First off, I must apologize to my Mom, who said my
reviews are getting longer and longer day by day. This is another one of those
long reviews and me writing this here, now, doesn’t really help that cause any further.
SodaBottleOpenerWala (SBOW) has been the talk of the
town for quite a while now. It was about time that us North Indians were
treated to something different and unique, and the notion of having Parsi and
Iranian food, which is still limited across the country, was welcomed
wholeheartedly.
However SBOW eluded me till now primarily due to the
menu catering mostly to Non-vegetarians which meant that it was hard for me to
find company. So, the first chance I got to eat out with a non-vegetarian
friend, I found myself at the restaurant.
A Monday lunch and CyberHub, Gurgaon, where SBOW is
situated was buzzing with either office-goers taking a stroll or families and
groups getting together for holiday lunches and then there was also the
occasional business lunch taking place. A mere 20 minutes after we sat down to
eat, the place was full, so much so that by the time we left there was a
waiting in place. My experience at SBOW was what I’d say fifty-fifty. It stood
out and I will visit it again, there's no doubt about that, but certain things
were amiss that took away from the whole eating experience.
First impressions do last and SBOW gets brownie points
for keeping the decor just quirky enough so that it doesn't come across as being
“trying too hard”. Clean, comfortable seating and enough cultural inputs make
the place easy to the eye and also gives something for the visitor to look at
during those silent moments in-between conversations. Unfortunately, the
service lacked the class I expected. The staff assigned to us seemed clueless
and when we asked for a recommendation he could only come up with one
suggestion. Furthermore, as the place started to fill, I could tell they wanted
to turn our table around and asked twice if we'd like the plates cleared. I had
to ask and stop them from taking my plate at one point. I hate this. I enjoy my
conversations, especially if I am meeting a friend after 3 years. I like to sit
and relax and eat and not feel that someone is looking at me in the hope that
they'll clear the place the moment I take the last bite. While the staff was
courteous, a general lack of good service was a major let down.
Onwards to the food and drinks; The Raspberry Soda was
bright, filled with real fruit bits and proved to be quite the refresher. The
Irani Special Chai on the other hand was fairly standard and didn't have a
distinct enough taste one would expect. The Khade Chammach Ki Chai comes with
the description "No charge if you can drink this ". Curiosity got the
best of me and I ordered it without bothering to ask what it was. Why someone
would serve anything that they don't expect their paying customer to finish, I
know not why. As it turned out, it's a glass 3/4th full of sugar with 1/4 tea
on top. What a waste of money and sugar if you ask me. I still would have been
okay if the ratio were reversed or it was at least 50:50 sugar and tea, but
the novelty and quirk quotient of this got a big thumb down from me and my
friend who refused to even taste it.
Enough badgering for now as we move towards the good
stuff. The Dhansak (Mutton), the one dish that I had heard of from before, the
quintessential Parsi dish, was Out of This World! Simple and homemade flavours of
the lentil that was smooth and perfectly seasoned with pieces of tender mutton
served with caramelized rice and Kachumbar (mixed salad) was divine. It came in
a typical Mumbai Dabba and the quantity was good enough for two people to
share. With the Kachumber being fresh and colourful and the taste of the
lentils still lingering in the corner of my foodie-mind , I'd visit the
restaurant again for this dish alone. It should also be noted that I'm not a
mutton fan so this really is a big deal.
The Goan Sausage Pav was bright red, tangy, and
exciting. While the onion flavor ruled over all the other ingredients, it did
add a zing to the entire dish, and the moderately spicy concoction was
brilliant. Both the Dhansak and Goan Sausage Pav plates were wiped clean as a
result of their excellent tastes.
Everything we ate till that very moment raised the bar
quite high, so when the Tamota Papeta Par Eeda, which is basically baked eggs,
was served, our expectation levels were sky bound. As all good things must come to
an end, so did the flavor festival which we were enjoying till then. I'm not
sure how this dish works. Once again it lacked any uniqueness and with a tomato
base with potato and an egg seasoned poorly it just took away the joy the
previous two dishes had infused in us. I seriously think the Tamota Papeta Par
Eeda (it’s fun to say, and that’s about it) needs to be given some serious thought
by the management and either drastic change should ensue or removal from the
menu altogether.
When it comes to re-visits, unless the management
reads this and stops me, I'd very much like to return and try out more of the
"authentic" options they have. A variety of typical Bomaby food is
also available and there is a bakery that I need to try, but for now it's the
Parsi and Iranian dishes that truly interest me.
SodaBottleOpernerWala would easily have gotten a 4.5/5
star rating for me, instead of the 3.5 stars I gave it, had it not been for the average service, the Tomata thingy,
and the Khade Chammach ki Chai. Hopefully I can discover some of their other specialties
next time and increase the rating afterwards.