Romance on V Day. Valentine’s Day takes on a wholly new meaning when kids come into the scene! And if they are all of 10, it takes on different hues too! So, on 14 Feb 2012, Miya Beewi and Bachhi decided to hunt for as-yet unexplored terrain for dinner. The conditions were simple - good food (read ’non veg’), proximity to our home (which meant only South of Marine Lines) and inexpensive, with good ambience definitely getting a few points if coupled with all the above. And the location above drastically cuts down on the number of options available with the cost factor counted in, for PLUs (People Like Us!)!
Homing In. The trio finally homed in on a new place that had opened up at Regal circle, next to Cafe Royal and Dave Brothers, the camera shop. The name "Nitya Sagar" first didn’t make the grade with us, with first impression suggesting it was a veg joint of the Udipi kind! Not our choice for such a night when hunger was fanning molecular explosions along gastric passages! Then came the Menu Board, which said "Chinese, Indian, Continental, South Indian.."! Oof, another of those, which just wanted to lure folks in, and had one cook throwing up whatever he could, tasting similar, but responding to different names! The place wasn’t really an Opera House either, with a total capacity of about 40 at a stretch! Some raw plywood lining one side of the counter, a new TV box on one glass wall and too may waiters hovering around the 6 people seated at the 8 tables din’t really help in boosting the image of the place or to promise us paradise within and beyond those glass doors. But risk taking was our family middle name, and we entered!
Menu &The Order. I love doing things fast, and one of those that qualify is skimming a menu, which empowers me within 30 seconds with decision-making ability whether to sit or run. And this one has a simple (looking) Menu card, which yelled "Sit". Nothing on the cards cost more than Rs 170, as a rule, and started at Rs 70 a soup. We went berserk, which is a polite way to say we all ordered our own dishes separately. The pitfall, despite the euphoria, is that I end up having to polish off all the plates, since the enthusiasm in my wife and daughter are highest when ordering, with it at half-mast when starting to eat and vanishing when they are done with a quarter portion! So when they ordered, I did my stretches. At least, the imagination didn’t need to be stretched, the budget would be met! So here is the list of the A La Carte with "The Tall, Dark Bloke Pays" writ all over it that night!
Tomato Basil Soup (Spanish way)
Greek (Chicken) Salad
Tandoori Pomphret (decently sized)
Chicken Barbeque
Fish and Chips
Chicken Teriyaki
Yes, that was for 2 persons (wife and daughter equated to ONE!)
Freebies. Perhaps V-Day, or perhaps again, newly opened; for one of the two reasons, we were given a plate with 5 choco-coated strawberries on arrival, first. Or perhaps they knew a beneficial target (human dust bin) when they saw one. And of course, white and red heart balloons for the kid, which kept her entertained for a good 45 seconds, before going off again with "Bhoookh"!
My Favourite "Water" Call. I love doing this whenever they ask "Sir, water, mineral or Regular?". I always quickly respond with "Regular. Mineral se pet kharab ho jayegaa" :) And this guy smiled a big one at that! Anyone who appreciated my stupid sense of humour is a hot favourite with me, you see! :)
Ambience and Decor. Nothing much to write home about on these counts, which means "Dont go here on a first date if your date happens to be Page 3 material". The decor, glass walls and all, were just getting into place, and the finishes are perhaps being funded through ongoing business. But cleanliness and fresh air were easily discernible.
Presentation & Taste. The cream in the Greek salad was broken and thick, more like curd. The Teriyaki could have been a shade darker. Those are the cribs upfront. The rest was blissful. The chicken barbeque is something I recommend for sure, right at the beginning. If you don’t lick your fingers at the end of it, the only reason would be that you wear gloves! The pomphret tandoori was made-to-order-spicy and after personal selection of the victim by yours truly. I could also see a couple of giant crabs and lobsters being displayed at the next table to a ’foren’ couple who seemed thrilled. The presentation would score a 3.5/5 on an average; would have given a 4, if it had been sans the Greek salad cream. Overall, taste scored a 4/5.
Service. The waiters were raw, but clean, quick, dedicated and smiling. There was a feel about the entire place that everybody was eager to please, looking to grow. At multiple times through the dinner, they came around to check for "Comments", and were very receptive of suggestions/ criticism, and always thanked at the end of the chat.
Dessert. Space constraints prevented rounding off with a dessert, but the fact also was that they didn’t have any ’wonders’ on the menu in that department! Just the ice cream, gulab jamum, gajar halwa routine!
Budget. If someone had listed the above dishes to me, and given away the location, I would have easily said "Rs 1300". But the gross, including taxes (which is something I love, when rates on the Menu are full-and-final) came to Rs 980! That is simply IT! A whole huge and stretching dinner for sub-thousand!
Shyam Says. Go Right In, if you value the "taste and cost" balance, with decent ambience and decor thrown in with great feel and spirit. Don’t try your luck here if you are looking to blossom romance, unless both of you are confirmed foodies. And go easy on the Yank accent darlings, if you want the best service! :) I am willing to bet that you don’t get such good food at such rates anywhere within a mile of Regal Junction. And that is a self-certified foodie saying that!
I would recommend the Chinese and Tandoori cuisines, than the continental, personally, though it would take another 2 trips and more dishes to be conclusive on that one! And a place like this one deserves patronage to help it grow, for sure!
Do let me know your comments if you have been there, or, on the contents of this "Intro" :)
Ciao
Shyam