Villa Vandre by Tanvi Oak

The thing about breakfast places is that they have a reserved place in my heart (and stomach) and they usually determine the rest of my day. So when I headed to Villa Vandre for breakfast, it was safe to say that my day was a good one!

The place is slightly tiny but very welcoming, it has about 5 tables so you mostly end up waiting outside. While we waited for about 15 minutes, I ordered some Peach Iced Tea and it’s probably the FIRST place to get it right. Very little sweet with perfect amount of ice and a refreshing flavour.

Peach Iced Tea

When we finally got our seats, I chose to order the huge Villa Vandre Breakfast and trust me, you DO need an appetite to finish it. There’s quite a few options to make your breakfast, I went with Scrambled eggs, chicken sausage and bacon. The Scrambled eggs were nice and runny as I had requested which they perfected to my palette and the sausage was soft and very juicy on the inside. The bacon didn’t particularly please me as they fried it a tad bit much which gave it the burnt flavour.

The Traditional Breakfast

I particularly like the toast they serve which are two huge slices of bread and I could only finish one. I nibbled on a bit of the French Toast Tanvi Kataria had ordered and though she didn’t quite enjoy it, I loved it! That’s definitely my order the next time instead of the Villa Vandre breakfast. The juice that accompanied my breakfast was a Watermelon juice and it was pretty nice too, wasn’t too dilute so; yay!

French Toast

Now, to heaven. Sushant Hiray ordered the Cheese and Ham omelette and I do not exaggerate when I say that the cheese was so divine that it literally made me smile when I stuffed it in my mouth. There was an overload of cheese so much so that strands of cheese literally had to be separated manually! Good choices in life.

Cheese Omlette

To end the meal, we ordered the Pancakes with Maple syrup. That could have been a bit more fluffy and we also found it slightly undercooked. Maybe, it was just that once as I’ve heard nice things about their Pancakes otherwise.

Pancakes with Maple syrup

On another occasion I happened to try some other dishes. We tried the Raspberry drink there and it was slightly on the sweeter side which is why I didn’t quite reach the bottom on the glass.

Raspberry

For the mains, I ordered the Aglio Olio pasta with chicken and I think it’s actually the first non-cream pasta that had me craving for more. Also, they are very generous with all the toppings so I’m definitely giving them a thumbs up for that. The moment I had my first bite, I could taste the subtle flavours coupled with plenty of butter. Divine. The next dish was the Seeded Tune Bagel Sandwich which is not quite appetizing. The bagel was burnt way too much due to which it was bitter and it literally hurt to chew it. Two bites are all I had. It’s a definite no-no.

Seeded Tune Bagel Sandwich

Aglio Olio Pasta with Chicken

Love the service, love the cosy atmosphere. A definite try for a wholesome breakfast. Food gets a 7/10 from my side.

Bombay Blues (Phoenix Market City)

Bombay Blues has been a part of Mumbai since those days when it was called “Bombay” (I still prefer calling it Bombay). This chain is decades old and it belongs to the same group that owns Cream Center, New Yorkers, Copper Chimney, etc. Back in school, the day exams got over, the whole group used to have lunch at Bombay Blues. It was somewhat a tradition. This time, we were a group of around 20 to 25 people. We had had a fantastic Bowling session in the mall. Lifting those 10 pound balls required an effort and at the end of the game, we were all extremely hungry. There was a 25 minute waiting period in Cream Center. Exactly above cream center, we saw this Bombay Blue outlet which had the tables ready to accommodate all of us. No second thoughts were given. We went in and took our seats. Here is my take on:

Cream Centre, Lower Parel.

Cream Centre has been a part of Mumbai since much more than a couple of decades now. What I remember is that I had my first exposure to Italian and Mexican cuisine over here. Also, this is the first place where I had the Sizzling Brownie with ice cream speaking of which, I can recollect that significantly burnt tongue. It was a consequence of taking the first bite in haste. As an aftermath, the taste buds of my tongue were numbed for quite many days. In all these many years of its existence, this iconic place has had its own share of highs and lows. In the wake of severe competition, I see them struggling and striving hard for survival. It was a random weekday lunch plan with some awesome newly made friends right before our training session. Here is my take on:

Red Indian Sizzlers

On a weekday, after a round of shopping in Infiniti Mall, we headed straight to Red Indian Sizzlers. I have been to this place 3 to 4 times and my last visit was at least more than a couple of years ago. Here is my take on:

The Ambience: It’s quite a brightly lit up place. Couple of sofas on either side of a table comprises the seating arrangement majorly. The ambience has very much remained the same in all these years. Nothing extravagant as far as the interiors or the décor is concerned. With some of the best Backstreet Boys numbers crooning in the background, it all seemed lovely. We were having a good time.

VarieTEA

I have come across some lovely concepts in Vadodara and VaireTEA is one such concept. A part of a bungalow has been converted into a café, which is known for its teas. My cousin is a big fan of this place and since we had an hour to kill in our otherwise packed schedule, we landed at this place to sip some cold beverages in the scorching and sultry Gujarat heat.

They have outdoor seating in the lawns, which remained empty during the day owing to the cruel sun overhead. The AC section on the lower level was full and hence, we were guided towards the upper section. The interiors are simple yet cool. The seating arrangements are well spread. They have a long table alongside their wall with heightened stools, linearly aligned. Every table has a bell (like the ones we keep in a temple in our house), which has to be used to call for the attendants. Simple but a lovely concept. The best part was their one particular seating area on the lower floor. It had a low table with cushions on the ground level itself. The best place to laze out with a group of friends.