Review: Smoke House Deli

The oh-so-popular Smoke House Deli has opened a new outlet at BKC. We attended the preview dinner and here's what we tried!

The lovely looking signature cocktails- Fruit, Herb and Floral Infusions.

Californian Plum, Star Anise, Lily and Vodka

Kiwi, Melon, Jasmin and Vodka 

We started our meal with the Paprika Puffs. Crispy and delicious, with a strong kick of Wasabi. If your taste buds can't handle too much spice, make sure you mention it to the chef while placing your order.

Paprika Puffs with Wasabi

The mains were delicious! The Pan Charred Vegetables and Cheddar Sandwich with Chipotle Mayo is a great option for the veggies. Crunchy vegetables with a flavourful hint of Chipotle. They say, cooking risotto rice perfectly well is the toughest. Smoke House Deli does a fairly good job with their Smoked Mushroom Risotto! Carnivores can add Chicken or Prawns to the same. Last but not the least, the Peri Peri Rubbed Smoked Chicken with Smoked Pimento Reduce was quite a winner. The Chicken was Tender and delectable, definitely our favourite.

 

Smoke House Deli is usually popular for their desserts, but guess, they were having a bad day. The Philly Cheesecake was grainy and not smooth although the flavour was perfect. The Flourless Fudge Cake on the other hand was warm but not warm enough. 

Philly Cheesecake

Flourless Chocolate Fudge with Ice Cream

Smoke House Deli has been a favourite since it opened at Lower Parel. We hope it maintains the standard and quality through all its outlet and we will definitely keep visiting!

Venue: Smoke House Deli 

FIFC Building, Bandra Kurla Complex

Landmark: Behind Starbucks  

Phone: 02226530762 

Follow:

Smoke House Deli  at @SmokeHouseDeli

Mumbai Candid at @ChandniT @MumbaiCandid

Review: Mia Cucina, Powai

Mia Cucina, translates to 'My Kitchen' has been in Bandra for a couple of years now and is a favourite of most Italian cuisine fans. It feels great to know that they now have an outlet in Powai as well, and this one, is bigger and better!

With a bar right in the centre and walls adorned with paintings/ photographs that are for sale, the outlet is bright and well lit. We were promptly directed to a table and handed the menus, bar and food. The bar menu had a fair list of cocktails, mocktails, wine and beer. The food menu was what made us really hungry; Antipasti, Salads, Pasta/Risotto, Grills and more! 

To start with we ordered for our drinks, Kiwi Mint Martini and the Rosemary and Orange Martini. Very flavourful and not too stiff, just the way we like it. 



Moving on, we started our meal with the Bombil Fritto - Fried pieces of Bombay Duck, crisp from the outside and tender once you bite into them; the Bruschetta Pollo con Olivata - Chicken, olive pesto and mozzarella bruschetta, crunchy, cheesy and delicious!





Amongst the pizzas we tried the Prosciutto e rucola - pizza topped with  italian ham, rocket leaves, mozzarella and the Quattro formaggi topped with mozzarella, gorgonzola, pecorino and parmesan. Loved the thin and crispy crust which didn't make the pizzas too heavy.



For desserts, we loved the White Cheesecake and the Almond Chocolate Cheesecake. It was the perfect ending to a delicious meal! 

Venue: Mia Cucina
G3 Transocean, Lake Boulevard Street, Hiranandani Bsuiness Park, Powai
Landmark: Next to Nature's Basket

Phone: 67094000

Review: Dolce Vita

We recently dropped in at Dolce Vita, The World Food Store, located at High Street Phoenix.

The restaurant is divided into various sections, with the food store, cafe bar, meat shop and wine cellar. The food store section is stocked with a range of gourmet foods on offer, international flavoured teas, cream cheese, frozen foods, ready to make bakes, candies and lots more. There is a display of cheese,  desserts and wines in the cafe bar. 

We soon got a table for ourselves and browsed through the menu. The menu offers global cuisine, with something from every part of the world. They also have a couple of promotional offers; the Classic Afternoon Tea offer was what we decided to try.

An offer for two people, it comprised of unlimited tea or coffee, an assortment of sandwiches, desserts and scones with clotted cream and homemade jam. The Coronation Chicken sandwich was delicious and among the desserts, the mocha cheesecake was to die for! The homemade cherry jam had a hint of rum in it and went perfectly well with the scones. This offer was undoubtedly a steal for the price and we totally recommend it. 

Will we come back here? Most definitely, to try out the other offers and a la carte offerings!

Venue: Dolce Vita

High Street Phoenix, Lower Parel

Landmarks: Below Croma

Phone: 66553700

 

Price: Rs.500 (Plus taxes) for a couple

 

Review: Bianca

Khar has a brand new bakery that serves desserts, dips and more. Bianca,located in the same lane as Costa Coffee, Khar, is a tiny, cute little place where you can satisfy your sweet tooth cravings. They have two tables inside where you can park yourself although take away is recommended.

The display at Bianca is colourful, with cheesecakes, cupcakes, pastries, dips and more. We decided to try the Red Velvet Cupcake to see if it beats our all time favourite at Candies, and the Oreo Cheesecake which looked very tempting.

The Red Velvet Cupcake was dry and not something that we would have on our second visit to Bianca but the Oreo Cheesecake was splendid. The cheesecake layer was delicious with a crusty layer at the bottom. Very different from the ones we have tried before, this one totally scores. 

Our take, opt for the take away, skip the cupcakes and go for the cakes and dips which seem to be quite promising.

Venue: Bianca

Crystal Blue Premises, In the lane of Costa Coffee, 16th road, Khar (W)

Landmark: Next to Curio Cottage

Phone: 26000403, 26000404