Restaurant review : Amba Bhavan, Matunga (E)

Saturday saw me and my friend VS head to Matunga (E) for some shopping and some me-time at a salon. Sunny blue skies and a welcome break from the muggy heat that's been plaguing Mumbai for the past few weeks (yes, In December! Copenhagen, look this way!) meant that we both were in high spirits and ready to enjoy the day.

After some pampering at the salon and some jewels-and-baubles shopping, we stopped at the venerable Amba Bhavan for what was called 'elevenses' in Ye Olde Days - a quick mid-morning snack.

Amba Bhavan is a Mumbai institution, located in the predominantly South Indian area of Matunga East. The decor is, well, minimalistic with blue walls, formica-topped tables, bench seating and coffee-bean-brown celing fans whizzing away. A steep ladder-like flight of stairs takes you to the loft-like first floor from where you an look down on the diners below.

VS and I (well, OK, only I) were famished and when the waiter came to take our order (typically without a menu) we were keen to order anything that was freshly made and would reach our table in minutes. On being asked for what fit our specs, he rattled off - 'Idli, Wada, Kadhi-wada, Rasam-wada, Kela Bhaji, Upma...'. I was intrigued by Kela Bhaji (Banana fritters) having never tried them before and asked for them to be brought, post-haste. The waiter countered (sheepishly) that they were pre-made and hence, not piping-hot. So I settled for Rasam Wada and it reached our table in record-breaking time. (Its another thing that I spent precious minutes photographing the dish rather than tucking in while it was hot)


The rasam was nice - fragrant with spices and with the right balance of hot and sour. It would have tasted so much better had I sipped it while it was steaming hot, but such is the life of a food blogger.... :) The wadas (fried dumplings made of lentils) would have benefited from a longer soaking in the rasam, though - the centres were still dry and devoid of the zing of the rasam.

While we demolished the Rasam Wada (took us a minute!) our waiter disappeared and refused to reappear. Just when we thought he'd packed his bags and gone for good (I was reduced to muttering - 'I am hungry...I want Kela Bhaji...let them be cold....where is the waiter?!!) his welcome step was heard on the stairs - and he came forth, holding aloft a plate of golden Kela Bhaji!



As he set it down and we gazed transfixed (he looked positively beatific as he bore the plate towards us!), he explained "A fresh batch just got made so I got them for you!" Plus, he got us true-blue South Indian filter coffee in steel bowls - which he poured from bowl to bowl froma great height (stretched/pulled coffee like the Malaysian 'teh tarek' or 'Pulled' Tea) to get a healthy head of foam on the coffee.


As for the Kela Bhajis - they were heaven on a plate! Crisp on the ouside, and buttery-soft on the inside, the batter was a textural delight. The raw banana slices that it swaddled were cursory, they had no flavour and could have been replaced with absolutely anything esle. But the batter was paradoxically soft-yet-crunchy and lifted the dish to another level altogether.

Both the Rasam Wada and the Kela Bhajis were accompanied by a coconut chutney - not your usual pallid watered-down chutney made with scraps of re-used coconut, but the real McCoy - thick, creamy coconut mildly faoured with spices.

The coffee (rather, the Kaaaaapi) was hot, sweet and invigorating with the robust flavour of freshly ground coffee beans and was the perfect aromatic end to our meal. The service, as told before, was quick, yet warm and friendly.


All of the above delights were ravaged in a matter of minutes (carnage on the table, i tell you!) and set us back by a paltry INR 59. So the next time you're around Dadar/Sion and in need of a cheap, nourishing and tasty feed, you know where to go!