Restaurant review: There's a samosa in my curry

Despite its vibrant, cheery vibe, Roti Kapda Makaan's new in-house café may have gone a bit too far with some of their innovative combinations

Roti Kapda Makaan
Food: Experimental
Service: Slow
Ambiance: Cheery

When we recently dropped by at Roti Kapda Makaan in Raghuvanshi Mills on a rainy afternoon to look for gifting options, we were drawn to their newly opened in-house café. Though the idea of a cafe in a shop isn't new in Mumbai — bookstores like Crossword and Kitab Khana have been doing it for a while now — we loved the ambience as well as the variety of food options. The small but vibrant café — with chairs painted in bright red and table mats offering quirky one-liners (sample this: Vegetarian is a good word for a bad hunter) — offers only vegetarian fare. From innovative starters like Pani Puri Shots to their jar options including a Lebanese Salad, Thai Curry With Rice; desserts like Yoghurt Parfait as well as pots of different international varieties of coffee, there's lots to choose from while you indulge in some retail therapy.

This is how Biryani In A Jar is served at the cafe

Since we had deadlines to meet, we did a takeaway instead of a leisurely lunch. Their delivery service (in Lower Parel and Parel) could end up being a bit pricey as they add a delivery charge of Rs 100. We opted for the innovative Biryani In A Jar (Rs 250), Edible Spoons (Rs 220) and a Samosa Curry (Rs 270). While we were keen to try the Yoghurt Parfait for dessert, we were told it wasn't fresh enough. After a 15-minute wait, our order came neatly packed in tin foils instead of the jar and we were told that the jars were only for customers who ate in the café. Bummer.

Samosa Curry was an odd combination

The food survived the rainy ride to our workplace in Parel. We loved the concept of Edible Spoons. The crunchy lavash shaped into six spoons held three varieties of hummus —herbed cream-cheese, pesto and harissa. Non-messy and delish, each variety was distinct from the other and topped with olives. It made for a great snack. Next, we tried the biryani. We discovered that it was flawed from the word go. Unlike the typical biryani, where the rice is cooked with the veggies, this was a deconstructed version, where a portion of rice needed to be mixed with veggies along with fried onions. The rice didn't exude any aroma. When we mixed the ingredients together, the flavours disappointed, and it ended up tasting like a hastily-done veggie-rice concoction; the curd raita (cucumber and onion) was nothing to write home about. We wondered if the biryani in a jar would be a different deal altogether.

The Edible Spoons were tasty. Pics/Dhara Vora

The deconstructed Samosa Curry comprised of two baked samosas that needed to be dipped into a red coconut curry and garnished with peanuts and spring onions. The taste of the curry didn't complement the samosas that were tasty when eaten separately. The dish was a dismal experiment. While we did find great knick-knacks from the store, we'd rather stick to their snacks and Masala Chai the next time we visit their cafe.

Time: 10.30 am to 7.30 pm
At: Roti Kapda Makaan, second floor, Reproscan, Raghuvanshi Mills, Lower Parel.
Call: 24965527

Roti Kapda Makaan didn't know we were there. The guide reviews anonymously and pays for its meals

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