ITP Indian Travel Places: Food, Travel, Tourism Business Events and Trade Shows
Address: Dhanraj Mahal, Next to the Bentley Showroom, Colaba, Mumbai, Maharashtra India
Time: 12 Midnight to 1:30 AM, 12 Noon to 12 Midnight
Meals for two: Rs. 1,500
Cuisines: North Indian, Finger Food
Facilities: Nightlife, Outdoor Seating, Smoking Area, Live Music, Wifi, Table booking recommended
Yes! They are ‘Effingut’! (And yes, Effingut means exactly what you’re thinking it does.) By “they”, I refer to my two #foodieblinddates who dine with me tonight. Paris, Dubai, New York, Moscow, Colombo, Berlin and of course, Mumbai… past thirty years, it’s been these amazing #foodieblinddates who’ve been plugging me to the foodie network of various cities. Even before internet, I used to have an answering machine on my phone (landline, of course). And now with Instagram, Twitter and FB, it’s the simplest to dine with these dates whose opinions, experiences and recommendations are invaluable. Like today, the bubbly, lovely Moumita Sriram comes all the way from Mulund to Colaba. This talented interior designer, Feng Shui consultant, PR has also been into travel and food blogging and been interviewed on radio as well for it. Couldn’t believe she’s the mother of a third year computer engineering student.
Major in International Marketing Management from London, Aaditya Bhatt also steals my heart by his charm and expressiveness. A photographer by passion, he loves reading, travelling, watching inspirations talks; he believes in Anupam Kher’s saying “Kuch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai”. And that’s what happens coz media superstar Shobhaa De (on our insistent request) “gatecrashes” our blind date. And sparkles it (Chicken “too soggy”, she opines). Our review follows.
Effingut, Colaba, Mumbai: Decor
A motorcycle hangs hanging from the ceiling, a wall lined with taps and the loos with prop cameras. Noisy, two levelled. Cluttered. Packed. TV screens all over. Get the picture?
Effingut, Colaba, Mumbai: Food & Beer
Onion rings with gun powder (crunchy tasty) thecha and even the world’s hottest chilli, bhut jolokia-spiked dishes. It sounds strange, but try it. Ask for the Butter Chicken. It’s the best here. Swarna Mallick’s Alibaba (which has been replaced by Effingut) also used to serve the best butter chicken with the perfect balance of tangy, sweet creaminess. Flatbread with Pepperoni passes muster with its tasty crust. As does the Panna Cotta with its citrus kiss.
Ask for the complimentary beer taster platter, and sip your way through it.
Effingut, Colaba, Mumbai: Minus Points
Meandering menu. Profusion of dishes from all over the world. Avoidable! Soggy Chicken Thecha, dry Jalapeno Cheese Balls and Stodgy Nachos. Lacklustre Thai Green Curry, overcooked Peri Peri Chicken, overcooked Chicken Wings with Bhut Jolokia, though high on the spice levels. Stodgy Cheesecake. Dry, hard Jalapeno Poppers. Oversweet Sizzling Brownie with Old Monk. Noisy. Very noisy.
Effingut, Colaba, Mumbai: My Point
Pune’s Effingut opens in Colaba (in place of Alibaba). Ask for the complimentary beer tasting platter. It’s worth it. I say so after having done tutored beer tastings in Munich and Frankfurt for my TV show (for ET Now). Effingut offers plenty handcrafted beers, plenty for first time drinkers (light with peach, ginger etc); superb stout, frothy, light Hefeweizen, too. Spicy, fry happy, calorie-laden fare that happily doubles as alcohol sponges. Never mind if the moderately priced food is seriously mediocre, Effingut serves up comfort, music, and fun, and that’s why it is buzzing and mobbed. And that explains why even on a weeknight, it’s Effingut.
