TASTE OF MUMBAI at Marine Drive from 22nd to 24th February 2013

The internationally acclaimed series of food and drink festivals, Taste Festivals, comes to India with the launch of Taste of Mumbai. The city-based food and drink festival promises to be an eclectic selection of food, drinks and restaurants to delight food lovers at Marine Drive from 22^nd to 24^th February 2013.

Taste Festival is a high-quality food and drink consumer event where the host city’s most prestigious restaurants and celebrated chefs serve sample-sized signature dishes to visitors in an outdoor city centre venue. The event is supported by “retail therapy” with food and drink related features and exhibitors including wineries, coffee shops, patisseries, breweries among other exciting options.

American Express is the presenting sponsor for Taste of Mumbai, which will bring together celebrated chefs like Abhijit Saha from Caperberry, Italian restaurant Diva’s Ritu Dalmia, Manu Chandra of Olive Bar & Kitchen and Vicky Ratnani to share the culinary art form and present their signature dishes. Alain Fabrègues from Australia, Jehangir Mehta from New York, Vivek Singh from London and Margot Janse from South Africa are the International Guest Chefs for the event.

The festival will have an exclusive American Express VIP Lounge to let people take a break from the tasting and shopping to relax in a private lounge with a complimentary dram of Glenfiddich over a discussion with top chefs. Other features include the Fisher Paykel Taste Theatre where culinary greats take to the stage and share their secrets, show off their skills and polish yours with a plethora of pan rattling demonstrations. 

Arola from JW Marriott, Caperberry from Bangalore, China House from Grand Hyatt, Ellipsis,  Fire from The Park Hotel in Delhi, Impresario Handmade Restaurants, Kofuku, Koh from InterContinental, Olive Bar & Kitchen and Prego, The Westin are the restaurants participating in the festival. The two international ‘guest’ restaurants are Cinnamon Kitchen, London and Graffiti, New York.

The festival will have two sessions every day, a day session (12pm-4pm) and an evening session (6pm-10pm). The tickets will be available through BookMyShow, priced at Rs.600 for a standard ticket and Rs.2000 for a VIP pass. Learn more at www.tasteofmumbai.in

Salient Features of the Festival:

·         12 top Indian and International restaurants including

·         Exciting live demos by world-class International and Indian chefs at the Fisher & Paykel Taste Theatre

·         Over 50 food and drink producers of gourmet food products, fine wines and beer and lifestyle products. 

It's time to get your grub on!

GRUBdate

Aromas of China in Lokhandwala has recently launched their sister restaurant Angeethi in the back. Therefore the weekend buffet is now Chinese AND Indian cuisine. They have cut down the Chinese menu to half its size and added in Indian options for appetizers, main course and dessert. Personally, I'm not a fan of anything multicuisine, so this change isn't making me too happy. In case you are in the area and  upset about this development fret not there's always China 1 which has a great Chinese buffet and is just down the street!

Nom nom at Yauatcha!

Wow its been a really long time since I've updated this blog. But this time, I'm totally committed, well... for now. Keep the comments coming, if I know I have reader(s) hopefully it will keep me on top of stuff!

I decided to launch my comeback with one of my favorite restaurants in Mumbai. Though I can’t visit this place as often as I would like, since it is pretty expensivo and I'm always tres broke, I definitely think the food is worth the cost. Thus, I bring to you ladies and gentlemen *drumroll* my review on Yauatcha!

Yauatcha is located in Bandra Kurla Complex, Mumbai, a strange location for such a great place considering the area is creepily empty post business hours. That said, once you make it to BKC you cant miss the neon blue sign and the luring smell of freshly made dim sums (though maybe that's just in my head.) Categorizing itself as a "dim sum tea house," Yauatcha offers a vast range of innovative dim sums as well as 130 different types of teas. They also have a state-of-the-art bar that will definitely impress my fellow alcoholics. While I have tasted a number of their cocktails (virtually the same offerings as its unaffordable sister restaurant Hakkasan) I am a big fan of their Tea Smoothies and Iced Teas sporting flavors such as Passion Fruit, Cinnamon, Guava and Kiwi.

The ambiance is definitely one of the plus points of Yauatcha. Clean, classy and vibrant, it's a great place to grab dinner and drinks with a few close friends, reminiscent of swanky restaurants in the Big Apple. Frequented by the who's who of Bollywood, this is also a great place for celebrity sightings (I got to see Saif, Kareena and Karishma, A+ celeb sighting if I may say so myself.) However, service is definitely where Yauatcha's ratings get hit the most. The staff doesn't seem to be very well-trained and has some pretty severe communication issues, I'm pretty sure they cant pronounce Yauatcha correctly. Often, (each time I've been there) they tend to get the order wrong or even forget to get you what you ordered. Also, many people visiting the restaurant who are unfamiliar with Cantonese cuisine aren't assisted with ordering and end up receiving dishes that they definitely didn't expect. (suckkkaaaahhhs)

Now let's get down to business! I started off with their dim sums and let me preface this by saying I've eaten some scrumptious dim sums across the world and it is something I'm very picky about. However, Yauatcha definitely did not disappoint. I tried their Pork and Prawn Shumai, Prawn and Chinese Chive dumpling, Crispy Prawn Cheung Fun and Vegetable Crystal dumpling. Though I did not care much for the Vegetable Crystal Dumpling as the outside "wrap" was sticky and tough, the other three were as delectable as dishes I have had at leading dim sum restaurants. The Crispy Prawn Cheung fun was a cool spin on the regular Cheung Fun where the prawn stuffing is a tempura prawn, adding a delightful crunch to the dish.

In addition to these, I also had the Sticky Rice in Lotus Leaf and the Truffle Edamame dumplings which were TO DIE FOR. The Sticky Rice was just the right amount of sticky and delightfully fragrant once the waiter unfolds the delicate Lotus Leaf wrapping. The Truffle Edamame dumpling sends chills down your spine with the perfect Edamame paste texture and luxurious hint of truffle oil. If I was asked about my choice for my last meal, these two dishes would definitely make the list. NOM NOM!

Now, as a pork LOUWER settled in Mumbai, I don't have a great deal of options for fabtastic pork. So when I saw that the menu listed Pork Belly with Chinese vegetables, it was a MUST order. I was prepared to be disappointed, as I often am at non 5 star hotel restaurants here. However, lo and behold, I was whisked away on a tantalizing ride where my taste buds were left in tears wanting more. Okay, that was a weird way to put it but it blew me away. The thin pieces of pork belly melted in my mouth, dousing me with an amazing soy garlic flavor. I’m practically passing out just thinking of it. The Emperor Rice that I ordered was good and all, but the Pork Belly kicked its ass.

Yauatcha also has a counter for dessert takeaways showcasing such a vast range of macroons that you will definitely leave confused. I recommend the Earl Grey flavor if you have to be selective. However, if you are dining at the restaurant you HAVE to order the Raspberry Delice. Though I'm not a dessert person, I found myself distracting my friends so I could sneak most of the dish for myself. Also, it was just so PRETTY with a gooey chocolate brownie delicately dusted over with Raspberry dust. If you are on a diet and are wondering whether it's worth it, well, it definitely is.

So to sum up, Edamame Truffle dumplings, Sticky Rice, Pork Belly and the Raspberry Delice.

You're welcome.

Average cost: 1500 per person without drinks

Rating: 4/5