The 1,000-Rupee challenge

Rock Salt boasts of an enviable pin code fronting the Arabian Sea Girgaon Chowpatty in the Wilson College lane Given the address we expected to have to loosen our purse strings When we Googled it turned out to be the contrary mdasha budget Chinese eatery Immediately visions of roadside Chinese eateries with tacky plastic chairs emerged The Burnt Garlic Rice was evenly balanced with flavours of garlic and fresh vegetables complimenting the dish PicBipin Kokate But when we actually stepped into Rock Salt a pleasant surprise greeted us Despite the Chinese Pagoda logo and inspired menu there was hardly any Chinese influence amid its clean and comfortable interiors save for two fauxbamboo vases High chairs allowed for 11 people to be seated The spotted granite counter tops for tables shaded tiles and yellow lighting mdash reflected off the mirrors giving it a rich feel or a gaudy appearance depending on your taste Having opened less than a fortnight ago Rock Salt currently delivers within 1 km range but the courteous staff informed us of their plans of at least doubling that radius within the month The menu displayed flat taxinclusive rates starters 70 noodles 90 soups 70 main course 100 rice 90 wraps 80 combos 170 coffees 75 cold drinks 25 and one dessert Chocolate Mousse 70 It also offers many items for Jain preparations at no extra cost We began with Spring Rolls 70 which arrived in 10 minutes with a variety of sauces Stuffed with healthy vegetables it was served on an ecofriendly plate We only wish the chef had gone easy on the oil Next we decided to test them on speed and packaging and ordered a takeaway We opted for Golden Fried Baby Corn 70 Szechuan Noodles 90 Sweet Corn Soup Chilly Coriander Soup both 70 Szechuan Gravy and the Manchurian Gravy 100 Vegetable Fried Rice Burnt Garlic Rice both 90 Mushroom Wrap 80 and one combo consisting of Ginger Spicy Paneer starters Vegetable Fried Rice and Sweet and Sour Gravy 170 The entire order together with the Spring Rolls cost us 1000 As we waited we requested the WiFi password to surf the free Internet 35 minutes later our order was ready neatly packaged in branded plastic and cardboard containers A 30minute ride later there were no food spills and the food was warm and fresh Rock Salt didnrsquot skimp on the sauces and three different types of sauces came packaged inimpressive quantities The Golden Fried Baby Corn was a bit soggy but we attributed that to our errant choice Both soups were appetising but the Chilly Coriander won hands down The Vegetable Fried Rice and the Burnt Garlic Rice made for a filling and delicious base The rice had added bite yet the garlic didnrsquot overpower the other diced vegetables The main course was mildly spicedyetflavourful such that the different ingredients could be appreciated individually within the gravy The mushroom wrap came encased in a thick maida paratha with a generous helping of assorted vegetables The staff suggested that the combo meal would suffice one adult but an adult and a child could easily enjoy this meal together While we would have liked to end the meal with Chocolate Mousse it was unavailable that day The portions were plentiful and our order fed a family of four adults albeit those with average appetites and one child AT Metro Motors Lane near Anokhi Girgaon CALL 23631963 Rock Salt didnrsquot know we were there The GUIDE reviews anonymously and pays for mealsu00a0