99 East, Chakala
Hotel Oriental Aster, 45, Tarun Bharat Society,Chakala, Dr. Karanjiya Road, Near Cigararette Factory, Andheri (E), Mumbai – 400099.
Phone No : 022 3348 7691
2200 hours, 26th July 2014, Saturday:
99 East is the flagship restaurant of Hotel Oriental Aster belonging to the Oriental Residency group. It is located in one of the bylanes of Chakala, on a road parallel to the Cigarette Factory Road.
99 East is the flagship restaurant of Hotel Oriental Aster belonging to the Oriental Residency group. It is located in one of the bylanes of Chakala, on a road parallel to the Cigarette Factory Road.
We enter the hotel, welcomed by the sentinel. He shows us the way down to the basement. The restaurant is split into two halls there. And then Jogendra, the employee who had taken our reservations, and the manager Mr Ronny Rebeiro come over to greet us. The latter is courteous enough to show us around the hotel, and we learn that there are two more sections to the restaurant - one bar and one garden area.
When we had settled down, it was the turn of one of the main attendants, Mr Shankar Reddy to cossett us. He offered us a choice of soups. We selected two Chicken Manchow soups and one Chicken Hot and sour one. And tiil the time we were waiting, Shankar brought us some munchings - salted peanuts and cheeselings.
And then the soups arrived with fried noodles. The Manchow soup was appropriate in consistency, neither too thick nor too light. Ample of chicken shreds and adequate in ginger and other condiments. Perfectly spicy. The Hot and Sour was a sour version of the former, and was equally good.
And then the soups arrived with fried noodles. The Manchow soup was appropriate in consistency, neither too thick nor too light. Ample of chicken shreds and adequate in ginger and other condiments. Perfectly spicy. The Hot and Sour was a sour version of the former, and was equally good.
Then was the turn of the drinks and the starters.
We called for one Fresh Lime Soda salted and two peach iced teas.
We called for one Chicken Tikka, one Kung Pao Chicken Fry and one Chicken Manchurian.
Kung Pao chicken, for the uninitiated, commonly consists of diced marinated chicken. The wok is seasoned and then chili peppers, ginger, garlic, chicken broth, sugar, cooking oil, corn starch, spring onion, capsicum and salt and pepper to taste are flash fried to add fragrance to the oil. The dish is often garnished with whole roasted peanuts.
The chicken tikka were soft succulent cubes, smouldered over, served in a platter with a carrot carved in the shape of a rose, onion rings sprinkled with coriander leaves and lemon slices.
The chicken Manchurian was again another story altogether. Served in dry sauce and rightly spiced up, it was a gourmand's delight.
We called for one Fresh Lime Soda salted and two peach iced teas.
We called for one Chicken Tikka, one Kung Pao Chicken Fry and one Chicken Manchurian.
Kung Pao chicken, for the uninitiated, commonly consists of diced marinated chicken. The wok is seasoned and then chili peppers, ginger, garlic, chicken broth, sugar, cooking oil, corn starch, spring onion, capsicum and salt and pepper to taste are flash fried to add fragrance to the oil. The dish is often garnished with whole roasted peanuts.
The chicken tikka were soft succulent cubes, smouldered over, served in a platter with a carrot carved in the shape of a rose, onion rings sprinkled with coriander leaves and lemon slices.
The chicken Manchurian was again another story altogether. Served in dry sauce and rightly spiced up, it was a gourmand's delight.
We were too full to order for the mains, so we called for a small quantity of Jeera rice, one Dal Tadka and one Chicken Kadhai.
The Jeera Rice had small slivers of deep-fried-till-they-turn-red onion sprinkled over which accentuated the taste, the Dal had the perfect Tadka with burnt red chilly dunked within and the Chicken Kadhai had soft-melting-in-the-mouth chicken pieces in thick gravy.
The Jeera Rice had small slivers of deep-fried-till-they-turn-red onion sprinkled over which accentuated the taste, the Dal had the perfect Tadka with burnt red chilly dunked within and the Chicken Kadhai had soft-melting-in-the-mouth chicken pieces in thick gravy.
By this time, the Executive Chef, Pulin, had also descended to enquire if everything was alright. A little chat with him revealed that he hails from Kolkata and has traveled around the world. Las Vegas, Germany, Switzerland, China and London before settling down here. He came across as a simpleton and was enthusiastic to discuss the standards which he maintains in the kitchen and the dishes which are his USP. He extended an invitation to visit them next time where he promised me a special mutton dish on the house.
It was finally time for desserts.
Caramel custard, Gulab Jamun and Butterscotch ice cream. We turned away the caramel custard after a few bites. Not that there was anything amiss, just that we are not the eggy caramel custard types. The Gulab jamuns and the ice cream though, made our day.
By the end of it, we were highly satisfied, both by the food and the people. We quickly paid the bill, left a hefty tip, and exited. But we will definitely return.
The verdict:
A big Thumbs Up. A big congratulations to the principals.
The ratings, they go like this.:
The Food Quotient : Food Quality 4 / 5, Food Choices 3.5 / 5, Food Portion 3.5 / 5 Food Presentation : 4 / 5
The Other Determinants : Location 2.5 / 5, Cleanliness 3.5 / 5, Service 4.5 / 5
The Hygiene Factors : Ambiance 3.5 / 5, Space quotient 2.5 / 5, Delivery time 3.5 / 5
The Conclusives : Food Price 3.5 / 5, Honesty 4 / 5, Overall Experience 4 / 5, Will I Visit again 4 / 5
PS: Bouquets / brickbats on the review can be addressed to [email protected] or submitted below.
A big Thumbs Up. A big congratulations to the principals.
The ratings, they go like this.:
The Food Quotient : Food Quality 4 / 5, Food Choices 3.5 / 5, Food Portion 3.5 / 5 Food Presentation : 4 / 5
The Other Determinants : Location 2.5 / 5, Cleanliness 3.5 / 5, Service 4.5 / 5
The Hygiene Factors : Ambiance 3.5 / 5, Space quotient 2.5 / 5, Delivery time 3.5 / 5
The Conclusives : Food Price 3.5 / 5, Honesty 4 / 5, Overall Experience 4 / 5, Will I Visit again 4 / 5
PS: Bouquets / brickbats on the review can be addressed to [email protected] or submitted below.
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