Global Culinary Journey At The Sassy Spoon Powai | Beautiful Modern Dining Destination | Food Review | Food Photography

Powai has suddenly turned into the party zone and top culinary destination in the suburbs, giving tough competition to venues such as Lower Parel, Anderi, and BKC. One of the newest entrants here is this sassy place. Walk in to feel like you just entered the saner version of Alice in Wonderland. 

The greenery below the ceiling with the fairy lights, the differently-colored chair cushions, the careful arrangement of quirky collectibles along the booth wall, the life-size van fixture at the well-appointed bar, the medley of high chairs with zebra pattern, the cherry blossom motif on the pillar in the center and the juxtaposition of primary colors against each other. Look at me, I can write an architectural digest episode here! 

Combine this with an ever-helpful staff, a menu that promises a tour around the world, live music on special nights, a general bonhomie in the air and you know this is a winner. Prices are on the higher side but cannot complain looking at the location and the brand name. The quality of the food certainly justifies it to a large extent.

For our review session, we had and loved-

TOMATO, OLIVE AND PARMESAN SOUP- LOVED, hot bowl of warmth that I needed on this chilly evening,

WARM LEMONY COUSCOUS WITH TOASTED ALMONDS, PEPPERS, CHILLI, CORIANDER SALAD- Healthy wholesome bowl, different flavors and textures went well together, a nice trip through west asia,

SPICY KIDNEY BEANS EMPANADAS WITH QUESO - Straightforward, heavy dish, try it when you are in a group, could feel a bit dry but tasty nonetheless, 

BAKED BEETROOT & FETA KEFTEDES IN ONION SEED PITA WITH CUCUMBE TZATZIKI -LOVED, MUST-HAVE, the beetroot & feta koftas were OUTSTANDING, if I could make beetroot taste like this I would never eat outside food #justsaying :D Would come back here just to try this,

BAKED LASAGNA WITH CREAMED LEEKS, MUSHROOMS, SWEET POTATOES & CHEDDAR - Again LOVED, and on the healthier side with layers of lasagna sheets, mushrooms, sweet potatoes in a hearty tomato sauce, Italy tastes good :D, 

NUTTY RICOTTA RAVIOLI WITH HOMEMADE RICOTTA, WALNUTS, PINE NUTS AND GARLIC CREAM SAUCE- Hands down my FAVORITE, the play of ricotta mounds with nuts and creamy sauce, explosion of flavors in mouth, had the potential to be bland or heavy and was none, try this for sure!, 

SEVEN TEXTURES OF HAZELNUT AND CHOCOLATE-Think of every chocolate and hazelnut based dessert form-pastry, disc, biscotti, mousse, molten sauce..this ultimate dessert has it ALL, if you love chocolate and hazelnut, try this. If you don't, well try this anyway and then probably go for therapy :P, 

RASPBERRY MOUSSE- Dark Chocolate meets Raspberry in a mousse form and gets immortalized in a fluffy decadent dessert with tangy raspberry sorbet by the side. MUST-HAVE!

True to their promise, you can travel around the world on one plate here with fresh ingredients, delicious culinary experimentation, cool ambiance, prompt service, and smiling helpful staff. On all points, a complete pleasure. This hungry hippo gives a thumbs up. 

Shawarma Express | Delicious Shawarmas Healthy Sandwiches And More | Food Delivery | Review

Before yesterday, I have had Shawarma a total of 4 times in my lifetime, 2 were disasters and 2 were mindblowing. Thanks to Shawarma Express, now I can safely say that I have had EXCELLENT Shawarmas a total of 3 times in my life so far :D

They sent over some delicious food for review that was delivered by an extremely soft spoken boy on time. We all know the traffic condition in Mumbai and despite that, whenever anyone makes timely delivery, I am super-duper impressed. So a good start :) I tried and LOVED everything. In fact, honestly, I did not have huge expectations, because come on, there was a sandwich and a pasta and a shawarma, and how extraordinary can any of these taste. But boy, was I left licking the plate clean!

CORN-SPINACH GRILLED SANDWICH- Generous portion of spinach and corn with a mild infusion of creamy cheesy flavor, this was more on the healthy side, even though the menu doesn't put them under such category. Very delicious, very filling, definitely worthy of reordering if you want something tasty without compromising on health quotient.

PENNE PASTA IN PESTO- Creamy basil pesto sauce and good chunks of mushrooms and corn with penne pasta sloshing in there tempting the hippo in me. Do not let the term 'healthy' even get anywhere near your mind while having this. It is ULTRA CHEESY, ULTRA CALORIFIC, ULTRA DELICIOUS. Maybe 5 million calories in there due to toooooo much creaminess, but who cares :D I am very greedy when it comes to such delicious food so I want more quantity please :P That's the only thing I can say to improve it, more quantity.

PANEER SHAWARMA (LARGE)- STAR of the meal. Huge Pita Bread rolled with Lebanese sauces including lip-smacking hummus, fried cabbage, pickles, and nice soft chunks of paneer. Too filling, too delicious. I am literally drooling over my keyboard as I am typing this! MUST-MUST-MUSTTTTT HAVE :)

This hungry hippo is still salivating thinking about this meal, so I suggest you get your fill soon too :D 

Maffy's Pan Arabian Bistro | Refreshing Arabian Culinary Treat | Food Review | Restaurant Review

Maffy's - the way Alladin found Genie hidden away in the desserts but found it to be a true treasure, is how I found this place and was blown away with its awesomeness.

With food from the Middle East (Greece, Turkey, Iran, Lebanon, Egypt), their menu is vast with 23- pages of deliciousness spread across it, all oh-so-enticing. Right from their beverages, to starters (cold plates, hot plate, bastille, char grills, sandwiches and more) to their mains (pizzas, rice and more) to the variety of their beverages and desserts, each section of their menu appears super authentic and drool-worthy. What I really loved was how each dish had its original local name with details of what goes into it and how it is prepared. This way, they have ensured that each foodie, as per their taste buds, can decide what they would like to have and how. 

Coming to ambiance, it was very Turkish, welcoming, cozy and spacious. There are three seating areas, one overlooking the sea, one AC section and one outdoors, with a huge screen for matches. Delightful.

The staff was very courteous and when asked for, gave apt recommendations according to our taste, and we had splendid service.

On my review visit here, they were very kind to agree to give me very small portions of each item (except soup and main course, because I knew I would want to binge on them) and this way I could taste a whole lot more than I would usually eat. Here is a list of all that my friend and I had: 

STARTERS:

1. Smokey Cauliflower Hummus

2. Green Pearl Avocado Hummus

Both hummus were smooth, creamy, flavorful, would rate them as among the best I have ever tried. Served alongside pita bread.

3. Once in Damascus – Rocket Leaves with Mixed Berries Salad, very refreshing and must-have for salad lovers,

4. Imam Bayildi (aubergine shells stuffed with veggies and herbs), if you love aubergine surely go for this, just the right kind of flavors,

5. Mushroom Koupes (stuffed with broken wheat and cheese), really tasty, the dense mushroom flavor was tempered with broken wheat,

SOUPS:

1. Cauliflower & Broccoli Soup with roasted Almond, this was my absolute favorite, lip-smacking, filling, looked beautiful too,

2. Three Mushroom Soup, my friend liked this, if you love mushrooms, go for this because it is pure dense heavy dose of mushrooms all the way.

MAINS:

1. Fiery mushroom Pide (Turkish Pizza), LOVED it, thick crust wholesome cheesy but not heavy at all, marvellous.

2. The Green Tagine (exotic veggies in plum tomato sauce with saffron rice), very fragrant and delicious, a bit tangy, a bit spicy, perfect pick for very filling lunch or supper.

BEVERAGES:

1. Blue Lavender Lemonade

2. Watermelon & Basil Lemonade

3. Strawberry Laban Shake (Fresh Yogurt based)

All the beverages are MUST-HAVE, each one cooling and refreshing to the core and flavors are very natural, not artificial at all.

DESSERT:

Chocolate Hummus - It tastes better than it sounds, I actually did not expect to like it much but ended up thoroughly loving it and licking the plate clean. Try it for sure :)

All in all, a brilliant Friday evening spent here and I am sure to visit here again!