Mumbai has many cute continental cafes and bakeries. These eateries (including The Pantry) are known for their brunches and/or pastries, so I went for lunch on the weekends during the festive holiday season.
In Bandra, there is a little cafe called Fat Mans Cafe (no apostrophe after “Man”):
There are kitschy cartoons of fat men on the wall:
Kitschy fat man quotes on another wall:
It was a few days after Christmas, so I ordered a seafood stuffed rolled pasta from the Christmas menu. I also ordered a Nutella coffee shake.
While waiting for my food and drink, I looked at my surroundings in more detail. In doing so, I noticed on a little chalkboard that Fat Mans Cafe was offering a fresh strawberry milkshake as its Christmas special (it was not listed in the Christmas menu). I asked if I could change my drink, but the waiter said that the Nutella coffee shake had already been made for me. Initially I felt disappointed, but as soon as I tasted my drink, I was really glad that the order couldn’t be changed. This Nutella coffee shake was just perfect – great texture and not too sweet. I tried not to drink too much before my food came out, but ended up finishing half of it by the time the pasta arrived (normally I try to reserve my last bite/sip for my most favorite food item so that its flavor would remain on my tongue after my meal is over).
The seafood stuffed rolled pasta was really good too; the pasta was very generously stuffed and the flavor of the sauce was delicious. I’d make this dish part of the regular menu if I were the owner of Fat Mans Cafe.
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On another weekend morning, I visited Bandra again to try out The Birdsong Organic Cafe. This cafe has rustic charm:
I first ordered a cup of hot chocolate:
This hot chocolate was excellent; it was very thick and full of flavor. At the end of the drink, I left behind the milk skin that was sitting on top of the hot chocolate.
I then ordered honey mustard chicken served on a bed of mashed potatoes and vegetables:
The honey mustard flavor was delicious, and the textures of the chicken, vegetables, and mashed potatoes were just right. However, the portion size was small; I would have preferred four or five pieces of chicken instead of three, more vegetables, and less mashed potatoes (generally I feel that mashed potatoes are just fillers).
I get a 15% discount for Organic Birdsong Cafe from my Coup card, so overall that makes this place worth a repeat visit.
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In downtown Mumbai, there is a relatively new cafe that opened up in November called The Nutcracker:
This is an eggetarian cafe (vegetarian + egg), and it is incredibly popular. Normally when I go for lunch at noon, restaurants are empty. At The Nutcracker however, I had to wait for half an hour. Granted the cafe is small and probably seats only 20-25 people, but still, waiting around noontime in Mumbai is a new experience for me. After I finally got a table, I took a look at my Christmassy surroundings:
There were interesting books behind where I sat, including E.T.A. Hoffmann’s Nutcracker. I skimmed through the book while sipping on a mint lemonade:
The mint lemonade tasted okay (I got it because it had great reviews on Zomato). It is good to order if you want a healthy-tasting drink.
I had ordered a warm Lebanese sandwich (crisp warm falafel, fresh salad, and pickles topped with garlic mayo and a spicy harissa):
This sandwich was good, but not great. Just when I started eating, the waiter asked me if I mind sharing my table with other customers. I said that I didn’t mind, so I ended up listening to other people’s conversations. One person told the other that she had been to The Nutcracker three times already, that the food is incredible, and that the black bean burger is the best. Immediately I couldn’t help regretting ordering the Lebanese sandwich. At one point, one of the girls called over the manager and said, “There is too much of sauce on the salad, it’s very pungent. I’m sorry but I cannot eat it.” The manager apologized and asked, “Is the burger okay?” The girl said, “Haan it is yum, no issues.”
I finished my meal with the seven layer cookie, which also had rave reviews on Zomato:
The seven layer cookie dessert consisted of biscuit crumble, gooey Belgian chocolate, butterscotch, and almonds served warm with vanilla ice cream. While this dessert looked good, I felt that I would have been better off sharing it with someone; I was tired of eating it halfway through because it became too sweet.
Overall, I felt that The Nutcracker is overhyped, or perhaps I didn’t order the right items. I may consider another visit to try the black bean burger.
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I used to go to Theobroma in Powai at least twice a week to buy a brownie or some other goodie after school in Gorai. The only reason why I stopped going regularly is because I don’t think regular visits would be good for my health in the long run. Normally I don’t go out of my way to buy sweets, but Theobroma’s offerings (both sweet and savory) are really good. Specifically, I like the different variety of brownies, banoffee pies (English pies made from bananas, cream, and toffee), dense chocolate cakes, and butties (fries, garlic mayo, cheese, and your choice of bacon, egg, or chicken stuffed in between toasted burger buns). I was informed that the owner of Theobroma used to work as a pastry chef for Oberoi (a luxury hotel chain throughout India), but then she decided to branch out and open up Theobroma (literally means “food of the gods”).
A few days before Christmas, I decided to eat at Theobroma’s in the downtown Mumbai location. Most people (including me) do takeout due to slow service and limited seating, but this time I decided to eat on the premises. Theobroma’s in Mumbai was very busy and crowded, making my experience less than peaceful:
I wanted to try something new, so I ordered a Parsi Akoori (spicy scrambled eggs cooked with garlic, spices, fresh herbs, and (when available) green mango) and a fruit & oat lassi (banana, apple, yogurt, oats, and apple juice). To my disappointment, the waiter told me that green mango was not available, but I went ahead with the Parsi Akoori anyway. The Parsi Akoori came out before my fruit & oat lassi did:
The Parsi Akoori tasted like a healthier version of egg bhurji sold on the streets, except I actually prefer the spicier, greasier, unhealthy street version. I looked at my nearest neighbor’s frittata and had temporary food envy.
My fruit & oat lassi tasted okay too:
It’s not bad, but it tasted like something I can make myself.
I also bought a Christmas cake (left) and a German stollen (right):
I didn’t really like either of them; the Christmas cake tasted like Indian fruit cake with rum, while the German stollen was not memorable.
I’ll continue to try new things at Theobroma, although now I know not everything there tastes great.
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There’s a small bakery in Bandra called The American Express Bakery, and unlike all the other places I have mentioned so far, this place has no seating. Generally I prefer Theobroma over this bakery, but whenever I feel like spending less money for continental baked goodies, I go to The American Express Bakery. On my last visit, I purchased a lemon flan, a spicy mutton sandwich, and two macaroons:
I have had the lemon flan before, so I knew that it would be good. It has a hint of lemon flavor and mostly tastes similar to regular flan, which I like. The spicy mutton sandwich was very spicy and flavorful. It could be improved with better tasting buns, but for the price it’s what I expected. The macaroons did not taste like macaroons at all, but they were decent in their own right. One flavor was chocolate, and I don’t remember the other flavor. I probably wouldn’t repurchase them considering that there are many other options in this bakery.
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Fat Mans Cafe
Address: Shop No. 9, ONGC Building No. 3, Kosamba, ONGC Colony, Bandra West, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400050
Phone: 022 2640 2055
Birdsong Organic Cafe
Address: Shop No. 1-5, Jenu-Jenai, Off. Hill Road, Waroda Road, Bandra West, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400050
Phone: 022 2642 2323
The Nutcracker
Address: Modern House, Dr. V.B. Gandhi Marg, Opposite One Forbes Building, Kala Ghoda, Fort, Mumbai
Phone: 022 2284 2430
Theobroma
Address: Shop 24, Cusrow Baug, Colaba Causeway, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400005
Phone: 022 2288 0101
The American Express Bakery
Address: Villa Sushma, Hill Road, Ranwar, Bandra West, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400050
Phone: 022 2641 5769
I first ordered a cup of hot chocolate:
American Foodie in Mumbai 