Navi Mumbai, and more specifically Vashi, is one place where I’ve always felt a lack of good night life. Sure there are a variety of options to choose from when it comes to sit-down dining places and cafes, but where does one head to in Vashi when you’re looking to unwind? The answer lies in the backyard. What do I mean, you ask? Well, just a five minute walk away from Inorbit lies 270 Degrees West, which happens to be a little den tucked away in a corner, hidden from prying eyes.
I was invited for a bloggers table to the place some time back and got to savour some interesting items from a menu specially curated for the bloggers.
The first thing we were informed about was the bar menu consisting of alcoholic beverages priced at INR 70/-. Being a teetotaller this has no bearing on my beverage choices. However, for anyone who enjoys their booze, such prices are hard to come by, so you might want to check this out.
I was pleased to learn about the variety of mocktails on the menu, of which I got to taste the following :
VIRGIN MOJITO - This is usually my first choice of mocktail wherever I go, and I was satisfied with the drink here as well. It was very strong on the flavour of lime and even the mint wasn’t mild. Worked well for me, and I’d recommend it to those who don’t mind a strong taste of both lime and mint in their mojitos.
CRUSH ON BERRY - Super sweet and bursting with flavours typical of berry based drinks, this one was quite nice. However, I’d have liked it more if the glass rim was lined with black salt instead of powdered sugar. This is a good option when you’re looking for a sweeter, fruitier mocktail.
MANGO RAPTURE - It was a cream based mocktail flavoured with mango and mint. While the texture was fine, the taste failed to make any kind of impact on me. Not something I’ll recommend.
BEAUTIFUL TWIST - Now this was one drink which had me opening my eyes wide. Ginger, litchi syrup, and pineapple juice are blended together, and cranberry syrup is found floating on top of this concoction. I’m a big fan of ginger, so even though the flavours were strong, I absolutely didn’t mind downing a whole glass of this drink. Loved it!
While the bartender was tending to parched throats, the kitchen was readying our food. The dishes started appearing on our table one by one just as we got done with the liquids.
We were served the following -
PANEER LAJAWAB TIKKA- The dish stands true to its name, in that it’s indeed “Lajawab”. The Paneer was incredibly soft and, together with the cheese stuffing, made for a killer combination. The dish wasn’t too hot, yet I didn’t feel any lack of spice. The marinade had covered and seeped into the outer surface of the Paneer quite well and the job of grilling was perfectly done. Will totally recommend this dish as an excellent option for starters.
STUFFED MUSHROOMS - Juicy, juicy, cheesy, cheesy shrooms! Yum yum. It’s such a great feeling to bite into mushrooms that have been grilled just right. Add to that a whole lot of cheese and dunk the shrooms in tandoori marinade and you’ll find yourself dreaming day in and day out about the magic you’ve treated yourself to, albeit an edible one. Long story short - eat this yummy thing.
CHILLI PANEER - A very typical desi Chinese dish, the Paneer was very well coated with the sauce mix and all of the garlic provided a very street style feel to it. I loved all the flavours but felt that the salt content needed to be toned down a little as it was overpowering the other flavours. Texture-wise, the Paneer was soft and tender. Also, the flour coating over the Paneer cubes was thin and had absorbed the sauces very well.
THAI GREEN CURRY WITH STEAMED RICE - No complaints whatsoever about the rice; it was perfectly steamed and the grains were distinctly separate. The curry, however, was lacking in the key flavour of kaffir lime and galangal. I was a little disappointed about that because when it came to colour, texture, and consistency, the curry had ticked off all boxes. I was left muttering “if only” to myself because the dish missed the flavour mark by just a whisker. So close, yet so far!
PENNE IN ALFREDO SAUCE - The Pasta was cooked just so much for it to be al dente, veggies like bell peppers and broccoli added colour to the otherwise blank canvas of Alfredo sauce, and the seasoning was perfect. Yet the pasta was underwhelming for me because of the chalkiness of the sauce. Some more cheese was required for that much needed creaminess, and a little less flour would have helped too.
VEG MANCHURIAN SIZZLER - The good things about this sizzler - Fries, Noodles, and fried rice. The rice and noodles were full of flavour and I loved having them just so. The not so good thing - manchurian balls, which were far too dry, in my opinion. If just this one issue is addressed, the sizzler will turn out to be absolutely perfect.
Once we were done with all the food, it was time for desserts, of which we tried the following -
SIZZLING BROWNIE - A slice of pineapple acted as a barrier between the hot sizzler plate and the delicious fudgy brownie. You can never go wrong with this combo of vanilla ice cream, hot chocolate sauce, and a well made brownie. This is a timeless classic that’s been done very well by 270 Degrees West.
RABRI AND GULAB JAMUN - Honestly, I didn’t enjoy the Gulab Jamun. However, even though I generally shy away from Rabri, I found myself going back to it over and over again, and digging into the little Kulhad with my tiny dessert spoon. The pistachio flakes and saffron on top only enhanced the overall appeal of the Rabri for me. What a fantastic preparation!
Food and drinks apart, 270 Degrees West seeks to provide that typical lounge experience in Navi Mumbai, while saving you the trouble of traveling for hours to Mumbai city. The wall art featuring Jim Morrison especially caught my eye. And the motorbike parts, arranged to give an impression of a bike on one of the walls, wasn’t too bad to look at either. The interiors manage to engage you visually without distracting you from the main objective of letting your hair down.
The quirkiest thing for me, though, was the painting of a woman welcoming patrons into the place with a wink of her eye. Naughty couldn’t have met cute better than this.
My experience at 270 Degrees West was a lot of fun and I was really happy to discover a place like this in our very own Vashi. Since I had been invited to review the place, I cannot comment on the food prices, but drinks are definitely cheap at just 70 rupees.
Barring a few glitches here and there, 270 Degrees West definitely has the potential to gain good footing in the foodscape of Navi Mumbai.
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