Loco Chino, Fort, Mumbai

Look, it is Chinese. Oh, it is also Mexican. Or is it both? *Insert raised eyebrow emoji* :D

Just some questions that swirled in my mind as I stepped into Loco Chino Fort outlet with my mom and sister after a gracious invite to taste some of their offerings. I had a faint idea that it has Chinese delicacies as told by some of my friends, nothing else, and the first impression on entering the outlet was BOOM, Party time :D Cheerful, Colorful, Happy is the vibe all around. Those colorful Mexican hats, peppy artwork on the walls, relaxing chairs & cushions, this is one cool place to hang out without a care in the world. Add to that service which is extremely friendly and endearing, just like friends taking care of their dear ones who have visited their home for the first (or nth) time :) But then ofcourse the questions come swirling, am I having Chinese or Mexican food?

Then we gave a look over the menu which proudly proclaims '..where East meets Tex-Mex' and there are Chinese, Thai, Japanese, Mexican dishes on the menu, more emphasis on Chinese & Mexican of course. No added preservatives, MSG, artificial color in any food items means freshness guaranteed, something that is increasingly becoming the standard everywhere as it rightly should. 

Started off the evening with a bevy of beverages, the Peach Iced Tea (ask for less ice,I always do at all places!) is really good with the peach flavor coming through perfectly without any added sugary-ness. Sassy Senorita was my sister's favorite with the citrusy flavors making it a refreshing choice for the summers especially. Mexican Twist looked beautiful but I thought it needed a bit of more punch, maybe adding a bit of mint would make it perfect.

We started off the food tasting session with some beautiful dimsums. Oh boy, the portions are here are very generous so make sure to ask the staff on how much to order. We had to constantly tell them to reduce the portions so we could taste different dishes. This is also the reason one should definitely come here when celebrating a birthday or any occasion, in large groups. Even a group of 4-6 people ordering 2-3 starters and 3-4 main courses won't have to shell out more than 1100-1200, how value for money is that :)

So coming back to the food, dimsums set the tone just right as they were delectable. Just look at them. So beautiful, delicate and full of flavors. These are all steamed so health & fitness watchers,do order them. Four Mushroom, Veg Crystal, Spinach Parmesan, Waterchestnut & Lotus Root and Thai Sambal Cottage Cheese were perfect and would endear to everyone. Rolled & steamed just right,the fillings were crunchy, cheesy with perfect balance of veggies, sauces and so on. For those who want to try something new and unique, go for Edamame & Truffle which have ingredients imported from Japan, thus imparting a very authentic flavor, something that would be 'bland' for most of us used to spicy and flavorful dishes. Same goes for Wasabi Vegetable which is an acquired taste. I am so glad I got to taste these 5 star dimsums. There was no false note in terms of taste, texture, presentation when it comes to dimsums here.

Then we had an assortment of unique dishes. I have never been to Mexico or Japan so I have no idea how authentic Mexican or Japanese food is, but everything that we tasted hereafter was very good so I am assuming that they have taken the authentic preparations and given them little Indian twists which works really well. For instance, Tacos which come in soft as well as hard varieties. Soft one (with Paneer fillings) is just like our own Paneer roll while hard one is like our own Khakra or Papad roll with fresh veggies and sour cream, it is healthy as well as tasty, and boy those juicy vegetables, I can still taste them :D I usually don't like sour cream nor does my sister but here it complimented the veggies instead of spoiling them. Good work!

Similarly, brown rice is not really something we love. But we had the Bean & Cheese Enchilada and even brown rice tasted delicious. I remember having this dish at a very reputed restaurant couple of years ago and hated it, the beans were toooo sweet while cheese overpowered everything and made it a gooey mess. AND Brown rice that they served was kinda hard and grass-y :P None of this happened here with a great combination of beans, cheese, sour cream topping and well cooked brown rice. Brown rice lovers will surely love this and I finally do not think of Mexican food as cheesy/ sour-y mess :)

Japanese food and Sushi in particular have been making waves all over the world and we all know what a delicate art it is to roll those sushi pieces. My mom does not like Sushi at all while my sister finds them just okay, because they love spicy,traditional stuff more instead of something bland. For those who love Sushi however, I think they can give the ones here a try too :) I am not very knowledgeable about its intricacies and just know that rice, vinegar, veggies like asparagus, cucumber etc. are the main ingredients and the main thing is how they are fermented plus how they are rolled. I found the Sushi here nice too, it was a bit on the sweeter side but hey,I have a sweet jaw, remember :D Before this,I have liked the Sushi at Global Fusion a lot and these were pretty close to them. A gourmand might nit-pick but as I said,I am not one and technically I am still learning about world cuisines. So from my side, these were good enough.

Star Dishes were Chilli Basil Paneer, Thai Green Curry and the Woks! We looked around and saw many tables enjoying starters which also come in good enough portions. Chilli Basil Paneer is one of those dishes that are impossible to dislike :) Softest chunks of Paneer in this sweet-fiery spicy sauce, cannot get enough of this one ♥♥♥ We would be going back for the entire starter section along with the dimsums for sure! Thai Green Curry was another clear star with the fragrant & creamy (yet not dense) and flavorful (coconut milk, kaffir, lemongrass, everything perfect!) curry with great portion of rice, a fulfilling main course dish for 2 hungry hippos :D 

Woks are everywhere nowadays and most of the places are getting them right too. Loco Chino makes some great woks too. Toss some Noodles/Rice, Veggies, Sauces, Garnishes together and enjoy the lip-smacking medley of flavors,textures et al. We had the Cottage Cheese Wok with Spinach Noodles, Chilli Basil sauce, Bell Peppers, Broccoli, Mushrooms, Cashewnuts, Basil along with a Jasmine Rice Wok in Mandarin Sauce and loved them both. Jasmine Rice is something I have rarely had and really loved it here. It looks like little pearls strewn all over and tastes delightful too :) Generous portions once more with very good quantity of crunchy veggies and really deeply flavorful sauces made woks very enjoyable. This is our Indian style Chinese, but it wasn't half as oily as many places (even high end ones are) :D Even my mom who doesn't like chinese food much loved the wok, especially the Jasmine Rice one while my sister polished off the Cottage Cheese one!

There are Chimichanges, Quesedillas, Sticky Rice and many more dishes on the menu that I am raring to try after this wonderful experience. We would have tried some more if we were not already bursting at the seams :D Churros and Tres Leches for Desserts were our final hurrah. I haven't had Churros before but they were decent enough, soft long stripes garnished with powdered sugar and had a creamy custard-y filling inside. The chocolate sauce served alongside was good too. My sister found it a bit soggy but still finished it off before me :P I don't have any reference point to compare it with, so will first try it at couple of more places before deciding if I want to have it here again or not. But I am surely going to have Tres Leches here again! Tres Leches means 3 kinds of milk and we had a delicious pudding with its base soaked in Basundi and served with Rabdi at the bottom of the plate. It was yummylicious. My mom, the spice loving lady, the one who scorns at me when I order desserts first, was the one who actually polished it off. That's how good it is! The manager on seeing how much my mom loved it, very helpfully told us that they also provide it in 1/2 kg and 1 kg cake formats. Now I know exactly what my mom wants for her birthday :)

There really aren't enough words to praise the staff. They take regular feedback from all customers, including the chef and service is peppered with plenty of smiles and jokes. For instance, ours started with the manager pointing out how similar my sister and I look. Some of our common friends always tell us how we sometimes look like twins, but the way he told us that here left us in splits :D It started off our evening on such a friendly note and we saw the staff approaching every table with the same spirit of camaraderie. This is the kind of service that makes one wanna come back again & again! So even though the food might not be perfect (especially for those who love to nit-pick) or have a few missed notes amidst many hits, the extremely lovely service and amazing value for money quotient when it comes to quality and quantity (this is casual dine,not fine dine peoples!) makes this a pretty perfect choice for any occasion for everyone :) 

An Evening With Diageo Black & White And British Brewing Company, Lower Parel, Mumbai

Diageo Reserve World Class Masterclass Mumbai Edition was a unique occasion, something I was honored to be a part of and so soon thereafter came yet another master occasion, #BlackAndWhite #LoveScotch Scotch-Food pairing at British Brewing Company with Chef Larry and United Spirits Brand Ambassador Afzal Kaba, specifically for Black & White Blended Scotch Whisky in the presence of some awesome bloggers :) 

British Brewing Company is spectacular to say the least. The ambiance is rustic, elegant, comfortable and enchanting (cue all the synonyms one can think of for these words :D) Walking in, the first impression is invariably that of entering The Great Hall from Harry Potter movies. It is huge and gorgeous. Then comes an ethereal feeling of having been transported to another era, one where Jane Austen or perhaps George Bernard Shaw will walk in any moment! The craftsmanship of furniture, the eclectic art pieces on the wall, the lighting,the fireplace, the couches from 19th century royalty, everything comes together to create a stunning ambiance to say the least. If there is an award for the most unique ambiance created to stun as well as welcome in the same breath, I am voting for them hands down :)

Having spent a good part of the evening exploring the decidedly British aura of the place, it was time to meet Chef Larry and Brand Ambassador Afzal Kaba who created a most interactive session for the 3 course scotch-food pairing extravaganza. It was not only creating the cocktails but also the kind of food that goes well with each of them that cemented our learning journey that evening. 

First up was Black & Ginger with sweet Apple juice collaborating with strong Ginger Ale & Lime Slices to give a golden hue + flavor to Black & White Blended Scotch Whisky. This went astonishingly well with Cheesy Logs, the golden bread rolls replete with Cheese, Paneer and mild herbs, served with mildly spicy Schezwan Sauce. I found the notes of drink being enhanced and not overpowered by the cheesy logs, making this a quite robust choice. In fact, the acidity of apple and ginger was cutting the cheese quotient,making the dish seem lighter.

Next came Black & White Sour with Lime, Sugar Syrup and Orange Peel bringing a citrusy refreshness to Black & White, clearly my sister's favorite of the evening. Anything citrusy is automatically my favorite too and this one was perfect accompaniment to the soft,luscious and flavorful Paneer Tikka (which again are among my all-time favorite dishes!) A sip of this, a bite of that, this is what heaven is made up of :) This drink can be made frothier by adding a layer of egg whites on top or fresh pineapple juice for vegetarians.

Finally, we had White Julep with diluted Honey, Mint Leaves and Soda sharing the spotlight with Black & White Blended Scotch Whisky in the most refreshing way possible. Fed up of the torturous hot & humid weather? Head over to BBC and nosh on this with Mumbai Chilly, an amalgamation of crispy Paneer, Mushrooms, Onions, Capsicum in spicy and very dense sauce. I thought the contrast was brilliant, a refreshing minty drink with just a hint of dense-ness with such a flavorful dish. I would have thought that the drink would be overpowered but once again it was not!

The best thing about the Masterclass was how Afzal Kaba helped us shake and mix drinks along with regaling us with little funny snippets and stories :) We shook, we danced, we laughed, we created something beautiful all in a seamless stroke. And we learned so many new things! For ex-did you know that the mint leaves must always be patted slightly and never beaten hard to get just the right flavor out of them,otherwise they turn dark and make the drink bitter? I didn't!  

While the evening was still young, we had the opportunity of tasting some more dishes from British Brewing Company's menu. Service is swift, polite and the staff knows the menu inside-out which incidentally is brought on a tablet and automatically syncs with the kitchen. Cool :) We zeroed down on a lot of dishes out of which I remember Paneer+Capsicum+Olives+Tomato pizza, Olives Cheese pizza, Spaghetti, Veg Burger and Veg Shepherd's Pie. Quantity of dishes here is very good and prices are quite justified compared to that. In fact, 10 of us could have ordered for just 3 main course dishes and still be full (especially after the round of drinks and accompanying starters). So I am going to keep that in mind the next time I am here. And I will definitely be back :)

The Paneer Pizza was fantastic, with the softest chunks of Paneer being my favorites from beginning to end. Loved how generous the toppings were on each pizza. The Olives & Cheese was not really my thing, too sour for my liking but for an olives fanatic, it would be perfect. The base of pizzas was crunchy just the way I and my sister love, with the smokey wood-fired oven feel and flavor. Spaghetti felt off, maybe because they had used sour cream instead of cheese that we are used to and there were no veggies in that either. It was a rustic dish no doubt but again, not something I am used to having. Loved the accompanying Garlic Bread though. Crunch on the outside, Soft in the core, it was delicious! Shepherd's Pie was something unique that caught our eye and I just wanted to taste it because I had heard it mention on an episode of FRIENDS once :D But again, too much cheese for my liking. Loved that it was huge and 1 casserole is enough for 2 hungry hippos and it has A LOT of veggies too, but just a little bit less cheese and I would be happy. I think the Shepherd's Pie with chicken instead of the veg version, is better as I have heard really good things about that! 

All Photo Credits : Prachi Shailendra

Absolute favorite however was the Veg Burger which was again huge! The bread was so soft and the one thing a lot of people hate when having a sandwich or burger -the phenomenon of breadcrumbs falling all over- yeah,that was absent here :D This burger was so well crafted and put together that each bite oozed out the cheesy sauce inside but the melt-in-mouth bread refused to create a mess, what a relief! A lot of people want the burger patty to be really crunchy on the outside, this one wasn't but I still loved it because it was so wholesome, filling and soft. Every element in this dish came together to create a party in the mouth and this is one dish I am definitely coming back for. And the Paneer pizza. And the Paneer Tikka. And the Cheesy Logs. You get the idea :D There is a lot on that menu I would love to try out because British Brewing Company has got a lot of great things going for it. 

Thank you Diageo and British Brewing Company for such a memorable evening :)

All Photo Credits : Prachi Shailendra

5th December Chocolatier & Patissier, Lower Parel, Mumbai

5th December Chocolatier & Pattissier caught my attention because that is my birthdate (Yup,now you know when to wish me peoples :D) and I am so glad it did else my sweet jaw would not have been able to add another favorite to its list! I love sweet stuff and am one of those people who are always imagining what is coming in for dessert course even while munching on the starters or main course :D Needless to say, cakes, chocolates, pastries and so on are my favorites and places that serve these automatically at top of my must visit list. Even better is when I try something new and it turns out fabulous. 

Just had this amazing Chocolate Cream Cheese Mango Fudge Cake from this place and it is amazing. I love Mars and Snickers chocolate and anybody who loves them knows what makes them different, it is that burnt nutty caramel gooey flavor that oozes from their core. Something very similar happened with this cake. It looked like another dense chocolate cake with some kind of mango pulpy design on top but one bite and the explosion of flavors enveloped all my senses :) There was dense, smooth chocolate all right (not too sweet,not too bitter and the base just right,neither soggy nor hard), but on top was the same nutty burnt caramel-y flavor which was the mango fudge. It was so gooey, so different, I have actually not had this kind of flavor atop a cake or pastry ever! And just when I thought this was all, I bit into the slice and out oozed the cream cheese fudge from the insides too. 

Mind you, even one slice of this is enough to lead to instant 2 kgs increase in body weight (just for all you health conscious peoples out there :D) But hey come on, we are talking about cake! It is supposed to be dense and delicious and unique and this one was all this and more :) I cannot wait to try more unique flavors from here. My sister did find it a bit too sweet but she doesn't have any sweet tooth and the fact that she even tried this is a big enough deal :P She said she would have liked something more solid-y (such as more nuts!) to break the monotony of the fudge,so maybe that can be done. For those who love to indulge in new flavors and love sweet,gooey,intensely rich (in taste as well as calories) cakes/pastries, this one is a must try :)