Review: Spices, JW Marriott
CM
personally feels that there are two cuisines that Mumbai restaurants have not
been able to do justice to – Thai & Mexican. While we have made some
headway in Mexican, moving away from the fusion Gujarati sev & rajma
tacos with restaurants like Sanchos & Sammy Sosa, Thai is something we
still haven’t mastered.
Yes
I know we have the likes of Thai Pavilion by the Taj Group & Koh by
Kittichai. But if you have ever been to Thailand and had even the moderate
street Thai curry you will know that the sweet gravy served in the guise of Thai
curry here is bullshit. Not many Mumbai restaurants have got the intricacies of
this beautiful and flavourful cuisine right. So when I got an invite for JW
Marriott’s Asian restaurant – Spices, I went without any expectations.
As
Vir Sanghvi puts it, our definition of fast food is limited to the crap
that American chains serve us. If you want to know what yummy & nutritious
fast food is, one that does not taste like the tire of your car or the eraser of
your pencil – then Thai street food it is. Even the most moderate, small
roadside Thai hawker will serve you some of the most amazing dishes. Every
vendor specializes in that one dish – Som Tam (papaya salad) or Baked Fish, which will linger in your tastebuds forever.
JW
Marriott has this Thai Street Food Festival going on. Did it fit in Culinary
Muse’ quest for authentic Thai Food in Mumbai, you are about to find out...
I
begin with the Som Tam – nutritious,
healthy, cholesterol free papaya salad. The solace of the chef making it fresh,
right in front of you is brilliant. You have to consume this fresh, immediately
after it’s made. The one at Spices matched all my check points. Fresh ingredients,
dried shrimp (yup this will tell you the authenticity of the dish) ground
peanuts that added the crunch. Sweet, sour, spicy tangy all in one bite!
Pandan Chicken- succulent
pieces of chicken wrapped in pandan leaf. Yummy and perfumed with lemon grass
Lemon grass chicken |
Lemon grass
chicken
– Had beautiful flavours to it
Banana
fritters –
well done banana bhajjis, thai style
Then
came the soups –
I
had the Prawn Tom Yum – this was
extremely fiery, would pass of as sambhar so stay away from it
The
live stations –
The
Phad Thai was delectable. Silky flat
noodle sheets stir fried with veggies, meat of your choices, yummy flavor
sauces, topped with egg. CM could’nt get enough of this
Phad Thai |
The Barbequed Meat |
Beautiful
baskets of fresh ingredients – galangal, lemongrass, kafir leaves lay infront
and you can direct the chef to make your curry with the meat & veggies of
your choice. Now this is my ultimate test. If a restaurant can get its Thai
curry right, there is no doubt on their thai food capabilities.
I
tried the Green Thai Curry With Prawns – it was ------ wait------ for------it –
Immaculate! Not to sweet, not too tangy, full of balanced yet bold flavours. This
definitely falls under one of the best thai curries I have tasted in Mumbai.
Even if you don’t come here for the festival you must not miss the thai curry
at Spices
Pair
it with their sticky rice and you
know what it’s like to have a spa in your mouth.
In
the main course they also had the Lobster
Ka Prao – beautiful lobster pieces cooked in thai basil sauce was
delectable too.
The
Rambutan a delicious lichi like
fruit. The
Egg Custard was yummy. The
rest of the desserts were very ok, not great!
The Thai
Street Food Festival is on till December 01st & costs
approximately 2300/- with unlimited beers.
But I would
suggest you go to Spices even for an a la cart meal if you can't catch the festival. On an average a meal would
cost Rs 2000 for 1 without alcohol.
Verdict:
Food:
Yummy
Ambiance: Serene
Service:
Good
Quick
Tip: Go there for the Phad Thai & Thai Curry with Sticky Rice
The
Co-ordinates:
Spices, JW
Marriott
Where: Juhu
Tara Road, Juhu, Mumbai, Mumbai
Tring Tring: 022
30932030
Timings: 7 PM
to 12 Midnight
Food
Type: Asian, Thai, Malaysian,
Indonesian, Chinese, Japanese
Payment
Methods: Credit Card Accepted
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