The newly opened Cafe Mangii at Powai's Hiranandani Gardens has a lovely street cafe vibe, which coupled with its comprehensive menu and prompt service make it a great eating out option

The newly opened Cafe Mangii at Powai's Hiranandani Gardens has a lovely street cafe vibe, which coupled with its comprehensive menu and prompt service make it a great eating out optionu00a0

Ignore the hustle bustle on the main road and the pesky mosquitoes. Instead, the pavement leading towards Hiranandani Complex overlooking the Powai Lake is where you should head. Sitting under the large canopy in the outer section of Cafe Mangii, surrounded by trees lit up by strands of twinkling lights, our imagination quickly conjured images of a street cafe in a quaint European town.

Capriciosca Wood Fired Pizza. Pics/Sameer Markande

The outer section is meant for patrons who want to stop by for a nibble over coffee. But the attendant at the door very graciously accepted our request and let us order dinner outside since the more comfortable-looking sofas were taken and we did not want to spend a better part of the dinner balancing ourselves on bar stools. The attendant earned instant brownie points for the restaurant.

Having settled in, we ordered Jalapeno and Cheddar Poppers (Rs 255) as starters with mocktails -- Spice Girl (Rs 175) and Miami Watermelon (Rs 175). The restaurant was still to acquire a liquor license, so we settled for the mocktails despite an extensive wine menu. The Poppers were the right kind of appetisers but they only increased our craving for a fruity wine. The energising mocktails did compensate, though.u00a0

Moving on to the main course we ordered their signature wood-fired pizza -- Capriciosca (Rs 425) -- along with Lavender Steak (Rs 415). The thin crust pizza with a pesto sauce base and bell peppers looked and smelled divine and did not disappoint us on the taste factor. The well-done steak and garlic potatoes also earned ten-on-ten points. Riding on the success of the dinner, we ordered Blueberry Cheese Cake (Rs 220) for dessert. Unfortunately for us, the joyride of the dinner met with a slight bump. The cheesecake was plated really well but it wasn't the best we've had.

Still, we spent a lovely evening at Cafe Mangii and judging from the crowd at the restaurant, even at closing time, we could safely say the others were shared the sentiment. This one's a must visit.

At: Cafe Mangii, Shop No 1, Trans Ocean House, Hiranandani Business Park, near Fabindia, off Adishankaracharya Marg, Powai. Call: 25705136 / 37

Cafe Mangii didn't know we were there. The Guideu00a0reviews anonymously and pays for meals.