Bandra's once-favourite, Oriental street-side cafe is back on Turner Road. The suspended river rock curtain is missing, but the Lemon Grass Wings are still finger-licking good
Bandra's once-favourite, Oriental street-side cafe is back on Turner Road. The suspended river rock curtain is missing, but the Lemon Grass Wings are still finger-licking good
Lemon Grass has returned to its roots. After a peripatetic stroll around the city, through Parel and Malad, the Oriental eatery has come back to Bandra, not to its original home, but a few doors down where Pot Pourri used to be.
A little tired after its travels, the new Lemon Grass Cafe (LGC) is missing its funky, cool edge. The screen of bamboo plants, a curtain of suspended rocks, and the raftered ceiling are all missing.
The only hint of this being an Oriental restaurant comes from artefacts and the freshly painted emerald green walls that carry Asian floral motifs.
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What has not changed, and what LGC was loved for more than anything, was its food.
We were not surprised to find that the delicious, mildly flavoured Shiitake Mushroom and Water Chestnut Dimsums (Rs 130) for instance, are a nice balance of meaty mushroom and crunchy chestnuts.
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Though the Beef Tamarind Chilly Satays (Rs 120) looked a bit anaemic, each piece of beef had absorbed the pungent-sweet sharpness of the marinade.
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One of their most popular dishes used to be Lemon Grass Wings (Rs 115), and we're happy to report that the sweet-spicy, batter coated wings are still finger-licking good.
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What was disappointing was that both starters were served in chipped plates.
Lemon Grass' curries and stir fries are essentially one-bowl meals served with rice or noodles.
The Sliced Chicken, Onion and Black Bean Stir Fry (Rs 275) that we ordered was simple with no complicated flavouring.
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The saltiness of the black beans enveloped the chicken well and nothing in the bowl was over cooked.
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LGC hadn't started serving desserts when we visited, and Pot Pourri's dessert counter has been replaced by a bar.
Though everything doesn't quite seem to be in place yet, it's still good to have LGC back in Bandra. It's still the only chilled out Asian street-side cafe in the city where you don't feel you've been ripped off.
At: Shop No 4, Carlton Court, Turner-Pali
Road Junction, Bandra (W). Call 26429193.
Lemon Grass didn't know we were there.
The GUIDE reviews anonymously and pays for meals.
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