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: Polpo Cafe & Bar at Shatranj Napoli

There's a reason why we love Bandra so much! There's never a dearth of new places to visit. Polpo Cafe & Bar is an extension of the classic upscale family restaurant Shatranj Napoli. It is aimed at the younger crowds with a gorgeous al fresco cafe and an indoor bar. 

The all day dining place has multiple menus, cafe menu, bar menu and the shatranj food menu. We visited with a group of bloggers and tried a range of dishes. Let's talk about the ones we'd recommend! 

To start with, their Sangrias are one of the best that we've had. The blonde sangria, sparkling sangria and the red sangria, all of them were fruity and flavourful. A fellow blogger, Prachi absolutely loved the Limoncello! Read her review here. 
 

Next, we called for the starters. Some of the dishes we loved were the Asparagi al Prosciutto - asparagus wrapped with Parma ham, absolutely delicious, Pollo della Che - mustard marinated grilled chicken with garlic mayo, loved the flavour of the garlic mayo, Zucchine Fritte - batter touch sliced zucchini, served with tartar sauce, crispy and yummy!



In the mains, we called for the Gnocchi alla Ciociara  - gnocchi cooked with chili flakes, bacon, italian sausage, porcini & tomato-cream and the Gnocchi al Gorgonzola - gnocchi tossed in a creamy gorgonzola, both were well prepared and lived up to our expectations. The Toscana pizza was next on our list of mains -  basil pesto, mozzarella, chicken, onions & bell peppers on a thin crust base - perfect! The Penne alla Romana pasta prepared in cream sauce with chicken and mushrooms was also worth the try. The other ordered a couple of other mains, but these were our favourites!

And when we thought this was all, our round of desserts was served. The Bailey's Surprise - a sinful and delectable merge of succulent chocolate mousse and baileys, Tiramisu - a delightful combination of soaked sponge in coffee and rum and layered with mascarpone cheese and sabayon. and the Pizookie - freshly baked, hot out of the oven cookie topped with vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce and nuts. When you are not too hungry, we would suggest, start with the desserts, they cannot be missed!




A special meal had to be ended with something special. Italian Stallion – a peppermint and sambuca shot was our last course! Gulped in one go, we were happy and high! :)

Venue: Polpo Cafe and Bar
Shatranj Napoli, Union Park, Off Carter Road, Bandra West
Landmark: Below the Big Nasty

Phone: 26499844
 
 (Photos Courtesy: Kumar Jherumalani) 

Restaurant Review: The Jail Restaurant & Lounge

When I got to know that I was going to visit The Jail Restaurant and Lounge for a shoot, I was more than excited. This theme restaurant opened a few months back, towards the start of 2010 and is a huge place, around 3800 sq feet. The interiors appear to be an outcome of a lot of efforts. The restaurant is divided into three segments, the fine dining which is called 'The Courtyard', the lounge area and five different cells named and themed after the baddies of Bollywood. There's Mogambo, Don, Bandit Queen, Gabbar Singh and Shakaal, one cell dedicated to each of these baddies who have never been behind bars in their respective movies!

And the interesting part is that next to each of their photo, you'll find a souvenir, like Don's glares, Gabbar's belt and Mogambo's entire costume! Check it out.

If that's not all, you can actually sit inside a police van and dine! Wow. Kids would love this place but unfortunately they allow adults only, as they claim that the Jail theme wouldn't go well with children. So with due respects, this place is really fascinating and worth a experience.

Coming to the food, they serve Continental and Indian. Taste and quality wise the food was average and priced on the higher end. Go here for the ambience and keep your expectations low when it comes to the food, so that you don't step out disappointed.

Venue: The Jail Restaurant & Lounge, 3rd Floor, Sindhudurga Bhawan, Above Grande Imperial Banquets, RTO Road, 4 Bungalows, 

Landmark: Near Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital

• Phone:   26316100, 26316101
  
• Meal For Two: Rs 1000