Tao 9- An authentic pan asian restaurant

Have you been tao'd yet..... 

A total of 3 outlets for this franchise based restaurant (Chandivili & Lower Parel are delivery only), Tao 9 at Oshiwara is the only one with the option to Dine-In & delivery.

 

A comfy little place with a seating capacity of 16-18 people, brightly lit and hygienically well maintained with a warm welcome feel.

Recently visited for a lunch on a weekday so had the place all to ourselves.

 

Ordered the below listed items :

 

Thirst Quenchers : Made well and just the way we like!

 

-       Watermelon Juice

-       Thai Ice Tea

 

Appetizers : Things did get interesting here for my palates!

 

-       Non-Vegetarian Dimsum Platter : 2 piece each of Spicy Chicken/Chicken Coriander/Shrimp Har Gao was served as part of the platter. Loved all 3 types : Spicy-Shrimp-Coriander in the listed order. If you guys are Dimsum fans; call for any of these or the platter and it will not disappoint you!.

 

-       Chicken Basil Chili Bao : Bao is True Love and Love tastes quite good here at Tao 9. 2 piece served per plate and the Bao size is really huge, but it’s not just Quantity but Quality as well which sets this dish apart. In-house made Bao bun stuffed with oodles of chicken pieces tossed in Chili Basil sauce and added veggies makes this a perfect snack to be had. (Highly Recommended)

 

-       Indonesian Basa : Basa slices mixed in Sriracha/Tabasco/Pepper sauce & a touch of ketchup is the secret recipe for this flavor oozing appetizer. Do give it  try as I have not seen this appetizer served anywhere.

 

Mains : Spoiled for choices but decided to settle for an all-time favorite!

 

-       Green Thai Curry & Steam Rice : Flavorful as it can get a perfect mix of all the ingredients made this one a  semi thick gravy and went well with steamed rice. The serving of Chicken was also generous in this along with other veggies.

 

Desserts : Sweet ending to a perfect meal!

 

-       Fried Ice Cream : My first time having it and was surprised. 2 scoops of Vanilla Ice-cream coated with bread crumbs & corn flour then shallow fried to get a crispy cover, Hot on the outside and Cold inside – If that doesn’t sound interesting then what else does!

 

We had a wonderful experience here and will definitely visit again; especially for the Bao, Green Thai Curry & some Fried Ice Cream!

 

Note : The place is Zomato Gold (1+1 on Food) so that is another value for money add to an already excellent outlet!

 

Crafters - Heaven for all beer lovers

The love for craft beer in Mumbai is growing slowly but steadily; it is already a  established market in Pune & Bangalore but seems Aamchi Mumbai is not too far behind.

 

Crafters opened in Powai is one of the latest entrant in this Brewery market and they do hold their own when it comes to crafted beers along with some specially crafted food as well.

Recently visited Crafters for a lunch and had an amazing experience here; a 130 seater outlet with spacious seating (Do opt for their Sofa sets – You’ll never want to leave) & high ceiling.

The Arc shaped huge window at the diagonal end of entrance offers a broad view of the street below; an ideal place to sit with your drinks and lose yourself in thoughts.

 

For the love of Beers and since not an expert in craft beers, we asked for a tester of their offering (No Charges).

 

After tasting around 9 flavors; we selected our 2 favorites : A perfect balance of Sweet & Bitter combination for our palates

 

-       Belgian Wit : Wheat based with a hint of Orange peel, Coriander & Cardamom. All the goodness of the beer with none of the bitter taste.

-       Dark Lager : This one was spiked with malts & chocolate with a hint of sweetness from bread & biscuit.

 

Moved on to Crafted beer cocktails; they have 4 option to choose from :

 

-       Easy BeerEasy : The Belgian Wit mixed with pineapple juice, sprite & a dried lemon. A relish able blend and a perfect mix of all flavors on a sweet note! Definitely worth a try if you liked Belgian Wit!

-       BeerRita : In-house Lager mixed with tequila, lime & sea salt gave this the perfect twist to hit the right notes - Recommended

 

Moving to the food; they offer a lot of options here as well; start your meal with a healthy salad or stick to bar nibbles if you just want to sip on those crafts or order for a Pizza/Burger or jump straight to the Main course for some roasted Chicken/Well-cooked steak!

 

-       Lamb Seekh Kebab : Minced Lamb served in green chutney – Soft & delectable!

-       Calamiri : Fried Calamari rings with Peri Peri coating with a side of in-house chili mayo dip – A perfect bar nibble!

-       Chicken Kalimiri Kebab : Flavorful & juicy in each bite; a must call for!

-       Pork Ribs : My start appetizer of the day; 3 huge ribs well marinated and served with BBQ sauce with a side of shredded cabbage. This was simply soft and came off the bones without any effort & each bite was a delight! Cannot afford to miss out on this one!

-       Boeuf Steak : Served as a main course for us; generous chunks of steak cooked to perfection and accompanied with baby potatoes & mushroom. Recommended for all steak lovers.

 

Desserts : Both the desserts were simply perfect; while the “New York Cheesecake” was chilled and served on a bed of smashed granola with berry compote on top; the Beeramisu was warm with the content of Kahlua and consistent mix of cream & cocoa. Almost called for a second helping of each – Do not miss out on these sweet offering at Crafters!

 

Very few places leave a lasting impression in your mind and Crafters does leave a memorable experience to my liking.

 

For the love of Eating & Drinking – Crafters is the ideal choice!

 

#FerryWharf a treat for all seafood lovers

A restaurant expands its footprint only when its doing well and after a successful run of over 2 years for their Bandra outlet; Malad gets the second outlet of Ferry Wharf (Well-Known for their Mangalorean Cuisine)

 

Located in an already established food junction area which houses vintage restaurants like Jugheads & Peking Tom to name a few but Ferry Wharf stands apart with its own distinct identity simply because of 3 main reasons :

 

-       Seafood Specialty (No seafood outlet in a decent radius to even compare)

-       Huge Dining Area (Accommodate 84 Pax in total & a separate area for private party for up to 30 Pax)

-       Lightning fast service & sheer Quality & Quantity of dishes (The best in this part of Suburbs)

 

Went for an afternoon lunch on our Republic day and the place was packed and was advised a wait time of around 15 minutes; luckily got our seats in a mere 5 minute time and was escorted to our table.

 

Started off with Fresh Lime Soda (Sweet & Salt mix), a perfect thirst quencher to beat the afternoon heat and a refreshing drink to get your appetite going!

 

Strictly decided to be on a Seafood diet only and called for the below appetizers : All items tried below are recommended and a must have depending on your personal preference in seafood!

 

-       Bombil Fry : A mandatory appetizer to be tried at any fish joint and Ferry Wharf made them a perfect golden fried and wafer crisp which was welcome deviation from the standard version. Loved munching on these 4 pieces served along with in-house tamarind chutney.

 

-       Butter Garlic Squids : Super tasty and oodles of butter & minced garlic along with coriander and spring onion completed the spice touch on this one. Add perfectly cut and loads of squid rings to this mixture and enjoy this delicacy. There was perfect balance of each ingredient without influencing the taste of Squid as well; a Squid lovers must call for appetizer.

 

-       Tiger Prawns : Option to choose from Tandoori/Ghee Roast/Butter Garlic & Hyderabadi & Per piece option available weighing in the range of 150 gm to 250 gm. Opted for Tandoori option for a piece weighing around 150 grams. Perfectly tandoored and no over-use of masala and almost the size of the spoon post preparation. Took me around 4 bites to finish them off but juicy & delectable in each bite.

 

-       Tandoori Lobster : Preparation option same as above and opted for the tandoored version again. Medium sized lobsters well-presented on a plate with the soft meat placed in between. These took no time to vanish from our plates and left us wanting for more. A must have at Ferry Wharf if you are a lobster fan!

 

-       Tandoori Rawas : My star dish of the day; a whole Rawas (Indian Salmon) fish (1.5 Feet long) bursting with flavors and served as a single piece and made to perfection. I didn’t need to use my hands to dig into this but a simple fork N knife was just enough to separate the flesh from the bones. A fish lover cannot afford to miss out on this one!

 

For Mains :

 

-       Surmai Curry & Rice : Freshly cooked in a red gravy with 2 slices of Surmai (King fish). The curry base here is coconut with minimal ingredients and really tender slices of Surmai and goes well with rice. USP for this – This will taste exactly like a dish cooked at home & will satiate your taste buds & heart.

 

Desserts : Traditional Payasam which was not too sweet & Gulab Jamun (These were perfect) made up for our sweet endings to a surprisingly perfect meal!

 

Our server Dinesh was knowledgeable and suggested couple of things we ordered & the outlet manager Mr. Denise took some time out to explain the business model and it was a delightful experience!

 

I was so content with the overall experience and yet feel like I need to be back again & soon for more!