Yellow Chilli – The state of your liver after dining there

The title of this blog clearly describes the experience of dining at Yellow Chilli, Hirandanani, Powai. I would however like to expand on the title and write an essay on why one should never eat there – ever.

Food – The presentation and quality of food were both abysmal. It was a buffet with no room to walk around the display and serve oneself. The waiters would brush against you while crossing you owing to the lack of space. The starters, a vegetarian seekh kabab and some paneer tikka were both atrocious. The seekh kabab had definitely been made the previous day. The spread consisted of 3 – 4 vegetarian dishes and 2-3 non-vegetarian dishes. Its not that I have forgotten what the spread looked like, but the waiters had no clue whether a particular dish (a Fanash something) was vegetarian or non-vegetarian. That was the sad state of affairs. The ragda pattice was served cold by a chef who looked bored to death. I wish I had taken pictures. The soup was made of curd, clearly of curd which had gone bad the previous day and was heated and mixed with haldi (turmeric) and thankfully served hot. The vegetarian pulav consisted of half cooked rice with sweet corn and nothing else. It felt like someone had forgotten to shop for vegetables. The dal (yellow lentils) were thankfully not badly done but lacked any discerning taste whatsoever. Overall, the worst eating experience of my life.

Ambiance - The place looked almost run down. Paint was peeling from the walls, and cutlery and napkins came out of a cupboard that definitely had been bought at a flea market. The seating was particularly uncomfortable and there was no walking space between 2 tables.

Staff – The staff, though courteous was untrained, and very poorly dressed. The uniforms had not been washed for a week and some of them were torn. One had no buttons at the cuff and had one arm folded while the other fell loosely at the wrist. The staff had no clue as to whether a particular dish was vegetarian or not.

Cost – A meal for three cost approximately INR 1300 (each buffet lunch costs INR 461 including taxes). Not worth even a single penny spent there.

Why did I go there in the first place? It was supposed to be a place which had the blessings of Sanjeev Kapoor, India’s first star chef. But it was very disappointing. I would discourage one and all from visiting this restaurant or any other that bears this name.

Machan

Greeted by an elephant into a large forest with banyan trees, snakes and giraffes, Machan makes for excellent theme dining.  Be sure to make reservations if visiting on a Friday/Saturday night.  The entrance porch also has a floor aquarium with atleast 6 different types of fish.

The restaurant has two settings.  One being the forest setting where you can order delicious tandoori/fried veg and non-veg appetizers.  The other is a live barbecue setting with a barbecue grill at your table.  This is an open air setting with monkeys hanging on trees.

We chose to sit in the forest. Actually the live barbecue (which is set menu at an awesome price of Rs. 650 per person is a steal and hence..) was full and therefore we had sit in the forest.    The courteous staff does offer you a wide variety of coolers and drinks to start with.  Since our group consisted predominantly of non-vegetarians, we ordered a mix of fish, chicken and lamb appetizers.  Though the fish was not really upto the mark, the chicken, lamb and mutton starters were thoroughly relished.  Look out for the “chappali kabab” and the bullet seekh.

Vegetarians get a good mix of healthy, I may say, starters and excellent paneer and aloo (tandoori) as well.  We were so stuffed with the appetizers that we never got to the main course.  However, I have heard that the main course is equally delicious.

On the whole, the drive to Malad from Chembur was worth it.  It was an extremely memorable evening.

Aside: On certain days, they also offer a buffet service. As and when I happen to go back will write more on the same.

The membership offers an excellent build up of 10% every time you dine at one of their restaurants which include Mainland China and Sigree.

Prices: About Rs. 3000 for 4 hungry people.

Map : Click Here

Moshes

Yesterday I had the yummiest “Gnoochi” (pronounced “Noo-Kii” – I didn’t know either, the person who took our orders corrected me when I said “Noo chi”).  Gnoochi is essentially little parcels of pasta (basically small pillows – not like ravoili which are empty pillows) in the most amazing cheese sauce.  I found out that Moshes uses mozzarella cheese. I personally have not developed the taste for pungent cheese.

We started with a glass of Indian blush, the teetotaler was happy with his Iced Tea.  We ordered at the recommendation of the person who took us there, some Harissa Chicken, essentially chicken on skewers (boneless).   It was excellently done and marinated well. I personally do not like a pungent middle eastern sauce but after the first bite, the chicken seems to grow on you.  Our friend has on one occasion converted the chicken to main course,  that’s how much he liked it.

Thereafter, we got our yummy egyptian salad.  Except for the slightly excessive dressing, I really enjoyed it.  The salad had green leaves, olives, bell peppers and marinated cucumber.  The regulars though vouch for the Pear Rocket salad with roasted walnut.

The chicken espresso is also a must have.  It is essentially grilled boneless chicken served with lentils (which most seem to ignore) with a green sauce.  Highly recommended for all non-vegetarians.

We finished off with a “Philadelphia”. Philadelphia is a cheese cake with a good crust that crumbles in your mouth and so soft that you savour every piece.  We were stuffed eating and yet managed to down a Philadelphia.

The ambiance is not something to die for but yes, for foreigners especially Europeans missing home, its a great place.  It is cosy and made more like a cafe.  Located in downtown Mumbai, the place does become a must visit.

Prices  – Definitely on the higher side but affordable. A good place to entertain a small crowd.

Click here if you want to get to Moshes.