Once upon a time, shopping malls only had measly food options. Over the years, they have however started housing some truly brilliant dining destinations and it is no longer taboo to plan an outing for a delectable meal with family to the nearest shopping meal. Happy to have come across just such a place very recently - Indiana's Waters, at Korum Mall, Thane. Was here for a review session last weekend and super duper enjoyed it :)
Traveling outside aamchi Mumbai's borders (so to speak :P) makes us realize every time how acute Mumbai's space crunch is! All of Thane's restaurants we have been to are huuuuuuuge and Indiana's Waters is no exception. It is very spacious, ambiance is very family friendly, apt to go in large groups, has an indoor as well as beautiful outdoor seating section, a well equipped bar, large TV screen and a menu with Indian, Chinese, Continental delicacies. Prices are very value for money considering both quality as well as hearty quantity. Staff is helpful and polite.
We started with a round of MOCKTAILS, some of them are mini meals in themselves for light eaters,
BLUE OCEAN - Blue Curaceo, Lime Juice, Spirit, Litchi Crush, (extremely refreshing)
VIRGIN PINACOLADA- Vanilla ice cream, Pineapple Juice, Fresh Cream, Coconut Syrup, (creamy,lovely)
FRUIT BLOWWW- Orange, Pineapple juice, Strawberry Crush, Vanilla Ice cream, (my personal FAVORITE)
SPICY GIRL- Lime Juice, Khus Syrup, Lychee Crush, Sprite, (good)
In APPETIZERS, we loved-
MUSHROOM SCHEZWAN STUFFED WITH CHEESE - Even though my sister does not like mushrooms much, she could not stop having these! MUST HAVE here. Spicy schezwan mushrooms (crispy layered) filled with molten cheese, every bite is heavenly. I guarantee this would be a favorite from ages 5 to 95 :)
PANEER MALAI TIKKA & PANEER PUDINA TIKKA - We tried 2 types of paneer tikka. Both FANTASTIC. Paneer was extremely soft, well marinated, brilliant smokey flavor, malai was on sweeter side, pudina was on spicier side, we finished both within minutes. Another MUST HAVE.
In MAIN COURSE-
NAAN - Not stretchy or rubbery at all, baked to perfection, Indian breads are excellent here,
VEG BIRYANI, RAITA - Lip smacking raita (dahi was not sour), finished it quickly. Biryani quantity was a lot, enough to feed 3 really hungry people! It had proper amount of spices and felt close to real biryani, definitely not like many places that serve pulao in the name of biryani :) Quite tasty.
DAL MAKHANI - STAR DISH. The chef sent this over specially for us to taste and we loved it to death. 10 STARS for this dish alone :) Could drink buckets of it. If you have ever had the famous punjabi dal makhani in Delhi or Punjab, you know exactly the taste it should have and THIS. WAS. PERFECT.
In DESSERT-
SIZZLING BROWNIE WITH ICE CREAM - The perennial favorite, this one was made tastier by including apple slices on top of brownie,so there was the wholesome chocolatey goodness of brownie, followed by crunch of fresh apple, followed by the sweetness of ice cream and on top of everything, the hot bubbling chocolate sauce. Drown in that imagery for a while. Yup, now go ahead and indulge without thinking about calories :P MUST-HAVE.
Indiana's Waters serves the kind of food Indian families love. It is satisfying, not overly doused in oil/ghee/butter, uses fresh ingredients and is just the kind of place my parents love to visit. They don't want any of that contemporary molecular cuisine or fusion cuisine jazz. They want nice naans and kulchas and paneer gravies and daals and papads and manchurians, with that comforting taste of Indian spices and Indiana's Waters provides just that :)
We had visited here on the same day the plastic ban had come into effect in Maharashtra. Also, it was raining profusely. And the restaurant was packed. So there were a couple of issues with service. It was really slow for sometime and plates were not cleared/ water was not refilled promptly.
But I understand that day was real crazy for every outlet in the mall and so I am going to notch it to a one time accident. If my future visits also bring up those issues, I would update my rating accordingly.
In this visit, on all other parameters be it food taste, quality, ambiance, politeness and helpfulness of staff etc., Indiana's Waters set really high standards. So I am happy to recommend this place to all fellow foodies and will definitely be bringing my family here soon too. Bon Appetit everyone!
When you choose to have your meals in a family dining restaurant, then you are in for a special experience. They have a right atmosphere geared towards satisfying every member of the family hence the enjoyment of every family member. Thus, a family dining is a perfect place for such informal dinners, jubilees, meetings with friends and other relatives selecting a great variety of dishes to choose from.
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