Janata Lunch Home = SST!

The place: Janata Lunch Home, Bandra
The time: Most prefer the nights- some, early evening onwards
The mission: To make the most of cheap food and beer!




Janata Lunch Home, amusingly looked at as a shady hole in the wall by most, is definitely not what the unsuspecting public would generally consider for a pleasant evening out into Bandra. A high class connoisseur would degrade it, the health inspector would give it a thumbs down, and yet, if you were to take that step into the place, I can assure you, you will never come out unsatisfied. The place may not live up to the first 'S' in 'SST' but on the 'ST' bit - it scores a perfect 10!

For a start, we'd heard plenty talk on the grapevine of the relatively cheap characteristics of this little haven for food and alcohol lovers alike. To walk into this quaint little restaurant on Pali Hill, the wooden bench-and-table setup are a throw back to most other "shady pubs"  found in Mumbai (we didn't bother going up to the a/c section, that's just not our style). And boy! Were we pleased by its opening credentials! A mere 120 bucks for a chilled Budweiser was just the kind of start we were looking for! From then on, it was sheer bliss.

What followed was a full plate of succulent tandoori chicken, served with a side dish of...erm...salad (or something of the sort), a plate of the most inspiring Chicken Masala anyone could possibly imagine and two plates of hot, mouthwatering butter rotis each to go with it. Couldn't ask for anything more!

On the whole, Janata is one place you would never want to miss if you are looking for a cheap, bloody good meal. It is said by people living around the area that they even deliver till 3 a.m. in the morning! Which is pretty darn amazing! As for us, we have made the trip twice already, never coming out with anything less than a full belly, a little tipsy, and devoid of any holes burned through our wallets!

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Janata Lunch Home at a glance:

Address: Dr Ambedkar Road, Pali Naka, Bandra (W), Mumbai

Phone: +91 22 26005180, +91 22 32515596, +91 22 26004049

Our rating: 10/10

The Biggest and Best Burger experience ever!

The place: Bembos, Bandra (W), Mumbai
The time: Lunch on a lazy Sunday afternoon
The mission: Eat!


Having passed Bembos a few dozen times before, it was quite embarrassing that I had to call the restaurant and ask for directions. Then again, that's nothing new. The thought of eating a big meal at a place we have heard is great, makes one lose their sense of direction (true story!).

For those of you who have watched Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle - you know that no matter what happens along the way, all you want in the end is "the perfect meal. Something that'll REALLY hit the spot". I assure you, this trip had no extreme adventures or anything of the sort. Just a super, super meal!

The first thing that catches your eye about this place is that there IS nothing eye-catching about it. Simplistic decor with aluminium finish tables and chairs. Nothing fancy, but it is clean and it smells like heaven. Standing at the counter and deciding what to eat is nothing short of torture. EVERYTHING looks so good! (And this isn't like at McDonald's, where you have expertly photoshopped images of burgers that look so great on the display and disappoint you moments later when on your plate).

We went with a Grilled Chicken combo meal and a Tangy Crispy Chicken combo - two HUGE burgers, two large cokes and two large sides of fries. (I'm probably asking for a coronary, but I could LIVE on this stuff!). The highlight of the meal was discovering that along with the tomato ketchup and chilli sauce, the condiment rack had mayonnaise. UNLIMITED Mayonnaise! And it was goooood mayonnaise! Definitely a highlight as far as we were concerned. (One also has the option of throwing in a slice of cheese and a fried egg. Mmmmm!)

Our mission was simple - as it always is - to get our money's worth!

Almost an hour later, two very full stomachs left the place, content and already looking forward to their next visit. On the whole, one of the most satisfying "junk" meals in a long time! Mission accomplished!!

Como Bembos no hay otra!  

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Bembos at a glance:

Address: 34, Manorama Chambers, Opp. Indian Bank, S. V. Road, Bandra (W), Mumbai (3-minutes walking distance from Shoppers Stop on Linking Road)

Phone nos: +91 22 26415599, +91 22 26415600, +91 22 67100625

A brief history: Bembos is a Peruvian fast food chain offering hamburgers, often with Peruvian-influenced variations. Bembos was established in 1988, with its first restaurant opening in the Miraflores district of Lima. Bembos mixes spices into their meat, giving a distinct taste and appearance. Bembos has opened restaurants outside of Peru, located in Delhi NCR and Mumbai, India and Panamá City, Panamá.

Our rating: 10/10!

It was a dark and stormy night...

*Burrrrp!* is the best compliment one can give to a restaurant. At least, as far as we are concerned! The title of this blog probably says a lot for itself - it is to do with food. Most people eat to live, but with us, it's more a case of living to eat! We make no bones about it - we are passionate about our food. We eat more than just to fill our stomachs and get our daily nutritional intake, it is a source of inspiration to live, to succumb to that temptation that fills our stomach, pleasures the pallet, and gives you that glorious feeling of eating that one delicious meal to just the right amount as to make you feel content - make you feel like there is nothing else in the world worth living for. We eat because we love to!

So this is just a food-diary (of sorts!) of the places we eat/have eaten at. Some are good, some are bad, and some plain ugly. And of course, there are some that blow our minds and make us want to come back for more as often as we can! You'll find here, our opinions on the places we frequent and those we have vowed never to go back to again! This is our story..

Also, for a change in topic - and for the sake of something different every week ("balanced diet"? haha!) - we also have a special weekly entry from our our very own foliage artist (Warning! Meat-lover discretion is advised!)

If you, dear readers, have any recommendations on great places to eat at, please do let us know. We're always ready to try new places.

Cheers! And heres to the gastronomical wonders of this world!