Saravanaa Bhavan

This was a fun gathering after school dinner with my friends. One of my friends suggested getting some good Indian food. So we organized an outing at Saravanaa Bhavan on his recommendation.

Before arriving, I did not know they only had vegetarian menu! I thought this was going to be bad haha because I am a carnivore. Also, I was recovering from a cold today so did not want to eat anything too spicy or deep-fried. However, I was so hungry that I could eat anything, and I believed my friend when he said the food would be good!

One of my favourite foods is potato, so I decided on the Rava Masala Dosa $8.50 (Cream of wheat & rice crepe stuffed with spicy potatoes & onions). The wait for the food was a little long, but all my friends waited until everyone's food was here, awesome!

My food finally arrived! This is definitely a new type of presentation for me, the food arrived in a futuristic metal tray! I tried the sauces on the side with my fork and they were all very good. I did not really use much of the sauces after because I did not want to eat anything spicy. The crepe itself was delicious! The whole thing is very crispy and thin, yet not too hard. The stuffing of spicy potatoes and onions was hot (temperature-wise) and not too spicy. I really liked it, it was just the right level of saltiness. In the end, that's all I had and it was enough to make me full even though I was super hungry before.

Overall: An Indian restaurant I would come back to if I am going for Indian food with friends.

Cafe Mumbai

I'll be honest, this is probably my first time having authentic Indian food. I was peer-pressured by my friends to try it, and they actually took me here, so let's see how it goes.

I was not really expecting this ambiance when my friends said we were going to an Indian restaurant, but this was much better than I expected. The restaurant seems pretty clean and the washrooms were clean too (always a good sign). I really liked how they had many decorations from India on the walls, really made it feel a little like I'm eating in Mumbai.

I had a hard time picking what I should eat because essentially, the whole menu was foreign to me. I can not eat spicy, so I just randomly picked something off the menu. It was good that you can choose whether you wanted Mild, Medium, or Hot Spicy. Of course I picked Mild...

Here's what I ate:


Mango Chicken Curry with Rice and Naan $15.95     4/5
Chicken cooked with mangoes and spicy curry

 +

• Curry was not too spicy for me
• Rice (I guess this is Indian rice) was really unique because I've never had this type of rice, they were each separate and did not stick together, this was pretty good
• Naan was not too soft or hard, perfect hardness for biting
• The taste of the curry was just right, it was really good eating the curry with the rice, the tastes complemented very well

-

• The chicken itself was a little too rough for me, I would have preferred younger/smoother chicken

Vegetable Samosa $4.95     3.5/5
Pasty shell stuffed with potato and peas

+

• Served hot
• Very crispy skin
• Potato and Peas inside were soft and were not too salty, just the right taste

 

Overall: Cafe Mumbai was an interesting experience for me because it was my first time eating at an Indian restaurant. The food surpassed my expectations, however, I still do not really love the style, but it is okay for me once in a while. The service was attentive and friendly. I recommend this place if trying Indian food for the first time.