I recently went to Woodside Inn in downtown Mumbai to celebrate a recent marriage of one of Priam’s brother’s friends. I really like this pub because it has a cosy, chill atmosphere and comfort food (at least in my opinion). While I had been to Woodside Inn before, this second experience was much better because I was comfortably seated in the upstairs dining area surrounded by Christmas decor and laughing friends:
We had around five orders of onion rings for 10 people throughout the night:
They tasted really unspectacular, but I guess someone must have liked them a lot since it was constantly reordered despite the variety of appetizers available on the menu.
I ordered an IPA and the Woodside-Inn beef burger in a bowl with avocado, candied bacon, mushrooms, sunny side egg, lettuce, and spiced sweet potato chips:
The IPA was nice and flavorful, very pleasantly hoppy. While I was surprised to see that my dish looked more like a salad than a burger (they gave me toasted bread slices instead of burger buns), overall my dish was tasty. The only minor issues were that the avocado was very unripe and the texture of the meat seemed soggy at the end of the meal. The sweet potato chips were pretty good and spicy. The portions were just right too because when I finished, I was neither hungry nor stuffed. I had thought that I was done eating for the evening, but that turned out not to be the case (people kept ordering food to share, so I was nibbling away the whole night).
Priam had ordered filet mignon with pan seared bell peppers:
I took one bite each of the filet mignon and the bell peppers. While I’ve had better steaks in the US (most likely because Indian steak comes from water buffalos and not cows), the filet mignon at this place was still great considering how the whole dish cost less than 10 US dollars (545 rupees to be exact).
Since this outing was a celebration, we had many celebratory drinks. After I finished my meal, I decided to order a mojito:
My mojito was very minty and refreshing, and my sugar cane stick was fun to chew on. It was one of my favorite drinks for the night.
A friend ordered two rounds of sambuca shots in Red Bull (not at the same time):
It went down pretty easy, although later a couple of people said that they had trouble sleeping that night.
Someone ordered chocolate cake, so I had a bite or two of that:
This cake was gooey, chocolatey, and good.
I tried a few sips of someone else’s Tennessee toddy:
This drink reminded me of mulled wine, except I like mulled wine better. This drink had a tad too much of the alcohol flavor for me.
Fries were ordered for the table (they were strictly average):
The most Indianized dish ordered was some chicken skewers:
I took one skewer. It was very spicy and average tasting.
Several rounds of pizza were ordered too:
The pizza was my most favorite dish for the whole night, so I ate three slices. I really liked the flavor, the mild spiciness, and the crispy thin texture.
I can’t remember exactly what was in the shot below:
It definitely had Bailey’s in it, and it was kind of sickly sweet.
Priam had Old Monk mixed with Coke:
I was informed that Old Monk is the cheapest drinkable branded liquor made in India (cheaper liquor in India is possible but can immediately harm the drinker). I didn’t get a chance to try it by itself because Priam already poured the Coke into it. All I tasted was the Coke.
I ended the night with a Whiskey Sour, which tasted very refreshing. A friend had one too and liked it a lot, saying that it tastes better without the usual egg whites. I couldn’t tell the difference because I’ve had a Whiskey Sour only once before that, and I don’t remember how it tasted.
The Woodside Inn is great for chilling with friends or I’d argue even alone. I’d go there again, although next time I’ll eat and drink in moderation (unless it’s a celebration, then I’ll make an exception).