Meal of the Month: Shiro, Mumbai

With this post, I hereby launch my new blogging series – ‘Meal of the Month’. While dining out was quite the usual back in Oman, the experimenting-delicacies-from-every-restaurant-in-town-run has experienced a few hurdles in our new life in Mumbai. For starters, eating out can be pretty expensive (and that really isn’t pretty when you’re living off your savings). Couple that with being generally lethargic and copping out at the thought of travelling by buses and trains, and you have two very lazy, crabby foodies, who’d rather just cook at home! It really is for the best, you know. Well, that’s how we save money, anyway! 😛

So the boyfriend and I decided to treat ourselves to a fancy meal once every month. That way we get to quench our never-dying hunger for good food, and we get to explore the many wonderful restaurants Mumbai has to offer. And what better way to kick this blogging series off than with a food review of Shiro, Mumbai. 😀

Shiro exudes the charm of the Orient rather perfectly. As you walk in, while your eyes do a double-blink to adjust to the warm lighting, you can’t help but notice – in awe, may I add – the dramatic high ceiling and the gigantic Buddhism inspired statues welcoming you. In an instant the first word that comes to mind is ‘classy’ and that in itself sets the tone for a gorgeous experience.

For our first course, we ordered the Chicken, Prawn and Shiitake Mushroom Siu Mai and California Maki. They do have an unlimited Sushi and Dimsum Lunch that comes at a premium, but we decided to go a la carte. The Siu Mai was moist and succulent with the paper thin outer coating giving way to a well-seasoned filling. But what took the show was the California Maki. I love me some Sushi and this Maki filled with crab-sticks, cucumber and Japanese spicy mayonnaise was just incredible! The different flavours and textures dancing a tango on your tongue is an experience I will never forget. Sweet, spicy and fresh, it was everything I want in Sushi! 😀

For the entree, we ordered the Korean Spicy Stir Fried Chicken and Clay Pot Japanese Rice with Chicken. Both were spectacular. The stir-fried chicken was a little too spicy to my liking, yet I enjoyed having it set my tongue on fire (weird, but true!). And the clay pot Japanese rice was a total win! With a smoked soy flavour coming through and some much needed tang and sweetness complementing it amazingly, it was one of those dishes that left me with a mental note to myself to try recreating it at home. So delish!

About now, our tummies were stuffed, and happily at that. But a meal is never complete without dessert! So, we ordered the Molten Chocolate Sesame Pops with a Philadelphia Cheese Sauce. And my, was it a treat! That smokey bitterness of the crispy white sesame paired with molten dark chocolate centres and the tangy cheese sauce was a combination made in heaven! I don’t like too much chocolate, but I couldn’t resist indulging! Just WOWW! 🙂

In all, as you can tell, Shiro was a hit with us two! The food was fabulous, the ambience warm and welcoming and the service, amazing! A big shoutout to our server Rupesh who managed to maintain the perfect balance of friendliness and professionalism, a quality that is hard to find. We had a blast, and we will definitely go back. Maybe for another meal another month… 🙂

The Foodscape’s Quick Take 

Food: 4.5/5    Ambience: 4/5    Service: 4/5    Pricing: Quite pricey, but worth it.

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Food Review – The Yellow Chilli, Muscat

On August 30, (clearly, this review has been a long time coming!) I had the pleasure of attending a bloggers’ food tasting at The Yellow Chilli in Muscat. Located at Al Mouj, Muscat (previously called The Wave), this newly opened restaurant serving Indian cuisine is a branch of The Yellow Chilli chain set up by one of the most famous Indian chefs and TV hosts – Sanjeev Kapoor.

Peru Pyaala

Growing up, I watched a lot of Khana Khazana. On the show, Sanjeev Kapoor whipped up one delicacy after another; blending cuisines and creating fusion dishes which looked pretty simple to replicate in the home kitchen. While I watched in wonder when he cooked up dishes that I thought back then were the kind that were only served in restaurants and couldn’t be made at home (yea, silly me), I sometimes cringed when a food combination he came up with didn’t appeal to my senses. I must be honest though, I was far too young to try out any of his recipes back then; and when the cooking bug bit me in my late teens, I had long since grown out of my enthusiasm to watch Khana Khazana.

My evening at The Yellow Chilli was quite delightful. Simple ambiences, casual atmospheres and fun company always make my foodie adventures so fun. But of course, the most important part is the food… 😉

Peru Pyaala in a mason jar

First up, we were served the signature Peru Pyaala – a sweet and tangy guava drink with a hit of red chilli on the rim of the tumbler. I must tell you, this was the perfect welcome. The flavours were aptly blended, and the real hero was the kick of the chilli powder complementing the drink! It was pure bliss to my very Indian taste buds. Simply refreshing!

Warning: If your palate is not accustomed to high levels of spice, please be informed that the chilli in the Peru Pyaala brings with it quite a distinct punch.

When ordered off the menu, the Peru Pyaala is served in mason jars. I would have loved it if we were served a regular serving  (yes, I could drink all of that!) but I think, with the chilli on the rim, it is incredibly hard to drink directly out of a mason jar and if you use a straw, you would miss out on the chilli kick! Dilemma!

Dahi Puri

We were then served two kinds of soups – a Coconut and Shrimp Shorba and Tomato Basil Shorba. While the former was creamy and coconuty with a succulent shrimp on a stick, the latter is among the most loved dishes on the menu. Light and healthy, the Tomato Basil Shorba is bursting with flavour. Definitely a must-try!

Next up was the Dahi Puri. A less messy take on the Mumbai street-food classic, these little crispy puris were filled with mashed potatoes, yogurt and a minty and sweet chutney. A great combination of flavours and textures.

And then came my favourite dish of the evening. The Palak Pattha Chaat! This was simply amazing. An appetizer of crispy fried spinach topped with a yogurt sauce, mint chutney, date chutney and garnished with pomegranate seeds, the Palak Pattha Chaat was out-of-this-world-delicious. The crackly crunch of the spinach paired with the the creaminess and tang of the yogurt and the sweet and spicy chutneys not to mention the little pomegranate pearls was a mesmerising dance of flavours and textures on my taste buds – an experience I very much enjoyed! 😀

Palak Pattha Chaat

Here’s another look at my favourite dish at The Yellow Chilli… 🙂

We were then served a host of other appetisers. Here are a few that I enjoyed. 🙂

Chana Jor Garam Tikki – Mildly spiced yet flavourful, these tikkis were crispy on the outside and mushy on the inside. Quite yum!

Chana Jor Garam Tikki

Lemon Grass Chicken Tikka – Succulent cubes of chicken marinated in fragrant lemon grass and yogurt; reminded me of a comforting Thai curry. 🙂

Lemon Grass Chicken Tikka

Papaya Peanut Kachumber – Sweet, tangy and crunchy, this salad was heartening! 🙂

Papaya Peanut Kachumber

Khastha Kaju Chicken – This was another appetizer that I really loved. These little chicken patties were coated with crushed cashews and tossed in Indo-Chinese spices; sweet, zesty and delicious! 🙂

Khastha Kaju Chicken

Raan Buzzkazi – This dish tasted wonderful – slices of lamb leg cooked well until tender and bursting with flavours. The downside, I felt it was too heavy for a starter.

Raan Buzzkazi

By the end of the starters, I was near full and I could barely stomach the idea of eating main course. But I tried my best to get a taste of everything. We had the Mangalorean Fish Curry that I did not enjoy very much owing to the fact that I’ve had plenty of that over the years, thanks to my Mangalorean roots. The Lalla Mussa Dal (black lentil gravy) was just okay; a little too sweet and overly creamy for my liking. While the Mushroom Mutter Hara Pyaaz (mixed vegetables cooked in spices) was quite nice, I found the Shaam Savera (spinach koftas stuffed with creamed cottage cheese in a buttery gravy) to be a little odd tasting. Being a The Yellow Chilli signature, I expected to love it, but I didn’t enjoy it; the texture of the koftas didn’t appeal to me and the gravy was too sweet. The Murgh Noormahal Biryani (chicken biryani) was okay; the saffron was a tad bit overpowering and since I love myself a good spicy biryani, I was not very pleased by it.

Shaam Savera

While I did have a great time at The Yellow Chilli, I was a little disappointed by how uninspired the main course seemed as compared to the appetizers. While the first course was an array of innovative takes on Indian classics, the main course didn’t wow me. As for dessert, well, I missed out. By the end of main course, we had already been two-and-a-half hours into the dinner and it was late, hence I couldn’t stay. I will be back though, hopefully…

The Foodscape’s quick take…

Location: Al Mouj – since I live all the way in Wadi Kabir, it’s much too far. But for those living around Seeb, it’s great.

Cuisine: Indian   Food:3.5/5   Ambience: 3/5

Recommended: Peru pyala, palak pattha chaat, khasta kaju chicken, lemon grass chicken and raan buzzkazi.