Mumbai Food: American diner-style eatery in Bandra is a crowd-pleaser

With a menu peppered with American diner-style comfort food, a new eatery looks set to be a crowd-pleaser among fans of fast food

Chef Meldan D'Cunha, who gave us Soul Fry, when regional cuisine eateries were still in their embryonic stage, and Casa Soul Fry, now brings to Mumbai's shores an American diner-style eatery — New York City Diner. Interestingly, this Bandra Reclamation eatery opened just a few days after he shut down his restobar, The Local, in Fort.

A small, cosy space paying homage to all things New York — from the kitschy pop culture posters on the walls to the apple red couch and metallic chairs — this diner exudes a relaxed vibe that seems to be attracting students by the droves. We are told by the manager that the inspiration came to chef D'Cunha on a recent trip to the US when he was there for his daughter's wedding and was bowled over by the food truck scene in New York and neighbouring New Jersey.

Disco bacon fries

And so, we take a cue from that and call for disco fries (Rs 220), a New Jersey diner classic. Slathered in a yummy cheese sauce and sprinkled with bits of bacon, olives and BBQ chicken, the generous portion of potato fries makes for an ideal start. Though described as a single slice on the menu, the jalapeno and basil pizza slice (Rs 150) comes to our table cut in three hefty wedges, each one an explosion of molten cheese and herbaceous basil with the piquant-sour hit of pickled jalapeno rounding it off perfectly.

Coconut spritzer

The cranberry spritzer (Rs 40) is ho-hum and bland, but its buy-one-get-one-free accompanying coconut spritzer (Rs 40) has a unique, creamy taste that makes it more milkshake than carbonated drink. Speaking of milkshakes, the blueberry and jim-jam Manhattan extreme shake ('240) using the delicious berry overload ice cream by Koldplay is worth every paisa, and calorie too!

Blueberry and jim-jam extreme milkshake. Pics/Ashish Raje

Incredibly messy, the kind that requires a minimum of five paper napkins to clean up, the lamb sloppy joe (Rs 240), accompanied by a moat of crisp tapioca chips, is all the things a great sandwich should be. But disappointment rears its ugly head with the duo of dry, under-stuffed chicken cafreal buns (Rs 120) that we suspect is a sort of one-off ode on the menu to The Local. Avoidable.

For mains, we settle for a few diner classics, one of which takes the form of a plate heaped with biscuits and chicken gravy (Rs 280). A chunky, minced chicken white sauce gravy jazzed up with pepper and nutmeg, slathered over six buttery, crumbly savoury biscuits and topped off with a shredded omelette is one of the best renditions of the southern American dish we have ever eaten. Another south classic, the shrimps and grits with bacon (Rs 380), is the comforting sum of six to eight juicy, plump crustaceans cooked with cheese and bacon, sat atop a bed of buttery grits, which is a savoury porridge made from coarsely ground cornmeal, butter and milk, and drizzled with chilli oil to cut through all that richness.

While we will return just for that one single dish, there's more that we'd like to try the next time we're there. Buttermilk fried chicken, we have our eyes on you.

Time 11 am to 11 pm
AT Shop no 20, ONGC Colony, opposite Lilavati Hospital, Reclamation, Bandra West.
CAll 9820282522

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!