Blossom started its journey from Ghatkopar and soon gained popularity on the dint on their offerings which still bring hordes of patrons to their tables. Honestly Blossom need no introduction for food lovers; a popular chain of restaurants which serves seriously good food with a twist and even twisted & quirky names.
I was invited by their MD, Mr. Manish Bilakhia, to come over & review their Fort outlet, especially their Sunday brunch. I landed here hoping it would be like a normal brunch but Blossom sprang a huge surprise. They laid out a full A4 sheet menu of their brunch & informed me that they would serve each & every item mentioned on it. After my meal was over & by then I was bursting on my seams, I had counted a total of 28 items that had been placed before me.
The interiors have been designed by the MD himself, I was told. The posters and photo frames put up show that he has a good sense of humour apart from his business acumen. The dining area is pretty large and holds about 15-17 tables and can accommodate about 60 people.
Without much ado, presenting my take on the ânever ending Sunday Brunch menuâ with which I stuffed myself:
SOUPS:
Shakespeare had famously said âWhatâs in a nameâ but blossom will surely differ with the great Bard on this count. The twisted titles have relevance with the appearance / composition of the dish and the relevance has been beautifully veiled in the title.
MR. NATWAR âLAALâÂ
As the title subtly suggests, this was a slightly spicy soup schezwan flavoured soup served with spiced puffs.
NAMAK âHARAâ-AM
A green broth made with all green ingredients like Spinach, Green Peas and Cabbage with a steamed dumpling dunked into it. The flavours were very mild yet distinct.
EK PAHELI âPEELAâ
This dish is as lovely as Sunny Leone looked in the film with a phonetically similar name [No offence meant to the lady referred to].The soup was based on a puree of Pumpkin with very finely chopped Bell Pepper and Zucchini for enhancement and spices. Though it had a Pumpkin base, it didnât taste bland and had very nice flavour. A fried Manchurian Ball was dunked into the soup and gave a crunchy feel to every portion of it. This was my favourite soup.
STARTERS:
After the âLaalâ, Haraâ & âPeelaâ, the starters arrived which were a mixed bag in terms of taste.
CHINESE VADA SANDWICH
I could not decipher the exact taste of this sandwich.
TACOS TANGA
The Tacos were okayinsh but their presentation was nice. They were served placed on a wooden âTangaâ or a horse-cart and hence the title.
PAHADI PIZZA
This Pizza was very nicely made. It had a very strong garlic flavour to it. They have used a green garlic paste and along with finely chopped onions to form the base layer. On top it they have used finely chopped tomatoes and topped it with grated cheese. The bread base is made from a combination of various flours, dominant among them was Ragi but without maida and it was baked till the base was crispy.
RECOMMENDED
RED ROUND
Corn cheese balls were served immersed in tangy tomato based gravy which had an after taste of Chinese flavours. To me, this dish was passable.
CORN BHEL
Long strips of thick fried noodles were crushed. They were then tossed with chili garlic mayonnaise, chat masala, American corn, finely chopped capsicum, cabbage and tomatoes.The crunchy & goeey misture was then decorated with some cheese shavings.RECOMMENDED
PUNE SANDWICH
3 soft & fresh slices bread were latherearts d with chutney one side and cheese slices on the other. It was melt-in-the-mouth soft but it didnât find much favour with me.
GREEN GARLIC TOAST
This was best of the starters served during the course of the meal. Small squares of Ragi bread were lathered with paste made from green garlic, finely chopped onion & garlic and then topped with grated cheese. The crunch of the bread and pungency of the garlic made it a very good snack.
RECOMMENDED
JUICES:
Juices served here are a revelation by themselves. I had come with a notion that they serve good fusion food & maybe they may some beverages on the menu but the juices menu came as a surprise knock.They prepare some very nice blends of fruit, cream, ice cream etc without using any ice, added sugar or preservatives and they successfully tingle not only your taste buds but your sight as well.
BLACK DEVIL
A dark, thick juice with a purple tinge to it made from black & green Grapes, Lychee, Vanilla & Cream.
KLM
This is one of their specialities and has to be consumed fast as its made using sugarcane juice which starts turning balck with passage of time. The other ingredients are Kiwi, Khus & Sweet Lime
RECOMMENDED
MOGAMBO
This one was my personal favourite. I have never ever had Muskmelon till now; for no apparent reason I stay away from it. But here it was blended with vanilla ice cream & orange which gave it a thick texture & a mild citrus flavour. The flavour of the orange manifested itself as an after taste.
RECOMMENDED
ALL DOWNER
Even though it was a blend of Strawberry, Pineapple and Orange, somehow Pineapple dominated the flavour as well as the texture.
MAIN COURSE:
HARIYALI PAV BHAJI
This dish is what âblossomâis known for; I can dare to take the liberty of saying that it could be their highest selling dish of the menu. It is a nice finely mashed combination of all green ingredients; green tomatoes, green bell pepper, green garlic, fresh coriander, potatoes and onions. If you need it spicy, they serve crushed green chilies on the side which can be added.
The flavours were very nice, not spicy at all vis-Ă -vis the regular Pav Bhaji which we are used to. They serve grilled Pav along with the Bhaji and they resemble small slices of bread.Â
RECOMMENDED
COMBI PASTA
Penne Pasta served with a mix of of red & white sauce. However the flavour was amiss that day and it tasted more like a makhni flavoured Pasta & was tilted more on the sweeter side. It was not a very delightful experience to sample it.
ITALIAN PAV BHAJI
The base of the Bhaji was made with Arrabitta sauce but it was nowhere close to the spicy-sour combination that the sauce is ought to be. It has macaroni and oregano among other ingredients and garnished with liquid cheese. Italian Pav Bhaji missed out on the Italian flavour.
BURMESE KHOW SUEY
A nice combination of noodles, coconut milk, crushed fried noodles, spring onion and peanuts. The attempt to make it taste like Khow Suey was nice but the sauce was again on the sweeter side hence the dish went awry.
PANEER SHASLIK SIZZLER
We opted for this Sizler with rice and it had Grilled Paneer, Fried Potatoes, Carrots and Green Peas. The Paneer was very soft & creamy but the overall flavour of the sizzler was bland. It could have been made slightly spicy.
KALIA SUBJI
This dish is a Chefâs special. Paneer & mix vegetables are cooked in a special masala which is burnt on purpose hence its black in colour as well as the connotation to the title.
WA LALLAN WA
The same mixture of Paneer & mix vegetables cooked in a conventional red gravy with tomato & onion base. I liked the subtlety of the flavours of this dish.
MAKAI & RAGI ROTI
Before my visit here, I had not seen thin rotis made from Ragi [Finger Millet] & Makai [Corn]; usually the rotis made using these are grains are thick. Appreciate the efforts of the Chef in nailing this and going a step ahead and infusing it with garlic. This is a very healthy combination and ABSOLUTELY RECOMMENDED.
PANEER JALAPENO RICE
Long grain rice tossed in jalapeno flavoured base and grilled Paneer, topped with crisp rice which is not fried but instead toasted using a different technique.
GREEN TEA CHHOLE
Again a by-product of the Green Revolution at blossom, this dish is made using green herbs, green masala, chick peas and served with Ragi Puri
DESSERTS:BROWNIE ROCKS
Warm Brownie topped with vanilla icecream, drizzled with some chocolate sauce and garnished with finely chopped dry fruits.
KULFI FALOODA
Kulfi, Sabja beans and dry fruits combined to form this dish.
KIWI FRUIT FALOODAThis one was my favourite dessert. Finely cut Kiwi with some other fruit bits were served in a bowl with some vanilla ice-cream.
COOLER:KUTCHI BEER [CHHAAS]
This one is one of the best buttermilk or Chhaas that I have ever had. Upon the first sip, the freshness of the curd can be instantly felt. It is not sweet but refreshingly fresh and use of spices has been kept to a minimum wherein you can feel it but it does not interfere with the basic taste of the buttermilk.RECOMMENDED
Before the start of the meal, they provided us with a hand sanitizer was dispensed using a big plastic gun; nice & innovative way.
Service was top notch, very personalized and attentive. This treatment was not reserved only for us because we were invited; I observed similar behavior with other customers as well. The ingredients of each dish were explained properly while ordering & even while serving.
This restaurant does everthing in its power to reduce environmental pollution; right from not serving packaged water, not providing straws for having juices, reducing wastage of water etc which are very good initiatives in todayâs times.
They have tweaked a lot of recipes and used ingredients whichare healthy like Ragi Puri, mixed flour base for the Pizza instead of refined flour [maida], lot of green vegetables in Pav Bhaji; most of their dishes low on spices but high on taste quotient. The two most significant pointers of their resolve towards healthy eating are that they donât serve aerated drinks / soft drinks & they donât add sugar to any of their juices of milkshakes. I am sure a lot of thought and efforts must have gone into designing them.
Blossom has an integral warmth & love for serving good food; something that will make you return for more. Donât judge the book by its cover [the dishes by their quirky names] else you miss out on some very good food.
Food Quality â 4/5
Food Quantity â 4/5
Service â 4/5
Ambiance â 4.5/5
Price â NA [I didnât pay for the meal hence not proper to rate this parameter]
An error has occurred! Please try again in a few minutes