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

An Ode to Sriracha Sauce

Review: Sriracha Food Festival @ Koh, Intercontinental

Sriracha is a hot sauce made made of chillies, garlic, vinegar & salt originating from the eastern region of Thailand. Mostly used as a dipping sauce, Sriracha is paired with Seafood and also goes as a condiment with famous Vietnamese soup ‘Pho’

Sriracha Sauce

South Mumbai’s contemporary Thai restaurant Koh has organized a special menu around this piquant and zesty sauce. Culinary Muse had the chance to review this. Here are some of the must haves and must avoid -

We start with the Sriracha Mary – A bloody mary with sriracha sauce. I have one word for it – Caustic. This has to be the worst drink I have tasted so far!

Sriracha Mary

The Fire Roasted Veg Chowder was brilliant – a healthy broth, spinach, corn, asparagus and hints of sriracha that added a nice flavor to it

Fire Roasted Veg Chowder

The Hat Yai Grilled Prawns were cruchy with the balmy flavor of lemongrass... hmmm spa in my mouth

Hat Yai Grilled Prawns

Marinated Chicken Wings – What’s with Asian restaurants having wings on their menu? I mean you can cover yourself with the garb of contemporary but wings is too pedestrian!

Marinated Chicken Wings

Veg  & Chicken Sriracha Dumplings – delicate parcels of yumness

Cabbage Kimchi with Glass Noodles – No flavors to it, this was just some vegetables put together. Yuck

In the mains, Pokchoy, Shitake Mushrooms and Asparagus was delectable drenched in a very flavorful sauce

Pokchoy, Shitake Mushrooms and Asparagus

The Sweet & Sour Chicken was very ok

Wok Tossed bean sprouts with marinated tofu with Enoki Mushrooms and Snow Peas was mild flavoured yet delicious

The Sriracha Nasi was wholesome flavourful too

The Janta Burry Two  Flavor Noodles was extremely delicious

The winner of the evening... wait for it........ wait for it ..............were the desserts!

The Sriracha Caramel Toffee Pops- hmmmm mmmhmmmhmmm

The Apple & Pear Crumble with Coffee and Chocolate Sauce - dulcet pie with tangy sweet flavours of the fruits was beautiful!

On an average a meal would cost Rs 4000 for 2 without alcohol. The Sriracha Festival is on till today October 13, 2013.

Verdict:

Food: Mixedbag

Ambience:  Chic                                                                      

Service: Good

Quick Tip: Go there for the desserts... especially when your having a rough day!

The Co-ordinates:

Koh – By Ian Kittichai

Where: Hotel InterContinental, 135, Churchgate, Mumbai

Tring Tring: 022 39879999

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

Food Type: Contemporary Thai

Payment Methods: Visa, Master, Cash, Credit Card Accepted

*PS: The portions in the pictures above are small portions meant for reviewing. The actual portions are bigger.

The Sound of Eating

Review: Nom Nom

For some people ‘eating’ is mechanism of survival, for some others its yet another chore but for my kind, food is sacred, and eating is like praying, I am me, I am the happiest when am chomping on deliciousness. I know most of you reading this feel the same... Thats why they say Great Minds think Alike J

Recently CM got out of her comfort zone (ie SOBO) and ventured into the land so far .... er um called Bandra (yup its a bit far by my standards) to place named after the sound of eating... Nom Nom

Tucked in the galli of KFC, this is Nom Noms second outlet with the first in Versova.

The ambience of this place transports you to some exotic far east country like Thailand. Rustic wooden decor with minimalistic lighting gives a soothing touch and totally cuts you from the noise and commotion of linking road.

The menu of Nom Nom offers quite a variety of Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Singaporean dishes.  Today we were here to sample their ‘Tea Pairing menu’

Black Pepper Chicken

We were greeted by a cheerful Maitre d’. Our first dish was Black Pepper Chicken - succulent pieces of chicken topped with the spices, the dish was good just a tad bit salty for my taste. He paired this with the Basilur Ceylon 

Green Tea. On being asked why this pairing he gave a very ambiguous answer. The tea didn’t go well with the chicken either. It sort of made it taste more salty

The real benefit of pairing tea with your food is to cleanse your palate (something like what a soup would do) and enhance the taste and flavour of the dish. The Ceylon green tea failed on those parameters.

 

Our next dish was the Basa in Lemon Coriander Sauce – fillets of fresh basa tossed spring onions and garlic made for a very pleasant taste. The tea recommended – Basilur White Magic was just appropriate. A light tea with a milky sweet aroma and smooth sweet lingering taste combined with delicate meat was like a match made in heaven.

The next was the Vegetable Dimsums, quite good these dimsums seemed to have some kind of a fusion going on with cheese bursting into your mouth on the first bite.

The Chicken Dimsums weren’t very impressive, the skin was too doughy and you could taste the rawness of it.

In the mains we ordered for the Burnt Garlic Fried Rice and the Chicken in Chilli Basil Sauce. Again subtle flavours of the chicken made for a very good meal. This coupled with Basilur’s Cream Fantasy Tea was perfect. The hint of strawberry and vanilla in the tea just made the taste of mains very pleasant and delicious.

Nom Nom by today’s standards seemed like a very affordable place. A meal for 2 would cost anywhere between Rs 1000- Rs 1500.

For my towny ‘Obnoxious Lemur’ SOBOites, Nom Nom is soon to open an outlet in Fort!

Verdict:

Food: Good

Ambiance: Aesthetic

Service: Good

Quick Tip: Take a trip to the Far East with the flavourful food here. Stay away from the dimsums and you won’t have anything to complain!

The Co-ordinates:

Nom Nom

Where: 1 & 2, Delux Mahal Building, Ground Floor,Opposite Mini Punjab Restaurant, 16th Road, Bandra West, Mumbai

Tring Tring:  - 022 30932030

Timings: 12 Noon to 1 AM

Food Type:Thai, Burmese, Indonesian, Japanese, Singaporean, Malaysian

Payment Methods: Credit cards 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!