Review: Ahmed Bhai Bry and Dry, Nerul, Navi Mumbai

When craving for some authentic Tandoori Chicken and its weekend too so this combination definitely calls for eating out. Again, my Zomato app helped me out in searching some good restaurant serving some delicious tandoori chicken in Navi Mumbai. After exploring about this place Ahmed Bhai's Bry and Dry in Nerul, the ambience and sitting arrangement with some good reviews about the food attracted me to visit the place.


Ambience: We reached the place around 8:30 pm. To my expectation, the waiting time as communicated to us was about 30 minutes which eventually became 40 minutes. The restaurant has two kind of sitting arrangement - one was Shamiyana and Dastarkhan arrangement while the other one was like an average restaurant with a normal sitting arrangement, ofcourse, nothing much to talk about. We decided to opt for Dastarkhan and Shamiyana sitting arrangement. Shamiyana is more like a private cabin in which your dining space is seperated from others by nice curtains and it gives you an isolated space to dig and only enjoy your food without peeing into others orders and tables ;) Dastarkhan was just like the traditional dining space where you sit on the ground (by ground I mean no chair or couch) and food is served on the table. The ambience was pretty good  and different which I liked about this place.

Food:  This meal has to be full of chicken dishes. So, we ordered Chicken Chilli Milli Tikka, Tandoori chicken and Chicken Dum Biryani followed by Kesar Pista Kulfi to mark the completion of the meal.

Chicken Chilli Milli : This tikka was spicy, nicely coated with spices and flavorful. Served with big dry red chillies coated with the same marination as those of chicken pieces. The tikka was topped up with some cream which added more flavors to it. Overall, the chicken tikka was succulent and delicious.

Chicken Leg Tandoori : My main focus about this dinner was on Tandoori Chicken definitely as this was one reason for visit, which didn't impress me at all. The chicken pieces were nicely cooked and it was juicy but somehow the margination and the amount of oil in it didn't work for me. So I would suggest to skip it.

Chicken Dum Biryani: Aromatic, perfectly cooked rice grains, nicely coated chicken pieces makes a biryani delicious and yes, it is what all I got in the Biryani served to us. They offer you an option to add more spicy rice if you want your biryani to be more masala-laden. Overall, I loved the Biryani served to us.

Kesar Pista Kulfi:  I have a sweet tooth and believe the meal should end with a dessert. So, after so much of spicy food ordered this kulfi. I am very particular about the sweetness of the sweet dish....confused? Well, I mean excess amount of sweetness also spoils the dish. Therefore, this kulfi was perfectly sweet and we relished it completely.

Service: Service is something which they have an immense focus. Be it the manager or the person taking our orders. He was continuously apologizing us for the delay in getting seated or for the delay in order as the place was crowded being a weekend.


Overall, my experience at Ahmed Bhai's Bry and Dry was good and I would recommend this place to experience the different sitting arrangement along with good food.

Total Rating: 4/5

My opinion and words are not biased and the review is totally based on my experience at the restaurant. But rightly said, “Food is subjective and everyone has own taste” so kindly exercise your own discretion, with the understanding that this is reviewer’s personal opinion.  

Review: Tiffin Box etc, Sakinaka, Mumbai

I was invited for the grand opening of Tiffin Box etc third outlet in Saki Naka, Mumbai. Luckily I was in that part of the city so decided to attend the event. Don't get confused by the name 'TiffinBox', this place has much more to offer. The idea behind the name 'TiffinBox etc' as explained by Mr. Ashwani Basantani, Brand Head is that the working class should not bring their tiffin boxes with them as they offer a big grand lunch buffet which includes the regional Indian specialities from four metropolitan cities namely Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Kolkatta. One can also enjoy the A-la-Carte option with families and friends. They are also launching new website www.tiffinboxetc.com  for online orders and payments.

Ambience: The restaurant has 104-seats at Sakinaka and exhibits a contemporary ambience, which makes you feel comfortable in its casual setting and vibe. 

Food: The restaurant offers a scrumptious buffet at an introductory price of INR 399 (all inclusive) during lunch. The restaurant’s signature menu includes both an extensive vegetarian & non- vegetarian dishes. The items I tried from their buffet spread:

AamPanna: The refreshing aampanna had a homely taste with a perfecty balanced taste of sweet and sour. The much-needed drink after travelling in summers.

Appetizers: After totally getting confused from where to begin with as the spread was really huge I decided to start with appetizers. I tried mini samosa, glaouti kebabs, chana dal kebabs and mushroom tandoori. All the items very tasted good. I tried murg dahi bhalla which was an interesting twist to the normal dahi bhalla we usually have. The buffet had the various variant of veg and non-veg curries from different regional specialities.

                                                            Gatte Ki sabzi

                                                           Mirch Ka Salan

                                                   Rabri falooda

Service: Service was fast and the staff was courteous. They were ensuring to provide the best of service.

Overall a new good addition to the list of restaurants in SakiNaka. This new outlet  has a Bar too that will enhance your dining experience.
You can  follow them on Twitter, Zomato and Instagram.

Note: Pictures used in the post are mainly provided by the TiffinBox etc, few clicks are mine.

My overall rating is: 4/5

My opinion and words are not biased and the review is totally based on my experience at the restaurant. But rightly said, “Food is subjective and everyone has own taste” so kindly exercise your own discretion, with the understanding that this is reviewer’s personal opinion.

Review : Cafe 70 Beans, Sanpada, Navi Mumbai

Navi Mumbaikars often feel that this part of the city misses out on cool and happening cafes compared to the other part of Mumbai. Well, Cafe 70 beans is definitely an addition to your good books of cafes where you can actually relax and spend quality time with friends and family. The cafe has already made its name in the most visited cafe list in Navi Mumbai by Zomato. Wondering why its named 70 beans not 60 or 80? Because its believed that 70 roasted coffee beans, is what it takes to brew one prefect cup of coffee. 70 beans and perfection are synonyms of each other in terms of coffee.

My visit to this cafe happened on Saturday as I was invited for a blogger's meetup by Navi Mumbai Foodie Junkies Team and Reshma Badi.
Ok, so let talk about my experience:

Ambience: Classic rock music, live band performance, a pool table, board games, free WIFI...ahhh.. do I need to say more !! The place has amazing positive vibes where you can have a wholesome "Koffeetainment" experience.

Food: They have an extensive menu which includes pasta, sandwiches, buns, toasts and the beverages list is also long ranging from hot and cold coffee beverages, mocktails and teas.  The items that I tried were:

AamPanna Cooler: Unlike the other places where I had this cooler, before this was a thick shake kind. It was very refreshing with a balance and pleasing sweet and salty taste and it is perfect choice for summers to beat the heat.

Spicy Cheese Garlic Bread: This garlic bread was way too tastier than the previous garlic bread I had before. The garlic bread had a generous stuffing of corn and garlic with a humble amount of cheese over it. Delicious and worth a try I must say.

Spicy Chicken Cheese Garlic Bread: This garlic bread was the one you'll fall immediately in love with from the first bite itself. The chicken stuffed garlic bread with cheese is a combination which will make you ask for more. It had a perfect balance of spices and cheese and gave a complete burst of flavors from the first bite itself. So, yes it is on my recommendation list.

Coffee Reloaded:

Mojito:

Chicken BBQ Sandwich:

Mushroom Cheese Steak Sandwich:

Pita Bread with Chicken and Hummus:

I tried these three items from their menu but there is a lot more which I will try in my next visit.

Service: The staff was very courteous and the service was fast. The owner couple were ensuring to leave no gaps in the service.


My overall experience at 70 Beans was amazing and the place had left a good impression on me which means my next visit to this place is confirmed :)



You can visit their website: http://www.70beans.in/  for more details. And can also follow them on Twitter, Zomato, Facebook and Instagram.

Thanks again Navi Mumbai Foodie Junkie Team for inviting me and introducing me to this new place.



My opinion and words are not biased and the review is totally based on my experience at the restaurant. But rightly said, “Food is subjective and everyone has own taste” so kindly exercise your own discretion, with the understanding that this is reviewer’s personal opinion.

Restaurant Review: Hyderabad Xpress, Andheri West

 I like exploring new food joints but don't like to travel far for food. Being in Navi Mumbai, I prefer exploring places near me or in Navi Mumbai only. After all, new joints are opening every day here too. The review of Hyderabad Xpress is one such case where the food traveled to me. Don't believe me! But this is true, it happened when one fine day I received a mail from Mr. Aamer introducing me to Hyderabad Xpress and expressed his interest in sending some Biryani for tasting and feedback. I thought this is one such place where things can't work out as I will not travel and Biryani getting delivered from Andheri to Kharghar is a rare event which is not gonna happen ( bulk order being an exception of course). But, these guys are so passionate towards the idea of making Authentic Hyderabadi Biryani reach all over Mumbai that they made this delivery of food possible.

So, the food got delivered to my place and to my surprise it was hot.  Nicely packed and sealed these packets contained Chicken Dum Biryani and Chicken Tawa Biryani. The boxes contained Mirch ka Salan and the dessert Double ka Meetha.

Chicken Dum Biryani: Trust me, when I say the moment we opened the packet the aroma of spices was heavenly and made us gorge over the food. The long grains of rice were perfectly cooked and amazingly blended with spices and flavors. The texture of the rice was exactly as I like and believe it should be. I have had Biryani at various places before also but this one was really awesome. I had Biryani in Hyderabad at the very famous "Paradise restaurant"(who claim to be one of the best) but  it failed to make any impression. But, this was an absolute delight. Accompanied with Mirch ka salan which makes it more finger licking. The chicken pieces were nicely cooked and well coated with spices. The quantity is more than sufficient for two people. If you want your Biryani to be more masala laden ask for 'double masala'. The cost of full Biryani is Rs 210 which is a complete value for money.

Chicken Tawa Biryani: This is another Biryani variant which is available at Hyderabad Xpress. The boneless pieces of chicken were very well coated with spices and the masala. Me being a lover of spicy food found this little less appealing than the Authentic Dum Biryani may be because of the slight sweetness that the masala had. But, no worries as the mirch ka salan balanced it and gave the spicy punch. The quantity was again more than sufficient for two people. The cost of Rs 210 which is value for money.

Mirch Ka Salan: I have to say I have tasted salan previously at one or two places only and never liked it. But the salan they serve with the Biryani was absolute savory and flavorful. Most of the places in Mumbai serve raita with Biryani but this is actually something which enhances the taste of the biryani and makes it spicy and yummy. So, for me, this was a complete hit.

Double ka Meetha: Well, I am also one of those who believe that the meal is not complete without sweet dish at last. And this part of the meal always makes me happy so it made me happy today again the moment I took the first bite of this heavenly Double ka Meetha. Perfectly sweet, orange colored was a complete "melt in mouth". This is something not to be missed which compliment the Biryani as dessert very well. So, this was another star of the meal.

Overall Rating : 4.5/5

Hyderabadi Xpress is in Andheri(W) and a complete Biryani place which is more of a home-delivery and takeaway place. The thing I like about them is that they are sticking to complete Biryani menu in which they are really good. If you are looking out for Authentic Hyderabadi Biryani I would like to recommend this place as apart from the food, they are truly dedicated towards the idea to making the Biryani reach everywhere in Mumbai. The Chief Mr. Rajesh was very courteous and so was the delivery person.

You can visit their website: http://www.hyderabadxpress.co.in/  or call them at 022 30151829 for more details. And can also follow them on Twitter, Zomato, Facebook and Instagram.

This review wouldn't have been possible without the coordination of Mr. Aamer and Mr. Rajesh. 



My opinion and words are not biased and the review is totally based on my experience at the restaurant. But rightly said, “Food is subjective and everyone has own taste” so kindly exercise your own discretion, with the understanding that this is reviewer’s personal opinion.