Off the table

Food AverageAmbience GoodService AverageCost CheapVerdict 14A wise man once said theres a sandwich for everyonerdquo says midday reader Bandra resident and sandwich enthusiast Sean Rourke as we make our way to the newly launched The Family Table And in a city where deliciousness and convenience are often packaged between slices of bread at a variety of price points the prospect of a pocketfriendly sandwich joint located in the heart of Bandra was in equal parts intriguing and exciting Run by the family that also operates Josephs Cold Storage and Josephs Chinese Kitchen a Bandra landmark located just across the street the eatery claims to dish out a comprehensive assortment of fresh pocketfriendly fareChocolate tartWhen we got there at about noon on a sunny weekday morning only two of the several white tables scattered around the leafy openair patio were full The counters are wellmanned by eager and helpful staff and neatly lined with the days offerings Manager Valentine Pereira informed us that if we chose to eat in the staff would prepare our order right then And so thats what we did sipping on a tall glass of iced Americano R110 and a fresh lime soda R60 as we waited Both we noted were unremarkable in taste but quite wellpriced and served generously That observation also proved to be a bellwether for the rest of our mealWe began with the bacon and ham R120 and the corn spinach and cheese R120 quiches Both had a light crumbly crust and the bacon and ham version earned itself a special mention for also having sauteacuteed spinach in the filling The vegetarian variant didnt fare as well mdash the flavours were bland and typical of the generic ldquocontinentalrdquo fare that is often served at wedding buffets Next up was the ham and cheese croissant R100 which as the name suggests contained plenty of cheese and a reasonable amount of ham The portion size is substantial If you intend to eat this alone know that the taste of processed cheese can get a little overwhelming after a while and that you will be left with not much of an appetite for anything else We also noticed that the puff pastry was a little undercookedThe quichesWe moved on to the pulled chicken burger R140 and the TFT chicken club sandwich R140 both of which were marked as specials While the pulled chicken was tender and coated in an appetising BBQ sauce the bun was a little too thick which as Rourke pointed out meant that we ended up eating a lot of bread baked inhouse every morning It was the same story with the club sandwich which was further let down by its bland chicken filling limp vegetables and slightly soggy texture Both would have largely benefitted from the bread being toasted which could have been an option for diners eating in but unfortunately wasnt On the day of our visit they had a special offer on snacks We went with the staff recommended chicken cheese lollipops R50 which were quite dry and definitely not the eaterys highlightTo end our meal on a sweet note we went with the banana caramel and chocolate tarts R80 each Like with the quiche the crust was enjoyable but in the case of the banana caramel variant the filling definitely wasnt mdashthe taste of overripe bananas completely overpowered the caramel The chocolate tart on the other hand was quite decadent and enjoyableTFT chicken club sandwichThe eatery enthusiastically advertises its chicken roast with optional stuffing however this must be ordered at least three hours in advance and was therefore not available Keeping in mind the fact that many of this eaterys customers will grab their snacks on the go we packed the chicken junglee chicken tikka and ribbon sandwiches R40 each All made with white bread the sandwiches had turned soggy in the 30 minutes it took for us to get home and unwrap them Youd do much better to eat inBy the end of the meal one thing was abundantly clear mdash if its a gourmet sandwich youre after skip this joint and walk a few minutes further to Kitchen Garden by Suzette But if youre looking for a wellpriced meal that wont blow your brains out with flavour but is fresh substantial and gets the job done The Family Table may just be what youre looking forSean RourkeTime 830 am to 930 pmAt The Family Table Epitome Building 29th Road opposite Josephs Chinese kitchen Bandra WestCall 9167340197 44 EXCEPTIONAL 34 EXCELLENT 24 VERY GOOD 14 GOOD 054 AVERAGE The Family Table didnt know we were there The Guide reviews anonymously and pays for mealsCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates