Place : Reise All Day Bar & Kitchen
Location – Oriental Aster Hotel , Chakala , Mumbai
29th December 2016
Reise in German , means TRAVEL.
A very strong concept that revolves around Travel which was quite fascinating for the traveler in Me. I was looking forward to reviewing this new place which has opened barely 3 months back. I did my research about this restaurant studying their menu and understanding fellow blogger friend’s critic. Here’s what I found out during my review.
Oriental Aster hotel’s banquet is what has been transformed into Reise. In spite of being in a hotel it is very difficult to spot the hotel itself. I think location must be a big negative for them in terms of getting customers apart from the residents. So , Reise is in the basement of Oriental Aster. I visited it on a Wednesday which is supposed to be an Unplugged Night but that was unfortunately cancelled. Upon entering the space on your left hand side is the bar ( Small ) and on your right is the DJ console. They had an LCD screen on one of the walls ( should have been a bigger screen ) Walls adorned with beautiful travel Accessories Such As Wall Clocks , Maps, Paintings , Photographs And Books. Seating though comfortable ( which is a rarity lately ) is in average olive green chairs. A plastic guitar placed at one end of the restaurant was only for show I guess.
We were attended by …… He explained to us how the menu revolves around International Cuisine and how they have tried and brought in Fusion Food. So the menu is mainly divided in American , Oriental , Middle Eastern and European ( continental ) food items. The same has been maintained for cocktails. (With cocktails they could have done more)
What we had
I really really wanted to try their Crystal Dim Sums which looked very tempting in the pictures. But they weren’t available. Also, my first preference was Arabi Andhra Chilly Which too was unavailable. Hence, we settled for Spinach and Parmesan Cheese Dim Sum from their Asian Travel section. A little overpriced for the portions but great on taste. Really very well made. The Chilly Soya Sauce served with it was killer.
Thepla Taquiitos was our next pick for starters from American travel. This surely made us appreciate how they used up Thepla in Mexican style. Beans inside were soft and juicy.
Nachos which come in Classic , Paneer Bhurji And Oriental Style Chicken Mince options. We chose the one with Paneer Bhurji. A good combination to opt for. Great chakna for your booz. Cheese should have been more though.
While we were munching on these appetizers we had called for Hot Spiced Cinnamon Rum – by hot they mean HOT. A HOT drink made up of orange juice and strong flavours of star anise and cinnamon. We weren’t very impressed with it.
Lemon Rosemary Gin Fizz came as a surprise and really grew on me. Must try.
For mains we had DIY Chopper Rice first. In simpler words – Triple Schezwan Rice . However, these were very tasty, good fresh ingredients and without any Ajinomoto and added colours which was refreshing.
We also had DIY Risotto in Green Thai Curry Style. For this Reise also offers an option of Makhani for people who dare to try something different. Thai curry was satisfactory served with two pieces of Garlic Bread.
We finished our meal with Gulab Jamun With Char Grilled Granny Smith Rabri. We din’t quite get the char grill flavor. Nor was the rabri good was too runny. This one was average.
Overall the food is really good ! Taste bang on! Portions generous ( In most cases and that doesn’t happen much , does it ? ) There are hardly any things that need improvement as far as food is concerned. However, the vibe of the place is very very dull. DJ Needs To Buck Up. Choice of songs was very 90’s. I would have been happy if even that was done right. Ambiance, conceptually is great but has failed big time in its execution and hence comes across as a little amateur presentation.
Service is prompt.
As the night progressed tables did get full which is great for them.
Will I come back again ? Yes why not? The place is not highly priced hence to grab a few drinks with some good food this place is ideal. But it definitely isn’t your special occasion or dress up kinda place. Go there eat good food and don’t expect too much on the ambiance front ( When I’m saying this it does not mean it terrible )
Must Have’s – DIY Chopper Rice , Spinach and Parmesan Dim Sums .
VERDICT
Taste – 4.3 /5
Ambiance – 3.2 /5
Service – 4.6 /5
Value for money – 4/5
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