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| | The Sigfood - The Fine Wining & Dining Network Network is not currently active and cannot accept new posts | | [Mumbai] Restaurant Review : Banana Leaf | Views: 2090 | | Sep 11, 2008 2:17 pm | | [Mumbai] Restaurant Review : Banana Leaf | # | 
Mayuri Sharrma. Writer. Tarot Card Reader. | | 1 to 8, Shubham Co op housing Society, Next to United Bank of India, Juhu Versova Link Road, Andheri (West), Mumbai - 53. Tel: 26239999/26709999/26289090
Cuisine: In their own words ‘Fine Veg Dining & Coffee House’
Valet Parking: Yes
The ambience;
The restaurant is spread over a spacious area and done up to resemble a stately home of South India with wooden rafters on the ceiling and gleaming pillars, giving it a very old world charm. Really well-done R K Laxman sketches adorn the length of the walls. There is a gorgeous mural of the Madurai temple on one wall with banana leaves and brass oil lamps flanking either side of it. I specially loved the fresh and vibrant green wall (exactly the color of a banana leaf). The tables are placed too close to each other with only a wire mesh separating some. Also, the restaurant was way too noisy! Adding to the cacophony of sound was the classical music blaring in the background, which made it even worse as people were trying to talk , actually yell, over it
Staff.
The waiters were a confused lot; the ones serving our table did not understand Hindi, or English, or gestures. And we had to wait eons till we could get their attention if we needed anything at all. The maitre de was helpful though. He suggested that we were ordering way too much for 3 people and helped us with the order. (That’s a different topic altogether that the dishes suggested by him were awful!)
What we ate and drank;
Sweet Lassi (Rs 60) too thick.
Aam Panna (Rs 75) the overwhelming taste of jaljira masala hit me first (even after I stirred it well enough to develop biceps to outdo Salman Khan’s) it was way too thick for and green for an Aam Panna and I suspected ample green food color being used.
Paneer Gassi with Appams (Rs 175) didn’t taste remotely like gassi. I could only taste coarsely ground khus khus, which I am sure is NOT an ingredient used in a gassi. It actually almost tasted more paneer makhani.
Malabari Curry with Appams (Rs 175) thankfully the curry was delicious. But way too vibrantly red. Artificial food color used once again, I thought.
Appams (Rs 50) were leathery. Not fluffy and light, like appams should ideally be.
Hyderabadi Biryani (Rs 150 ) it was green! Probably didn’t want the color left over from the Aam Panna to go waste! And tasted anything BUT like a biryani, Hyderabadi or otherwise! Just green rice and vegetables tossed together.
The meal rounded off with a South India paan which was delicious.
The reason I mention the use of food color repeatedly is that I am allergic to it, red food color in particular, and I had a flaming allergic attack right after this meal, confirming my suspicions of food color being used liberally.
The meal, the ambience, and the service, nothing worked for me.
Reservation is a must, and even after you’ve reserved, expect to wait a while for your table. Without a reservation, expect to wait for an hour, or more. The options, for while you wait, are either standing on the footpath outside the restaurant or under the makeshift canopy in the verandah of the restaurant.
Private Reply to Mayuri Sharrma. Writer. Tarot Card Reader. | | Sep 13, 2008 5:40 pm | | re: [Mumbai] Restaurant Review : Banana Leaf | # | 
dharma bum | | we went there when it first opened and i wrote about this on burrp...
the rasam was an insult to the palate of any self respecting south indian.
as for the food itself, the less said the better. i was taught as a child that one should not insult the hosts at a dining table but in this case i will gladly make the exception.
cheers
s
Private Reply to dharma bum | | Sep 14, 2008 3:11 pm | | [Mumbai] Restaurant Review : Banana Leaf | # | 
Rajesh Pandey | | From the way you describe the Lounge Mayuri, I will never step in there!
BTW, are not Lassi and Aam Panna north Indian?
If my granny is right, Aam Panna is prepared when Loo (not the toilets, but the hot westerly winds) take's toil on people of Tarai region of UP and Bihar! Is there something similar in south as well??? Private Reply to Rajesh Pandey | | Sep 14, 2008 4:48 pm | | re: [Mumbai] Restaurant Review : Banana Leaf | # |
A_M | | Little bit offthe main subject of the string.......
I dont know about Bihar & UP & the loo but Aam panna is definitely a maharashtrian drink (especially from kokan region) which is mainly made from kairi i.e. kachcha Aam. Its main purpose is to beat the heat of the season.
Maharashtrian, UP, Bihar or South Indian, lets keep it aside & say its an Indian dish. Main thing is to gulp it down & enjoyy!!!
Back to Banana Leaf.....
- AMoghPrivate Reply to A_M | | Sep 15, 2008 6:31 am | | re: re: [Mumbai] Restaurant Review : Banana Leaf | # |
Mayuri Sharrma. Writer. Tarot Card Reader. | | @ dharma bum
I agree!
@ don quixote
Skipping this restaurant would be one of the better choices you will make:0)
Private Reply to Mayuri Sharrma. Writer. Tarot Card Reader. | | |
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