Navi Mumbai – My Favourite Things

Restaurant Review, Just Binge, Just Bing'g'e Vashi, Nuvofoodies, New Love In Town

Restaurant Review: Just Bing’g’e

Posted on February 8, 2016 by sudhagee

I am a lazy foodie, in the sense, that while I’m very happy to try out new types of food and check out new eateries, I am rarely willing to travel for the sake of food. I’m quite content exploring places near my house or office that keep popping up regularly. I make it a point to at least drop in once just to see what a new eatery is like.

That’s what should have happened when Just Bing’g’e opened in Vashi. I can’t remember where I heard about /came across Just Bing’g’e, but I decided not to go there, even though it was fairly close to my place.

The reason was not related to the food being served, but to the way “Bing’g’e” was spelt. The extra ‘g’ and the inverted commas around it set my teeth on edge. Consider me old-fashioned or boring (in addition to the aforementioned lazy), but I’ve never been able to understand or appreciate ‘creative’ spellings just because it sounds good or seems different or unique. I generally ignore/avoid places, things and sometimes even people with such creative spellings.

Just Bing’g’e got relegated to that category and would have remained there if not for an invite from Pooja of Nuvofoodies for a bloggers’ roundtable or a tasting at Just Bing’g’e. I did cringe when I saw the extra ‘g’ again, but the warm and personal invite from Pooja won me over, and that’s how ended up I visiting Just Bing’g’e in Vashi one evening last month.
Continue reading “Restaurant Review: Just Bing’g’e” →

Masala Table, Restaurant Review, Global Culture, Sanpada, Navi Mumbai, Indian Cuisine

Restaurant Review: Masala Table

Posted on May 24, 2015May 25, 2015 by sudhagee

Last Thursday, as I left home for work, I reminded Amma that I would not be home for dinner as it was a Restaurant Review evening.

“I remember,” Amma said. “Which restaurant are you going to this evening?”

“Masala Table at Sanpada.”

“And what kind of food will you be having there?”

“Indian food.”

“Really? I thought you don’t like to eat Indian food in restaurants !”

Amma’s statement is not exactly right. It would be more correct to say that I prefer to eat Indian food at home, and try other cuisines when I eat out. It doesn’t always work though, especially when I’m eating out with colleagues or friends and the cuisine is decided by consensus. In the case of Masala Table, the invitation to review the restaurant decided the cuisine. 🙂

Masala Table is one of the three restaurants of Global Culture, which opened in Navi Mumbai a few months back. [I had visited their 80 Days restaurant in March and had liked it very much.] Besides the 3 restaurants, it also has a bar.

Masala Table offers Indian cuisine through an a-la-carte menu and a buffet as well. The Global Culture website, which claimed to treat food as an art form, had this to say of Masala Table: “Rediscover the good old Indian aromas, Peshawari, Awadhi, Kashmiri, Hyderabadi…”

Continue reading “Restaurant Review: Masala Table” →

Restaurant Review: Rockville Deli

Posted on February 22, 2015April 22, 2015 by sudhagee

I received an Asus Zenfone 5 for review about 10 days back and I have been testing out its various features, especially the camera. All pictures in this post (except one) have been taken with that phone camera.

It was dusk when I got out of Vashi Railway Station on Wednesday last week. The weather was as perfect as it can get in my part of the world — not warm, not cold, a slight breeze and a flaming sunset to match. There was a sense of unhurriedness as people made their way out of the station and I was no different.

I was on my way to Rockville Deli to join other Navi Mumbai Foodies for a meal there with the purpose of reviewing it. According to the information sent to me beforehand, Rockville Deli was a “melting pot of global cuisine served in an innovative and alfresco dining”. I’m always intrigued by multi-cuisine restaurants, and couldn’t wait to see what Rockville had to offer that evening.

I was a little early so had the time for a leisurely stroll to the Deli, which was just a short walk away. I passed food stalls with enticing aromas and much as I was tempted to try something, it was Rockville that I quickened my steps towards.

Rockville Deli Vashi, Navi Mumbai Foodies, Restaurant Review, Continue reading “Restaurant Review: Rockville Deli” →

The Stolen Coffee Room

Posted on September 13, 2012August 21, 2014 by sudhagee

“The what? What did you say was the name of the coffee shop?” I asked with some amount of disbelief.

“The Stolen Coffee Room,” Deepa repeated patiently, with barely suppressed excitement. “You heard it right the first time.”

“The. Stolen. Coffee. Room.” I repeated slowly. “What an intriguing name.”

“It’s an intriguing name for an intriguing place,” ” Deepa declared. “You know Sudha, I didn’t want to leave this place at all and if the kids hadn’t been there with me, I probably wouldn’t have. You will love this place.”

Now I was more than intrigued. “Tell me more about this place.”

“I’m not going to tell you anything. You have to visit it and see it and experience it yourself. In fact, let’s go there together,” said Deepa.

So that’s how I came to be standing outside The Stolen Coffee Room (TSCR) with Deepa one rainy evening in July. The bright blue entrance glowed in a welcoming manner as did the neon red “Open” sign. And with a mix of anticipation and delight, I stepped inside.