A slice of Goa!

The place: Soul Fry, Bandra

The time: Open between 12:30 and 3 in the afternoon, and 7 and 12:30 at night. We've only ever been in the evenings.
The mission: To feast on the most delicious vindaloo yet!

Soul Fry is just one of the many (possibly hundreds!) of eateries and restaurants in Bandra. Situated on Pali Mala road, one can either walk there through a fruit-and-vegetable market or drive down from Hill Road. The restaurant itself is a quaint little one with an old-world charm. With seating both inside, as well as out, there is provision for one to enjoy either the air-conditioning or the natural breeze (combined with the sights, sounds, and smells) of Mumbai.
Where the service lacks in the friendliness of waiters, it makes up on how quickly the food was served. We went there with our order more or less decided (based on our previous visit there) and told the waiter our order - Chicken Vindaloo, Butter Rotis and Prawn Curry-Rice - before he handed us the menu.

Now, there are two reasons we eat certain places (apart from the basic fact that we live to eat!) - either it's a new place we want to try out, or it's a tried-and-tested place we're visiting again for something that our taste buds fell in love with a previous time. In this case, it was definitely the second! The Chicken Vindaloo at Soul Fry is top-drawer stuff! Spiced to perfection, the chicken itself is tender and succulent. What's more, there was enough to go around for three big eaters. (Note: this will not hold true on most days. For some inexplicable reason, it did the day we went!). The rice was "al dente" - just right to be walloped with some mighty good prawn curry! One also has the option of washing down all that spicy food with a chilled beer, of which they have a fair choice.

While it may not be the best place for a business meeting, Soul Fry definitely is a great place for a family/big group dinner, a noisy and rambunctious boys' night-on-the-town or even a cozy and romantic dinner date. The prices are just about high enough to make it a once-in-a-while kind of place. (From past visits - a meal works out to around 300 rupees a stomach without beer, around 500 with).

So, the next time you feel like Goan food, don't bother calling your travel agent - just hop down to Bandra and pig out at Soul Fry!
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Soul Fry at a glance:

Address: Silver Croft, Pali Mala Road, Bandra (W), Mumbai

Phone: +91 22 26046892

Our rating: 9/10