mmmBurger Festival at Smoke House Deli, Bandra West - A Sumptuous Comfort Food

By Maneesh Srivastva @urbanescapades


 What comes to your mind when we say premium gourmet burgers –
·   freshly toasted rightly caramalised home baked buns·   well cooked shiny meat patty that is oozing out its own juices seared with the grill marks·   fresh salad/ pickled salad to add the crunch and freshness·   dripping melting cheese that bring the roundness of flavours·   a sauce to tie all flavours together

Do you get the picture? A sumptuous comfort food – delivered at Smoke House Deli!!This was my expectation from the recent invite to promotional menu launched by Smoke house deli in Mumbai “mmmBURGER festival”. This was my first visit to the restaurant located in busy Bandra Street which is where all the hub-bub is. A very different outlet from the ones i have seen, this is done in old English lady’s home blended discreetly with signature smoke house sprinkles. Cosy, lacy and flower patterned in linen and lamps adorn the place. The interesting twist - old black and white pictures that have been randomly collected and put.
A very enthusiastic and surprisingly well conversed team greeted us. The special menu has a total of 10 choices out of which 1 is for vegetarians. If you are a true meat lover, you are spoilt for choice. The variation in menu is well balanced between classic bacon burger (baconater), lamb burger (lucy’s juicy), fish & chips and chicken with tequila burger.
We experienced one from each category - Lucy’s juicy, Smoked chicken with tequila, Beer flavoured Chicken and Soy spinach. Smoke house has hit a home run on buns of the burger. Probably the most delicious and fresh buns I have tasted in a long time. Baked in their own central bakery, the buns & breads are divine.
All meat – lamb, chicken and beef – was flavourful, well cooked and juicily moist. The lamb burger being a DEFINITE must try!! The tequila jelly on the chicken burger doesn’t add any zing but nevertheless it stands its ground on own. Well done beef burger with under-flavours of beer is a strong recommendation from my side – this takes classic to a new level. However, the amount of cheese on each burger left a gaping hole for more.
The disappointment of the evening was the vegetarian burger. While it’s an innovative idea to put soy as a pretend-meat for vegetarians, the execution fails at many levels. Apart from being insanely spicy (I couldn’t survive more than 2 bites), the spinach didn’t blend well. The soy moisture made the burger a bit soggy and because of the spice heat, all other flavours were lost.
My verdict – If you are a vegetarian, stick to the regular smoke house menu. The mmmBURGER is for true burger lovers who like it evergreen classic, sturdy flavours and comfort yearnings.
Rating – 4/ 5