14 April,2009 07:36 AM IST | | Manish Gaekwad
WHAT's ON stepped into the all-new family restaurant in the hottest pocket of Oshiwara, to find it serving the coldest fare The ambience at Cafe Indilite, Oshiwara Pics/Manish Gaekwad
It is like stepping into a Super Mario Brothers video game; Cafe Indilite has been designed so that walls are splotched with cartoon figures and bubble gum colours frozen in animated time. You might feel like a dwarf in a kiddie tent. The al fresco dining area has tambourine-shaped lights dangling precariously over the fate of every empty table. The place is spacious and predictably laid out, with family fitting furniture.
On the menu: The traditional way of serving Momos is to steam them and arrange them in a hot case. But as if that wasn't enough to announce the cafe's special Chilly Momos (Rs 100) recipe, our senses were assaulted by what landed on the table, greased in oil and garnished with olive green and canvas yellow bell pepper rings the size of ear hoops. Oddly, the momos were shaped like henna packets. Sullen faced, we ate, since we aren't purists anymore. Not only was the dough chewy, the black-peppered cabbage filling killed our appetite. About momos, we repeat, good momos, no one can eat just one. It's an endless love affair.
Crispy Chilly Potato (Rs 95), again served with capsicum, was just oily gunk. We ordered Khus Ki Bahar (Rs 70) and Jaljeera (Rs 50) to wash down our grubby fare. The thing about ordering a pizza at a non-pizza place is that business becomes all the more shady when the waiter cannot hear what size you want the pizza to be. So in a slightly above the din tone, he screeches, "How many inches, sir?" Very suggestive! Kids will love this place, where you can play-act your food as no food.
Service: There is no hope in a place that does not replace your Khus Ki Bahar when you complain that "it's all soda boss, no khus, no bahar." The fact that they were prompt with the rest of the order was perhaps token for the quality of food. We think the place is expensive. Who charges 55 bucks for a Watermelon Juice? You could carve a sturdy helmet out of one of those watermelons for that price and wear it to keep your cool in this heat.
One last thing (this has become a bane in all our reviews): why were they friggin' playing death metal on the soundbox? Remember Jiah Khan in Nishabd? Take (Indi) lite.
At: Reliable Pride, opposite Heera Panna Mall, next to City International School, Oshiwara, Andheri (W), Mumbai. From 8.30 am to midnight.
Call: 40108222
Cafe Indilite didn't know we were there. WHAT's ON reviews anonymously and pays for meals
