What: Chicken Cafreal at Ainsley’s Grills And More, shop no 15, Bandra Silver Croft, Pali Market, opposite Sante, Bandra (W), call 9920022379/9920022539 for home delivery, Rs 150 for half plate of chicken.

Why: This new Goan and East Indian food shack home delivers dishes not unlike the ones available at Soul Fry next door: Chicken Vindaloo, Tongue Moile, Prawns Balchao and beef chili fry. bpb tried and loved the flavourful, garlicky Chicken Cafreal and well spiced Pomfret Recheado. The watery caramel custard however, didn’t travel well. Thumbs up to generous portions and double quick delivery. Speedy Gonsalves!

When: You need a Mac Pro. Shut on Mondays.

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This one's for the veggies: A yum juicy burger recipe from all-day restaurant 36 Oak & Barley.

Ingredients

1/3 cup fresh basil (finely chopped)

2 tbsp Dijon mustard

2 tbsp honey

2 tsp lemon rind (grated)

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper (freshly ground)

4 garlic cloves (minced and divided)

1 pound firm or extra firm drained tofu

Cooking spray

1/3 cup of pitted Kalamata olives (finely chopped)

3 tbsp reduced-fat sour cream

3 tbsp light mayonnaise

6 (1½ ounce) hamburger buns

6 tomato slices

1 cup of watercress (trimmed)

Method

Combine the first eight ingredients and three garlic cloves in a small bowl. Cut the tofu crosswise into 6 slices. Pat each square dry with paper napkins. Place the tofu slices on a jelly-roll pan and marinate both sides of the tofu slices with the mixture. Reserve the remaining juice mixture and let the tofu stand for one hour. Prepare the grill or non-stick pan. Place the tofu slices on grill rack coated with oil and grill for three minutes on each side. Brush the tofu with the extra juice mixture.

Combine the remaining minced garlic clove, chopped olives, sour cream and mayonnaise in a small bowl and stir well. Spread about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the mayonnaise mixture over the bottom half of each hamburger bun. Top each serving with one slice of tofu, one tomato slice, about two tablespoons of watercress and finally cover it with the top half of the bun.

 “Describe the restaurant in one sentence.” It’s a game we Scouters have played before, but rarely at a 10 am review or with such accurate results: Café Zoe, new eatery at Lower Parel is like Kala Ghoda Café on magical steroids we discovered, space, menu, wi-fi and all.

Name Game 

Allow us to present parallels: décor at both is predominantly black and white, with exposed brick walls and soaring, sloping ceilings; both boast pretty lofts populated with fat couches; both focus on breakfast, soups, salads and sandwiches; both offer free wi-fi; most importantly, both have a happy, hippy vibe, where food is prepared carefully and served casually. That Café Zoe is much larger with a full bar and a kitchen which also sends out a selection of entrees, can be accredited to the abovementioned steroids. Good drugs, these. 

Bright Shiny Morning

We went on the morning of opening day (first customers!) and focused on the breakfast and all-day menu, ordering eggs, soup, sandwiches. These included a deep bowl of salty, satiating chicken broth, swimming with matzo balls and shredded meat; and a dish of Eggs Florentine that came elegantly arranged but went messy in a minute, splattered with yolk and hollandaise sauce. Sunshine on our plate, Somewhere Over The Rainbow on the stereo. Lovely.

Bread Head

After years of detesting Valentine’s Day, you’re suddenly a believer? Ah okay, you met someone. Well, now that you’ve completed step one towards the alleged happily ever after end, let us provide you with step two – a great date place North of the Sea Link. On Friday night bpb breezed into a pretty new terrace restaurant and bar called La Patio in Andheri, where stained glass candles are the only things that come between him and her. The occasional cheesy love song does feel like the third wheel, though.

Jerk Face!

We made our way to the pretty tables perched on elevated wooden decks, but were told that these were reserved for a minimum billing of Rs 10,000. Since that kind of commitment is probably best reserved for step three, we opted for the ‘free’ seating embellished with abovementioned flames. Under the city lights we explored the limited cocktail menu, choosing the too-sweet Lynchberg, which combined litchi juice with gin, crème de cassis and a pinch of cardamom. The Acropolis fared better featuring a sweet and sour mix of Sambuca, lime and soda.

Kitsch clusters of parrots, mirror work wall hangings and bhangra music- Tandoori Kitchen has none of these. In fact, Bandra’s newest Indian restaurant (they have a Juhu branch as well) makes quite a bland first impression with staid white walls and basic furniture. It’s only when you order do you realise that all the colour and theatrics are reserved for the food. Here, ice popsicles are doused in virulent green syrup (they have a gola machine!), gulab jamuns are spiked and set ablaze and betel nut concoctions are served in shot glasses that will have you leaf stricken. Paan intended.

It’s details like these that will set Tandoori Kitchen apart from its Bandra competitors - Kareem’s, Maroosh and neighbouring Papa Pancho - we thought, hoping the taste would match up. The menu, not surprisingly, has an entire page dedicated to bounty from the tandoor, and also offers rolls, mains and dessert.

What: Café Zoe, Todi Mathuradas Mill Compound, 126 NM Joshi Marg, Lower Parel, call 24902065 / 24902066 or view or view the Facebook group here.

Why: With shutters that will go up at 7.30 am, this new brasserie, deli and bar will probably be the earliest riser in the Mill. bpb peeped in to find a 4,000 square foot industrial space with a cool angular bar, deli counter, book shelves, free Wi-fi and treats from chef Viraf Patel (formerly at Salt Water Cafe). Bonus: the menu is expected to be 25% cheaper than Indigo Deli’s. Good morning, indeed.

When: You want to kiss the Todi. Slated to open this weekend, but we suggest you call ahead.

What: Party catering by Silverspoon Gourmet, call 9820044424 or visit the Facebook page here, minimum group size of eight people, canapé menu starts at Rs 800 per head.

Why: Give Neha Manekia a couple of days notice and she’ll organise your entire party. She runs Silverspoon Gourmet, a full service catering company that provides wait staff, cutlery, bartenders and more along with fancy dishes, all of which are prepared in your kitchen. bpb tried and loved ratatouille bruschetta, mushroom mousse and sharp, tangy chicken liver pate.

When: See you cater, alligator!

All day eateries are having their moment in the sun and Café at the NCPA, with its outdoor space and palm trees, is quite literally the brightest of them all. We wish we could say the same for the restaurant’s service and food.

As we mentioned in our sneak peek, Café at the NCPA is run by chef Farrokh Khambatta and located in the garden behind Amadeus, flanked and fuelled by an open kitchen. This arrangement, while pretty, lays bare the utter chaos and confusion of the Café’s staff, which we witnessed with amusement and growing exasperation during our Tuesday lunch.

Slippery When Wet

Three different waiters came and gave us three different descriptions of what turned out to be a passable virgin Bloody Mary, described only as “Frozen Snappers” on the menu; we didn’t even bother to ask what “Red and Green” or “Splash” were, sticking instead to what we could decipher independently –oversweet, under-cocoaed chocolate and raspberry milkshake; cinnamon-spiked cold coffee and a fizzy plum and mint lemonade that was the highlight of our meal.

These arrived almost at the end of our lunch, as did mixed green dumplings – sticky and warm, but not nearly as spectacular as the ones we’d tasted during our sneak peek. If it’s Asian you’re looking for, try also tofu and greens in black bean sauce, served with a generous bowl of rice or noodles. Categorised as a “Mini Meal”, this is hearty, satisfying and good value for money, but nowhere close to the magic chef Farrokh Khambatta pulls off at his Asian restaurant Joss.

Poorly Bread

Lackluster too was a chicken burger that came on a nice bun, firm enough to hold the weight of a fat patty smothered in cheese and showered with caramalised onions. Pile on the mustard, grainy and pungent, and you’ll have a pleasant sandwich; on its own, though, the patty is tender but woefully tasteless. Much more flavourful is Black Forest ham, piled onto shards of crusty bread along with cheese, coriander paste and sweet-sharp vinaigrette. Instant fans, we asked what the dressing used was and triggered off a chain of disparate answers from mayo to mustard, none of which seemed plausible. Never mind. 

Dessert came in the form of neatly folded crepe Suzette, pregnant with juicy oranges; and cloying house butterscotch ice cream. A too-sweet ending?

Changes Ahead? 

Maybe not. Chaotic and disappointing as it might be, we’re not ready to write off Café at the NCPA just yet, for it has some good things going, including a great space; proximity to the theatre; and the expertise of one of our favorite chefs, who we’re hoping will find his bearings quick, fast and in a hurry. Amen to that.

Getting there: Cafe at the NCPA, NCPA, Nariman Point, approximately Rs 800 per head.

bpb conducts all reviews anonymously and pays for its own meals.

If Enid Blyton was commissioned to design an eatery, Freeman & Baker’s new branch at Breach Candy would be it. Think a wonderfully watercoloured world of flowery tablecloths, countryside mural, cake and tea and sandwiches. How marvelous, my dear!

New Editions

Unlike the original outlet in Juhu, the new branch comes with a fatter menu but in a smaller space (three tables only). Freshly prepared soups, salads and pastas have been introduced and the range of meats and cheeses has been widened. Owner Vishal Mehra recommends Mediterranean fattoush and smoked chicken salads; French onion soup and vegetable broth; Greek Fetuccini Athena pasta and zucchini roulade. Also check out the rare meats like pepper chorizo, emu steak, and Japanese quail that Freeman and Baker specialises in as well as Gouda cheese flavoured with wasabi or with nettles and garlic. 

Deli Routine

Freeman & Baker also offers a nice range of packaged health drinks and fresh in-house protein shakes for the (muscle) masses, and plans of serving soup-salad or pasta-salad mini-meals are in the making. The prices don’t set you back by too much either; Rs 300 for a mini-meal makes for a satisfying lunch. Bon appetit!

Getting there: Moksh Zip, ground floor, Akash Ganga building. 89, Bhulabhai Desai Road, opposite TATA Garden, 2364012.

What: Make three different pastas from scratch at bpb and Tasting Room’s pasta class, Tasting Room, Raghuvanshi Mills, Lower Parel, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to book a spot, Rs 1,300 per person.

Why: Want to know about gnocchi? Or make penne with a pen? Gracian D’Souza, head chef at the Tasting Room will teach twenty bpb subscribers the rhyme and reasons of pasta-making in a two hour hands-on session where you’ll get to do everything, from rolling dough to slurping noodles. On the menu are abovementioned penne and gnocchi, as well as open ravioli of pear, walnut and Stilton with green olive cream.

When: Visit Pasta Lane on February 4 from 4 – 6 pm. Reserve your spot now!