element in this bowl was lip smacking with Koftas being OUTSTANDING and Jeera Rice being so delicious yet light! And those Kulcha.....yummmmmmm...I could have this everyday, literally a 5 STAR DISH ON ITS OWN :)

My sister chose PENNE PASTA PINK SAUCE but this was the only disappointment for us as instead of a mix of red+white sauce we got tangy red sauce pasta. However, the staff was extremely sweet and considerate when we brought this to their attention and promised to work on it.

And we got to see if they stuck to their word or not when we ordered in food 2 days ago. Guess what, they did! We had PASTA CHILLI ARRABIATTA and PASTA WHITE CHEESE and both were LIPSMACKING with proper flavors and exotic veggies, 

We also had PANEER TIKKA BOWL (Buddha Bowl)- Bhatti Da Paneer, Kale Apple Lemon Salad, Red Cabbage Slaw, Masala Naan, Spinach Garlic Dip and everything was good but the Makhani gravy in this was too oily (extremely delicious and I personally polished it off within 10 minutes but still, a little less oil will be appreciated) 

Finally we had PEPPER PIZZA - Char Grilled Capsicum, Caramelized Onion, Buffalo Mozzarella, I liked the crispy crust, very generous layer of cheese and mildly sweet base sauce but would like more toppings, it had very scanty toppings.

So there have been a couple of dishes that need fine tuning, but overall we have more MUST-HAVES than disappointments in their offerings that make Hrezzo stand out for us and we heartily recommend it.

Oh and before I forget, they do not have an expansive dessert menu, rather it is just a bunch of waffles that I am not interested in. But worry not, they have an UNBELIEVABLY GREAT BEVERAGE section that will suffice your cravings for dessert :) We tried and LOVED-

Fresh Lime Soda,

Apple-Beetroot-Carrot (ABC) juice,

Caramel Coffee,

What stood out here is their HAZELNUT COLD COFFEE, it is heavenly and everyone must have it,

PLUS their BROWNIE SHAKE, which is like a complete meal in itself, it is actually a mini freakshake that comes loaded with an ice cream as well as a solid block of dark chocolate! Who needs a separate dessert menu when this piece of heaven in here. Yes, it has about 10,0000 calories but please ignore that pesky fact and MUST-MUST-MUST order this :D

Pickle And Pint At Paradise By Tunga MIDC Andheri Mumbai | Family Foodie Destination | Food Review

I had heard about good food at Tunga Paradise but somehow never been able to visit this side of town to partake in some delicacies myself. An invite to newly opened Pickle & Pint came as the most opportune way to see for myself how good they are. And boy,are they good :D

A classy family dining area, an open-air lounge and an indoor lounge area with facilities to watch sports on big screen TV, complete bar and a small dancing space (on request) too- Pickle & Pint offers all this under one roof. The diversity follows in the menu with Indian, continental, oriental dishes vying for attention from veggies as well as non veggies. Looking at the top-notch quality and good quantity, prices are very reasonable. Moreover, they take feedback very seriously so make sure to lend them some notes on your preferences as we loved our personalized food as well as drinks and excellent service from start to finish.

We started off by telling them how we like our drinks, they brought us just what we wanted-

Mango Bite for my mom who loved the mango + litchi combo,

Triple Treat for sister with pineapple + lime juice + lemongrass,

For dad a special seasonal Kokum cooler,

And a Ginger-Lemon refreshing mocktail for me, couldn't have asked for anything better myself :) 

Thereafter we sort of filled up on starters alone- 

Khichiya Papad that had chopped onions,tomatoes, on top making it a cousin of famous Kadak Roomali but less buttery, really loved it, 

Oriental Veggies Salt & Pepper that brought a hint of spice + tanginess to our palate, mom loved it and so will anyone with fondness for classic Indo-chinese dishes like manchurian,

Bharwan Aloo with excellent pudina chutney alongside gave a dose of starch, the stuffing of mixed veggies and paneer was good,

Ek Tandoor Do Phool my personal FAVORITE with spicy yogurt marination on cauliflowers and creamy yogurt marination on broccoli, we finished it off within minutes! 

Vegetable Dumplings are another MUST-HAVE with mushrooms, chives being the flavors we tasted and absolutely adored, the outer layer was not thick or doughy and the filling was generous, it did not even need any dip to enhance the taste, 

Asparagus & Broccoli Bao is a MUST for bao lovers with crisp crunch of asparagus and sweet-tangy barbecue sauce making a good medley for someone like me who loves explosion of flavors on my palate :)

Charred Paneer & Lettuce Burger surprised us at first because it was not laden with sauce/mayo like most burgers are, but then we noticed it was brought with dips and sauces alongside so we can use them as per our own preference. GREAT! Even on its own, I LOVED the soft bun and simple but memorable paneer-lettuce combo.

For main course, my north Indian food loving parents chose a simple Paneer gravy alongside Reshmi Paratha and Roomali Roti and it was all good. We really wanted to try some of their noodles but the starters round had filled us to the brim so we just tried the main course Indian.

Coming to desserts, it was decent, Rasgulla and Gulab Jamun were not extra sweet while Vanilla and Mango icecreams were creamy without any irritating icy bits :)

Having walked in without any expectations, honestly we came away very impressed. This MIDC area honestly does not have many great dining destinations but my family truly feels Pickle & Pint is going to a strong runner here and we will surely come back soon.

Copper Chimney Worli Mumbai | Classic Punjabi Mughlai North Indian Feast | Food Review

One of the constant complaints of Mumbai foodies is the scarce availability of good north Indian/Punjabi/Mughlai food here, a point that repeatedly crops up in frequent Delhi-Mumbai comparison debates. For my family and friends however, Copper Chimney has been the quintessential place to be for delicious kebabs, tikkas, biryani, naans et al. This particular outlet in Worli is their oldest and dare I say, most spacious (in Mumbai) and classiest too. So there was no way we would not land here for a lovely review invite.

Elegant, timeless ambiance with extremely attentive and fast staff, the open kitchen and the extensive menu are enough to make any foodie fall in love with Copper Chimney. They have taken some classic dishes and kept the rustic cooking methods alive for that warm, homely feel on the palate. Alongside, they have also brought several innovative contemporary dishes especially in drinks and desserts section. 

We were pleased to see that the menu does not include only extra calorific dishes but quite a few choices for health conscious too. But I honestly believe this is one place where nobody should be counting calories. Prices are on the higher side but the quality and quantity of delicious food made it completely worth it :)

Started off with bunch of drinks, all of them extremely refreshing and apt for summers-

Indian LIIT - Vodka, White Rum, Gin, Tequila, Triple Sec, Cola, Coconut Water, 

Khatta Jaljeera - Kala Khatta, Jeera, Soda, Lemon, Black Salt, 

Rusleela - Ginger, Pineapple, Orange & Mint, 

Kadak Roomali seems to be their BESTSELLER and rightly so, as it is crispy, buttery, spicy and perfect to go with any drink,

Chilli Cheese Naan was my personal FAVORITE, cocktail naans filled with spicy,herbed cheese, this one did not need any accompaniment to make it better and kept us good company till the Kebabs arrived,

Vegetarian Kebab Platter is a good choice for veggies who love the tandoori touch to food, with Paneer, Potatoes, Mushrooms and Reshmi Kebab vying for attention, all of them good. Especially loved the wholesome reshmi kebabs (a bit on sweeter side) and big juicy chunks of well marinated paneer,

Veg Copper Chimney Biryani was a rich medley of long grain basmati, spices, vegetables and saffron strands, true-blue-biryani, not a veg pulao masquerading as one :P If kevda essence is not used it will be perfect, also I did not get any elaichi but my sister got one and we all know how elaichi in biryani makes most people feel :P Otherwise, the flavors, spices, everything was spot on,

We had Biryani with Kadhai Paneer - Mix vegetables with paneer in mildly spicy and tangy tomato based gravy as well as Malai Kofta - the Mughali specialty of paneer + dry fruits kofta in sweet-ish cashew based gravy, this one especially is one of the best Malai Kofta I have had, not unnecessarily sweet but very scrumptious :) 

Muzzafar is one dish we especially recommend for dessert as the luscious blend of rabdi (not very sweet,just right) with roasted vermicelli on top gave us a royal end to our meal,

Rasmalai and Gulab Jamun were also good though gulab jamuns were a bit too sweet for my sister (she is not much into desserts and likes milder dishes in this regard)

Overall, Copper Chimney managed to make us feel like royalty once more and we have no doubts that it will stay on its position as a must-visit place for families for many manyyyy decades to come :) 

The Parfait Co. Mumbai | French Dessert Better Than Ice Cream | Summer Savior | Food Review | Food Photography

Come on people, give a warm welcome to distinct French cousin of Ice Cream = Parfait! Or as Joey would say, 'Pa Flu Fleh' :D 

As per my rudimentary knowledge, Parfait is made of milk/cream, eggs, sugar and real fruits/chocolate thus making it an irresistible dessert. But forget the theory, I say get your hands on as many flavors from here as possible and feel the silky creamy texture of Parfait yourself :) A Must-Have is how my family would describe this dessert. And what better time than now when the sun is unrelenting and peeling off our skin!

We tried a bundle of flavors and each one was so smooth, very distinct from all the ice creams/gelato we have tasted, flavors were real and burst on our palate distinctly. Love the cute elegant little cups that are perfect to satisfy dessert cravings of an individual as well as easy to carry around and also have a little spoon inside to help eat on-the-go.

BELGIAN CHOCOLATE - Dense, smooth, decadent, chocolate lovers MUST HAVE this one.

PASSION FRUIT - Each spoonful is tangy-but not tangy enough to make those with sensitive teeth tingle- yet refreshing and an exotic flavor that would make those happy who love unique flavors.

FRENCH VANILLA - Very delicate vanilla flavor, for those like my mom who doesn't like frills or anything dense like chocolate, for those who like long walks under the moonlight..you get the idea :) Simple but memorable.

SALTED CARAMEL - My Personal FAVORITE, intense hit of caramel followed immediately by tinge of sea salt, this one is goodness from first spoonful to last and it literally took me all of 30 seconds to finish the 100 ml cup :P 

BLUEBERRY - My sister's FAVORITE, what a beautiful blueberry flavor after a long time, not the artificial syrupy but the real deal, made with Italian blueberries. Very mildly tangy and sweet in equal measure, really delicious.

Delivery was done very promptly and I cannot wait to try all their other flavors soon too. Seems higher priced but the premium quality offsets that. When my palate is happy, my wallet is happy too :D

Pa Flu Fleh!