I came across IMBISS (or is it Imbiss, like any other regular name? I
don't know) categorised as 'Hidden Gem' on Zomato. With a tagline like
'The 'Meating Joint', the rave reviews on Zomato AND THE FACT THAT A
MEAL FOR TWO WOULD COST RS 600 I couldn't get there soon enough.
And I COULDN'T get there soon enough. Correction- I wouldn't have been able to get there if it was not for the most excellent of apps, the superhero of helpfulness, the king of customer satisfaction- aka Google Maps. Tucked into a tiny lane off Hill Road, IMBISS can easily be skipped from most dinner plans, simply because its just not visible.
But once you put yourselves in Google Maps' reliable hands, you easily find your way to Carnivore Heaven. Located on the ground floor of a residential building, IMBISS is cosy (read: small) restaurant with a small paved yard in the front, lit with fairy lights. The yard (or more prosaically, the small space in front of the building) slopes gently downwards, giving you a lopsided dining experience, if you sit outdoors.
But who cares about tiny benches and stools and slope-away floors when the menu boasts of schnitzels and sausages, ribs and roasts- most of them under Rs 200? The most expensive dish on the menu, baby back pork spare ribs is listed at Rs 375. It is incidentally also one of the most raved-about dishes in Zomato reviews.
Agent J and I, however, went with the other dish that was lauded by foodies- the Signature Sausage platter.
Priced at Rs 180, this dish features 8 sausages, ranging from small cocktail ones to big snags. What was remarkable was that every sausage had a distinct flavour and taste- from the Indian-ish spiciness of the cocktail chicken sausage, to the hearty smokiness of the big pork one. There was a mild, cheese-studded chicken sausage and a pepper-spiked pork one. Some were very soft, others were toothsome with a nice bite to them. Such a playground of tastes and textures! Yum yum.
For the next dish, we asked our server for a recommendation. I must take time here to mention that the server young yet knowledgeable and showed a sense of ownership about the menu and the place that was heartening to see. He first recommended the ribs but cautioned us they could be fatty. When we demurred, he suggested trying one of the daily specials- grilled pork tenderloin, saying that the portion was small and manageable. We decided to go with the recommendation and what a good decision it was! A small serving of pork loin, grilled till well done and a soft -yet-firm texture. A plump sausage on the side, along with super smooth mashed potatoes and lightly sauteed vegetables- beans, carrots and peas. All swathed in a brown sauce- not the British brown sauce (as I had fretted it would be, with its sweet vinegary undertaste) - but salty, savoury and flavoursome, more like a jus or gravy.
Since Agent J has a healthily restrained appetite and not too great a love for meat. So we stopped our culinary explorations after these 2 dishes. However, while I was not hungry anymore, I COULD HAVE made space for some schnitzel, had I a kindred soul (or stomach) for company. Sigh.
Anyway, the 2 dishes that we DID feast upon cost us a total of Rs 470. Try eating for that much in any other fancy Bandra West eatery that serves 'Continental' food!
The menu is littered with interesting eye-catching items like fried duck egg, pickled quail eggs, Bavarian meatloaf, Bratwurst, duck sausage and so on. Am definitely going to be back- for culinary research, of course! ;)
And I COULDN'T get there soon enough. Correction- I wouldn't have been able to get there if it was not for the most excellent of apps, the superhero of helpfulness, the king of customer satisfaction- aka Google Maps. Tucked into a tiny lane off Hill Road, IMBISS can easily be skipped from most dinner plans, simply because its just not visible.
But once you put yourselves in Google Maps' reliable hands, you easily find your way to Carnivore Heaven. Located on the ground floor of a residential building, IMBISS is cosy (read: small) restaurant with a small paved yard in the front, lit with fairy lights. The yard (or more prosaically, the small space in front of the building) slopes gently downwards, giving you a lopsided dining experience, if you sit outdoors.
But who cares about tiny benches and stools and slope-away floors when the menu boasts of schnitzels and sausages, ribs and roasts- most of them under Rs 200? The most expensive dish on the menu, baby back pork spare ribs is listed at Rs 375. It is incidentally also one of the most raved-about dishes in Zomato reviews.
Agent J and I, however, went with the other dish that was lauded by foodies- the Signature Sausage platter.
Priced at Rs 180, this dish features 8 sausages, ranging from small cocktail ones to big snags. What was remarkable was that every sausage had a distinct flavour and taste- from the Indian-ish spiciness of the cocktail chicken sausage, to the hearty smokiness of the big pork one. There was a mild, cheese-studded chicken sausage and a pepper-spiked pork one. Some were very soft, others were toothsome with a nice bite to them. Such a playground of tastes and textures! Yum yum.
For the next dish, we asked our server for a recommendation. I must take time here to mention that the server young yet knowledgeable and showed a sense of ownership about the menu and the place that was heartening to see. He first recommended the ribs but cautioned us they could be fatty. When we demurred, he suggested trying one of the daily specials- grilled pork tenderloin, saying that the portion was small and manageable. We decided to go with the recommendation and what a good decision it was! A small serving of pork loin, grilled till well done and a soft -yet-firm texture. A plump sausage on the side, along with super smooth mashed potatoes and lightly sauteed vegetables- beans, carrots and peas. All swathed in a brown sauce- not the British brown sauce (as I had fretted it would be, with its sweet vinegary undertaste) - but salty, savoury and flavoursome, more like a jus or gravy.
Since Agent J has a healthily restrained appetite and not too great a love for meat. So we stopped our culinary explorations after these 2 dishes. However, while I was not hungry anymore, I COULD HAVE made space for some schnitzel, had I a kindred soul (or stomach) for company. Sigh.
Anyway, the 2 dishes that we DID feast upon cost us a total of Rs 470. Try eating for that much in any other fancy Bandra West eatery that serves 'Continental' food!
The menu is littered with interesting eye-catching items like fried duck egg, pickled quail eggs, Bavarian meatloaf, Bratwurst, duck sausage and so on. Am definitely going to be back- for culinary research, of course! ;)
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