Mumbai street food marked...

The month-old The Bombay Bronx at Dhole Patil Road gets it street food and ambience right for the young crowd. However, will it be enough? It will be a challenge, indeed!

I have been an almost Mumbaikar (living in Thane does count as living in Mumbai, to some extent) and now I call Pune my home. I love both the cities and hate it too for reasons, which I prefer not to share now. While eternal battle continues between the two regarding big & silly issues, the food holds a separate issue. Each city has its distinct culinary mark and do not mind sharing it with each other. Sharing of restaurants has been taking place in recent times and one of the recent Mumbai eateries to be seen around is The Bombay Bronx. It opened around few weeks back.

The Bombay in its name suggests the food type to be seen at the eatery. Bronx, on the other hand, is the street-smart area of New York. Therefore, this eatery located at City Point on Dhole Patil Road represents the street cuisine of Mumbai. Most would question as to the reason behind opening an eatery around street food when one can get it anywhere. The answer I found lay in the fact that most want to taste their favourite Mumbai street snack in an eclectic atmosphere complete with relaxed interiors, good music and great company.

What I appreciated on entering this place was its spacious yet young ambience and interiors. It reeks of Mumbai, in the furniture to the colours. You see reference to the trains, pan stalls, Bollywood and more. I found it quite an ode to the city that never sleeps. The Amitabh Bachchan-Deewar reference with his painting on the wall is a stunner. Even the menu has reference to places and Mumbai lingo. How fun is that? What itched me was the fact that the outdoor seating could do with cover, in case of rains. In case of wind, things can get out of hand. Minor hiccups could land you in major trouble one day.

It is the food, which counts the most important at any eatery. Duh! Street food is The Bombay Bronx’s forte and it does a neat job of it. Neat... not mind-blowing awesome. One can say it is a limited but decent menu covering almost some important food items from amchi Mumbai. While a separate detailed page comes for drinks, the food section attracts you with stuff, which is tempting. You have the ‘Vez’ section and the ‘Non-vez’ section. The Bombay Bronx Fries (Rs 150) tempted you with it spiciness and crispiness. Winner, surely! The Butter Toasted Vada Pav (Rs 100) did make a dent with the exact flavour one finds on the street. I totally loved the Basa Tikka (Rs 250) with its delicate yet tangy flavouring and delicately melt-in-your-mouth. The Pizzas –veg & non-veg – were typically cheesy, tasty and not very Indian. Quite the fun thing to pair with your drinks! While the Masala Fish Fingers (Rs) got our interest with light & extremely delicately tempting, the Chilli Garlic Mushroom (Rs) did not go well with our palette.

For the interested, the Thalis might be an attractive option, if famished. There is the veg Thali – Chowpatty Fast Food Thali (Rs 300) which consists of all chat items. But what interested me was the non-veg Thali called Dongri Galli Thali (Rs 450) which had Chicken Roll, Mini Chicken Baida Roll, Dongri Mutton Sandwich & Bhuna Mutton served with Paratha. The choice was perfect. While the chicken roll was spicy and enticing, the Baida roll too mustered towards perfection. Ignore the sandwich but definitely pick the Bhuna mutton, which was as authentic as it gets.

The best news is reserved for the last. For those who wish to hang out with pals sharing some easy-on-budget drinks, this would be a great pick. Most of the drinks are decently picked and only a few go over 500. This includes the imported stuff. If you want to choose the wines, it is a different case. What you could also select would be the Signature Cocktails like Pani Puri Caipiroska, Kalakhatta, Kokum Sour, Iced Peru, and Jaljeera Sour and so on. Each just adds zing with their unique combination. The service is excellent here with most of the staff friendly and eager to suggest the fare.

While it is nothing spectacular to speak about, The Bombay Bronx does not fall into the okie-dokie category. The decent food & good drinks section fits your pocket. The ambience with the Mumbai reference and good music allows you to casually sit with people you want and spend your time with ease. It is slightly above mediocre and little short of greatness. For those not too hung on hi dining, heading here would be a good option. Come here to just relax & eat respectable budget food.

RATINGS:

FOOD 3 out of 5

AMBIENCE 5 out of 5

SERVICE 5 out of 5

VALUE FOR MONEY 4 out of 5

TOTAL 15 out of 20