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) 

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: Cuppa Joe

Carter Road has always been the topic of discussion when it comes to small, new eateries. Latest on the block is Cuppa Joe, an initiative by the owners of Escobar. The cafe is located right next to Yogurtbay and has experimented with a couple of new things on the menu. 

Divided into two sections, the upper section has an inviting display of desserts and lollipops. The underground section has a small seating area with about 4-5 tables. The highlights of the menu are the Mashmallow Mocha, the Butter Beer and the Red Velvet Cake.

We tried the Chocolate Tart, the Butter Beer, the Walnut Brownie and the Marshmallow Mocha.

The Chocolate Tart was sinful, very gooey and tasted best when heated. The Butter Beer was a complete let down considering the hype created around it. It was a version of the regular coke float, with soda and ice-cream. The Walnut Brownie was passable, not the best we've had. But the entire experience was uplifted by the Marshmallow Mocha. A generous amount of marshmallows in your regular mocha coffee. The size of the cup was also quite overwhelming.

Will we go back here? But ofcourse, we love the ambiance and the feel of the place. And we still have to try a big slice of the Red Velvet Cake!

Venue: Cuppa Joe

Gagangiri Apartments, Off Carter Road, Bandra West

Landmark: Next to Yogurtbay and Cafe Coffee Day

Phone: 26494040

 

 

Review - Di Bella Coffee

Named after its founder, Phillip Di Bella, Di Bella Coffee is an Australian coffee chain that has opened multiple outlets in the city. We dropped in at the outlet at Bandra Kurla Complex and were surprised to see all the tables occupied even at 3 PM.

After waiting for a couple of minutes, we got a table for ourselves. With Samsung Galaxy Tabs on each tables, Di Bella has taken customer experience to another level. You can go through the menu on it and place your order by selecting and confirming it on the tab itself. Quite similar to an online shopping experience. The servers are always around incase you need assistance. 

The menu comprised of Coffees, Teas, Cold Coffees, Light Bites and Desserts. Even though we were tempted to try the American Marshmallow Hot Chocolate, we thought of sticking to the Traditional Hot Chocolate since you can't really go wrong with it. However, the beverage was watery, not thick enough and lacked flavour. We wished there was more chocolate in it. The Cappucino on the other hand was well presented and seemed fine. We also tried the Baby Corn and Spinach Sandwich which was passable. 

Overall, Di Bella scores on the service and presentation front but there's room for improvement when it comes to the quality of food and drinks.

Venue: Di Bella Coffee

Ground Floor, Platina Building, Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC), Bandra

Landmark: Next to Range Rover Showroom

Phone: 65214222