Swadeeka - Welcome (Thai)

Review: O:h Cha

I always claimed that restaurants in Mumbai don’t do justice to two cuisines – Thai & Mexican. So when O:h Cha, which derives its name from the Thai word for delicious, opened, CM was quite inquisitive to see whether it proved her theory right or wrong.

Brainchild of Sanat Patel who has been behind the fancy (read: overpriced) Two One Two bar and Grill and the ‘still to make its mark’ Burgs, O:h Cha is tucked inside Mathuradas Mills, famous amongst Mumbai’s ‘once bustling now dead’ mill scene at Lower Parel, which has now become a hub for youngsters and office goers who throng to places like Blue Frog, Busaba, Barking Dear and Cafe Zoe.

The decor of this restaurant is contemporary Thai - wooden, spacious with green hues.

The menu contains some famous Thai dishes known and devoured by most of us who have travelled to the land of curry & massages (ahem... i meant foot massage control your mind).

We begin with the Tom Kha Kai soup – the balmy flavour of lemongrass, galangal & coconut milk create the best concoction in your mouth. A must try here

Also before I go ahead let me make it clear, the menu specifically illustrates the level of spice one can go upto. The more the chillies the more the spice and this has to be taken seriously. Don’t go with the notion of little spicy or medium spicy!

Next came the Tom Yum Kai soup– now unless and until you are strong hearted do not go for this one. It’s extremely charged!

The next was the Som Tam – delicate slivers of raw papaya tossed in chilli, lime, castor sugar, peanuts. A delicious yet healthy dish. Stick to the first level of spice.

Chicken Satay

In the appetisers we tried the Poh Pia Sod – a kind of thai spring roll – not too great in my opinion. The Chicken Satay was served cold! Again not recommended

Green Thai curry

Then came the real test – the Kang Kaew Waan – Green Thai curry with prawns – Beautiful, delicate broth, not too sweet, not too milky like the one’s served at Thai Pavilion and Koh. This was just the perfect balance of spice, sweetness and sour. One of the best thai currys I have tasted in Mumbai.

The Pla Kow Nong Ma Nao – Steamed trouper with garlic chilly sauce was immaculate. Like spa in my mouth!

Stir Fried Chicken with Holy Basil

The Stir Fried Chicken with Holy Basil too was delicious.

In the deserts we try the Lemon Grass Creme Brulee – no sign, smell or sight of lemon grass but the dish was delicious

 Water Chestnut with fresh coconut spirit

The Tum Tim Krob - Water Chestnut with fresh coconut spirit is heaven in summers. Must try!

After the meal, with an extremely satisfied (and heavy) stomach, I think to myself at last Mumbai has lost its ‘Good Thai Food’ Virginity! Take a bow Mr. Patel.

O:h Cha is not too kind to your pocket though. A meal for 2 would cost between Rs.3000 - 3500/- without alcohol

Verdict:

Food: Amazing

Ambience: Serene

Service: Catching up

Quick Tip: If you missed a trip to Thailand this year, head to O:h Cha to satisfy your thai food craving.

The Co-ordinates:

O:h Cha

Where: Mathuradas Mills Compound, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel, Mumbai

Tring Tring: 022 66334455

Timings: O:h Cha is now open for lunch as well and has introduced a prix fixe menu

Food Type: Thai

Payment Methods: Credit cards accepted

*Note the review spans over food eaten on 2 occasions

Swadika... Welcome to Thailand

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!

Next were the starters –

Pandan Chicken

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

Prawn Sesame seed – a tad oily but delicious at the same time

Prawn Sesame seed 

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 –

They had 2 live stations, one for Phad Thai & The other one for Thai barbeque

Thai Barbeque Station

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

The Barbeque Station too was brilliant – beautiful fresh rock lobsters, mackerel, baby pomfret, & chicken sate. Nom Nom

Then came the Thai Curry Station-

Green Thai Curry With  Prawns 

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

Lobster Ka Prao with Thai Basil Rice

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.

For the desserts –

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 01^st & 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

Mastering the Art

Review: Masterchef Brunch @ Shiro

Don’t we all just love Masterchef? Not the American or the Indian one but the Australian one!  I know I do! I love watching Garry’s friendly anecdotes, George’s energetic demeanour and the his softer side when he talks about his Greek roots and mom’s cooking and Matt Prestons colourful attire or just the way he stands – with one foot forward as if he is always posing!

Masterchef Judges

Every year Masterchef brings you something new and exciting and when I saw the last season with Nigella, Kylie, the Dalai Lama featuring as judges and I didn’t think it could get any bigger. But Season 4, gives you as much a kick as the last one, what with nationalist feeling you get when you Dalvinder or the salivation when Aminah cooks up some yummy Egyptian Asia fare or the really graceful Deborah works her magic in the Sandwich round!

Season 4 Top 24 Contestants

Just the sound of that song - Come on Come on (not many of us know it is composed by Katy Perry!) on Star World India makes me want curl up in front of the television prepared with my dinner and watch! To me thats my ‘me time’, distressing as I watch what they call amateur cooks (hell they are not!) cook beautiful delicacies most importantly with the love for food in their hearts!

So this year I thought why not try the Masterchef Australia inspired brunch at Shiro.

Shiro has this beautiful Zen like interiors. Wooden walls and flooring, huge Buddha effigy welcoming you into the dimly lit ambience. It is so dark you can barely see the food your eating! But CM isn’t complaining the less people see how much she is eating the better J

So we begin with a Vietnamese soup: Pho – a clear broth served with rice noodles and beef or chicken, delicately flavoured you could taste the hints of basil and lime in it. The next was the famous Otak Otak Kukus (no I am not chanting an African curse) – a cake made of fish and spices. Do you remember the flamboyant Chef Wan teaching this to Kate in Malaysia in Season 3! Well while this looked really different from the original dish (see comparison below) this was the softest thing i have put in my mouth! The dish just beautifully melts in your mouth. Coupled with the sweet chilli sauce it is delectable.

Otak Otak Kukus @ Shiro

The Hanoi Parcel’s – a spring roll filled with chicken, shrimp and crab meat was crisp and delicious as well.

Hanoi Parcels

 On the Vegetarian Appetiser’s side there was Tofu with Spicy Korean bean- something was really off about this dish either the tofu was stale or the black bean however it tasted awful. The Mushroom Dumplings & Aspragus Dumplings were a refresher – soft parcels of yumness in your mouth! The Sweet Chilli Potato was nice too! Although it tasted a bit like Indian Chinese straight out of the Five Spice kitchen!

The Salads both Chilli Calamari with Watermelon and the Veg one (don’t know the name) were insipid! The calamari was rubbery and chewy a clear indication of it not being well cooking!

In the main course, The Garlic Chicken and Greens – roasted chicken breast sliced to perfection with stir-fried broccoli mushrooms and baby corn  was very okay! Not theflavourfu kind! The Sweet Corn Chicken with Ho Fun noodles – stir fried chicken with flat rice noodles lacked any kind of distinguishing flavour!

Sweet Corn Chicken with Ho Fun Noodles

The Thai Curry was beautiful and fresh a little on the sweet side though. This coupled with Hibachi Rice – sticked Japanese style cooked rice made a delectable combination. The Masamann curry was also flavourful too. The Beef Curry with Daikon was to blah!

Massaman Curry

Hibachi Rice

Overall while the starters were packed with yum quotient, the main course was a disappointing! I would rather recommend eating the al carte fare! I pray any of the three judges never see this, they may die of embarrassment!

The Masterchef meal is priced @ Rs 1750/-. The brunch is on every Sunday from July 01 to August 26, 2012

Verdict:

Food: Mixbag

Ambience: Zen

Service: Helpful

Quick Tip: Go there strictly for the appetisers. The Otak Otak Kukus is a must have!

The Co-ordinates:

Shiro

Where: Bombay Dyeing Mills Compound, Pandurang Budhkar Marg, Worli, Mumbai

Tring Tring: 66511207, 66511208

Timings: 12:30 PM to 3:30 PM, 7:30 PM to Midnight

Food Type: Asian Fare

Payment Methods: Credit cards accepted

PS: Some of the pictures are close representations of the dishes, it was too dark to click!

All ‘Thai’ ed Up

Decoding Thailand through it’s Food

Me: (holding up a garment) Do you have a big size in this?

Shop Lady: (exasperated but in sing song voice) No madaaame, Only 1 sigh, free sigh

Me: Ok. How much for this?

Shop Lady: Cheap Cheap Madaam! 1 piece for 150 baht if you buy 3 piece 100 baht

Me: (mustering the Sindhi Indian in me) Give me 1 piece for 120 baht

Shop Lady: Cannot Madaame! (waving her hand at me)

My reaction ranges from paying 150 baht if I really like it and walking off if I don’t. But the very dominant shopaholic in me makes me opt for the 1^st option most of the time!

This was my seventh visit to Bangkok. Yes 6 trips before and this was the seventh time we were going to this land of massage parlours, prostitutes, shopping and thai curry! My love for this country and particularly this city Bangkok goes much beyond the shopping though. This time I realized that it’s the food. The spicy flavours, soupy  and sticky textures and most of all the sumptuous quantities are some of the reasons why Thailand comes No. 1 on my list of Uber Delicious. Simply put I love the food there! The use of condiments and spices makes it very close to Indian Food but something that takes it a notch above is the freshness of the ingredients. You can’t help but note the crunch in the vegetables and fruits when you eat. And what more it doesn’t even pinch your pocket, the food is really very cheap. Yep I would not exactly ‘haven’ for the vegetarian, Thailand still remains my choice when it comes to food.

Let me now list down dishes that you must try when in Thailand –

Green Thai Curry

1)      Red & Green Curry: But Obvious? Not quite. I know we’ve had a an overdose of the thai curry specially since the the Thai Pavilions & Tamanak Thai’s but people who have tried Thai curry in Thailand will agree that the one found in India, even in the five stars is no match! The flavours and smell that fresh ingredients like lemon grass, kafir leaves, bird eye chillies and spicy berry (gundha as the gujaratis call it) conjure are pure divinity. Add to it the Shrimps or Chicken and eggplant and couple it will Thai version of steam sticky rice and your on Cloud No.9. The dish is available at all street food stalls, restaurants and food courts in Thailand and costs anywhere between 40 baht – 80 bahts approx Rs 60 to 120 for a huge bowl

Steamed Sea Bass

2)      Steamed Sea Bass in Lemon Sauce: Now this has to be my most priced seafood find! An entire steamed trout sea bass cooked in lemon juice gravy with finely sliced garlic, lemon zest and the Thai bird eye chilly. The taste? Imagine a spa in your mouth! The dish is available at  most street food restaurants and costs anywhere between 350 – 400 baht approx Rs 525

Chicken in Holy Basil

3)      Stir Fried Chicken/Seafood in Holy Basil: Another ambrosial dish from the Thai kitchen this dish consists of minced chicken or seafood cooked in light soy sauce and the holy basil leaf (tulsi). The  balmy dish is simply marvelous and can be had by itself or with steamed rice. The dish is available at all street food stalls, restaurants and food courts in Thailand and costs anywhere between 40 baht – 80 bahts approx Rs 60 to 120.

Mangosteen

Rambutan

Raw Mango

4)      Exotic Fruits: Apples and oranges are passé. Try these yummy sweet and juicy Thai fruits and you would know what it feel like to live in heaven. The Mangosteen is personal favourite. Deliciously sweet and sour you can never have just one of this soft squishy fruit. The next is the rambutan, quit similar to litchi, only better. Even their raw mango is yummy. Must be had with their sweet and spicy masala. These are available at street vendors in Thailand and cost anywhere between 30 – 60 baht per kilo

Mama Noodles

5)      Mama Noodles in Dark Soy Sauce: These are basically curly noodles tossed and fried in dark soy sauce with pakchoy and green peppercorns. You can also have a soup version but I prefer the stir-fried one. At some places its more spicy due to use of a lot of peppercorns. All I can say the spicier the better! This is available with street vendors and all food courts. I had it at the Platinum Food Court and MBK mall food court, the latter being tastier and costs between 40-60 baht approx Rs 60

Noodle Soup

6)      Noodle Soup with Bean Curd Dumpling: This dish reminded of Kung Fu Panda  - Po’s father the Crane making yummy delicious gigantic bowls of the soothing noodle broth. The soup comes in the same huge China bowls, it’s a clear with mild flavours of juices of the vegetables and bean curd. Talk about Noodle Soup for the Soul. The dish is available at all food malls and street carts ans cost between 80 – 100 baht  approx Rs 120 - 150

Chicken in Cashewnuts

7)      Chicken in Cashewnuts and Vegetables: The dish is made of chicken cooked with diced veggies likes peppers, babycorn, mushrooms and cashews. Kindoff edulcorated, the dish is still yum. The dish is available at most restaurants and costs Rs 80 – 100 bahts approx Rs 120 – 150

Khaw Soi

8)      Khaw Soi: Not very frequently found in Bangkok, this dish seems to be a staple of Northern region of Thailand specially places like Chiang Mai which are home to the Lanna (Burmese) tribe. Traditionally a Burmese dish, the Thai add their own touch with a broth a of medium consistency not too thick and not to thin with egg noodles and obviously accompanied with the usual condiments.

Thai Shrimp Fried Rice

9)      Thai Fried Rice with Shrimp: Short grain rice tossed up in a lot of vegetables and thai bird chillies, this can make a sumptuous meal in itself. Stuffed inside it you will find large chunks of Shrimp

Other food that you could try are –

Crepes

Smoked Sausages

Sticky Rice with Mango

Not only is the food in Thailand great, so is the humility and hospitality of the people. Simple gestures like folding their hands and greeting you with ‘Swadika’ (thankyou & welcome), an equivalent of the Namaste everytime you enter a restaurant or pay them just adds a very personal touch and makes you feel welcome

Quicktip: Eat at the street food carts and street restaurants, its very hygienic the ingredients are always fresh. You may have a bit of problem with the language but most of the restaurants come with photo menu’s so all you need to is point out and then plop in!