A bar in Chembur serves excellent cocktails at cheap prices, though the food evokes mixed reactions Hic, hic hurray shunashir sen shunashir. sen@ mid- day. com We walk into Sandyu2019s Den, a bar within a mall complex in Chembur, to find four musicians occupying the tiny central area, performing non- offensive tunes. Even though itu2019s a Thursday night, the place is packed to the brim.
A staffer says initially that weu2019ll have to wait a while for a table. But then another person seats us at the far end of a long table, right next to the musicians. We settle down and ask for the menu, even as the band starts wrapping up their show.
The food at this place involves a mix of bar bites, Indian fare and continental dishes. The first thing that strikes us, though, is an obsession with activated charcoal that the place has. Everything from pizzas to chapatis has a u201c carbonu201d option included. Curious to find out how good or bad this idea is, we ask for the carbon nachos, apart from masala peanuts u2014 a classic bar staple u2014 and a margherita pizza for the mains. From the drinks section, we opt for a whisky sour, white wine sangria and long island iced tea.
The drinks arrive in the blink of an eye. The waiter had c o n f i r m e d before hand that we like our whisky sour with egg in it, and for a mere R 219, itu2019s a perfectly competent version.
The drink has the right amount of froth and a pleasant zing from the lemon juice. But the sangria suffers from the use of inexpensive wine, though we werenu2019t expecting much more given that itu2019s priced at only R 229.
In fact, even the long island iced tea is equally cheap. This one, though, is an excellent concoction where the potency is evident in every single sip.
The food is also served in a jiffy. The charcoal lends the nachos ( R 190) a black colour, and each piece is filled with crunchy goodness. The combination of cheese, bell peppers and salsa is lip- smacking and we polish off the plate in no time at all.
The peanuts ( R 90) are a bit too bland. Youu2019d get better versions in dive bars, because this one here fails to get the right spice mix. Itu2019s not that the dish is the have- one- biteand- shove- it- aside type. Itu2019s just that it doesnu2019t have the right tangy flavour that we were hoping for.
The margherita pizza, meanwhile, is neither here nor there. The crust is a tad too thick and there is an overdose of cheese. The flavour is subtle, and while we wouldnu2019t go as far as to say that a local from Naples u2014 where the dish ( R 260) was invented u2014 would give it a thumbu2019s up, chances are that the person wouldnu2019t turn his nose up either.
So overall, Sandyu2019s Den is a nice enough addition to Chemburu2019s nightlife. A person approaches us after we have paid the bill and introduces himself as Sandeep Shetty aka Sandy, the owner of the establishment. He tells us that his father runs the popular Sandeep Restaurant and Bar in Mulund, while he opened this place to fulfill a long- cherished dream he had ever since he worked behind a bar in London. The joint is down the road from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, and Sandy says that he gives its students a special discount.
But given how cheap the prices are, you wouldnu2019t feel the pinch even if that offer doesnu2019t apply to you. So, we suggest that you drop in to the place the next time youu2019re in Chembur.
time 12 pm to 12.30 am AT Sandyu2019s Den, Shop 10/ 11, Vasant Vihar Complex, next To Cubic Mall, Chembur.
CALL 7304608592 FOOD review FOOD/ average AMBIeNCE/ dive SERVICE/ Promising COST/ Reasonable verdict / J JJJ JJJJ Exceptional, JJJ Excellent, JJ very Good, J Good, Average. Sandyu2019s Den didnu2019t know we were there. The Guide reviews anonymously and pays for meals Carbon Long island nachos iced Whiskey sour ed tea Masala peanuts and margherita pizza
