Review: Bagelwala

 

After the popular Bagel Shop in Bandra, there is another contender that claims to sell authentic New York style bagels and it's called Bagelwala! The location is a little difficult to spot, technically in the lane behind Title Waves/ Di Bella Coffee. 

A cozy little cafe, Bagelwala gives you a warm and welcoming feel as soon as you step in. We were informed that the wall paintings and name board outside were all hand painted to resemble Balbharati characters. The cafe has an outdoor seating and a tiny indoor seating. They have used the space well and accommodated a small seating area upstairs with a rather scary and steep staircase leading you there.

Once we were seated, we looked around to see games, Taboo, Scrabble and the likes. The menu consisted of various types of Bagels, a few beverages and desserts. We tried the Chicken Jalapeno Bagel with cream cheese in herb bread. Absolutely delicious with chunks of cheese inside, weight watchers, beware! Next we tried the Nutella Bagel which was a delight! But then, you really can't go wrong with anything Nutella, can you? Although we would have liked the bagel to be a little softer and less chewy than it was! The beverages we called for, Honey Lemonade and Mint Iced Tea were quite average and simply a good accompaniment with the food.

We also thought the pricing was a little steep, with one non-veg bagel costing Rs.220 and a glass of Iced Tea priced at Rs.120. But the delivery offer which is 13 bagels for Rs.900 delivered anywhere across the city, is a steal of a deal! 

Special mention to their eco-friendly packaging. All their boxes and dip cups are made of sugarcane and are completely eco-friendly. 

Will we come back here? Most definitely! We hope they introduce some combo meals which would not make a meal here too heavy on the pocket! 

Venue: Bagelwala

Crowne Palace, 23rd Road, Behind Title Waves, Bandra (W)

Landmarks: Near Tawaa Restaurant

Phone: 33789960

Review: Haagen Dazs

When we hear that there's a new dessert shop that has opened in the city, we leave everything that we're doing to go try it out. Haagen Dazs opened its second outlet in High Street Phoenix, following the one at Oberoi Mall, Goregaon.

Priced at the higher end, Haagen Dazs is definitely expensive for a scoop of ice cream on a regular day. But when it's celebration time or if someone else is paying, it's the best bet. This outlet is located right next to PVR and has an indoor as well as outdoor seating. We opted for the fondue instead of the regular ice-creams and we don't regret our choice.

The fondue was served along with a platter of chocolate brownies, sponge cake, chocolate biscuit, a platter of fruits which included apples, oranges and bananas and sixteen mini scoops of ice cream, yes sixteen! As expected, the fondue was delicious and the dish was swiped clean in a matter of minutes. 

Will we come back here? Yes, definitely. Especially on our promotion days! 

Venue: Haagen Dazs

High Street Phoenix, Lower Parel

Landmarks: Next to PVR, Above Dolce Vita

Phone: 43474449

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

 

GoodHomes Bloggers Meet June 2012

GoodHome Magazine organized a bloggers meet with editor Ronitaa Dhanu at Botticino, Trident, BKC. An all women's meet, everything from homes, professional backgrounds, blogging interests to food, lifestyle, home decor was discussed.

The three course menu was a delight! Ronitaa kept the atmosphere of the place alive with her chirpy, fun loving attitude and was a perfect host.

A great event for networking, indulging in some delicious food and wine, and sharing ideas, we look forward to more of these!

Review: Le Pain Quotidien

Just when you thought Bandra is cool enough, it got cooler. The 161st outlet world wide and 2nd in the city (1st in Colaba), Le Pain Quotidien, popularly known as LPQ, has set shop in Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC). With an airy outdoor seating and a cozy section indoors, LPQ quickly made place for itself on the list of our favourites.

The indoor section comprised of a display of desserts and breads, a bar area, a private dining area and the regular dining area. Without wasting any time, we called for the food and drinks. A chilled glass of Sangria along with a platter of cheese to take off. Next up, we called for the Tuscan Platter with Parmesan, Ham, Black Olive Spread, Sun Dried Tomatoes and Ricotta. The Ham was delicious, the bread however, was a little too hard. When we asked the server, we were informed that since the bread is baked inhouse and is completely organic without any preservatives, it tends to get a little harder than normal bread. Excused!

Moving to the mains, we called for the Organic Penne Pasta with Tomato sauce, basil and chicken and the Seared Basil Chicken with chili potatoes, spinach and lemon sauce. The pasta was well cooked and full of flavour, a little too spicy, so be sure of informing them if your taste buds are sensitive. The Seared Basil Chicken was tender and the sauce went really well with it. 

Finally, the most awaited part of the meal, desserts! Blueberry cheesecake, mmm, and the Soft Centered Chocolate Cake, mmm. The only word that could describe these desserts would be mmmmouthwatering! We made a trip to heaven and back! 

Are we coming back here? Hell yeah. And next time, we are going to start our meal backwards, last course first! 

Venue: Le Pain Quotidien

Maker Maxity, Bandra Kurla Complex, Bandra East

Landmarks: Next to California Pizza Kitchen (CPK)

Phone: 66431617