Welcome to my Adda!

I had guests staying at my place the whole of last week. My aunt along with her teenage daughter who had flown down from the US a week before were of Indian origin. But after having spent their whole lives abroad they had downright American tastes with even a little spice driving them up the wall. It was up to me to take them out for brunch on Sunday and it soon began to seem like an uphill task. How do you showcase the spiciness of Mumbai city to relatives who youï¿½re sure wouldnï¿½t be able to handle it? I was treading on thin ice, on one hand needing to treat them with local delicacies while at the same time making sure that the conventional spiciness doesnï¿½t slough off their intestinal lining!

After much debate with my husband on how to play this out, we finally decided on Bombay Adda, and by the end of our meal it seemed like our wisest decision that week! Bombay Adda is a selfie paradise from the word go. Right from the moment you step into the place there are innumerable opportunities to get a click and you will never end up with the same background for sure. The ambience is unique in it showcasing the whatï¿½s what of Mumbai city filling every corner with emotions linked to this beautiful city of ours. The seating area is split into a closed area with large extra comfy sofas adjoining big picture windows which allow plenty of natural light to come through while giving a picturesque view of the city below. This leads into an adjacent open-air area where flavoured hookah takes the upper hand.

After taking our seats we immediately set to order. First up were some drinks and starters. The Perfect Mix mocktail is a cheerful drink, citrusy with a combination of oranges, grapefruit and lime and tastes like the perfect remedy for a Saturday night hangover. The In and Out mocktail in comparison is more sombre, with its vinegar and honey combination giving a bitter sweet feeling to it. Tubelight was a chilled vodka based cocktail with a tinge of lime. My aunt tried the Gateway to Adda, another signature cocktail, which is a mix of spirits enhanced with the sweet spiciness of lemony chaat masala.

Among the starters, first came the Hummusa which was a nice combination of desi veg mini samosas served in a base of parboiled burghul wheat with a garlic and nutty taste. Next were crispy favourites – Masala fish fingers which were delicately spiced crispy fish fingers, Jalapeno poppers – hot cheesy crispy capsicum balls, and Crab Cakes ï¿½ bland crab meat in mayo with a crispy coat of golden buy roasted bread crumbs. Our next round of starters included the Balti chicken skewers ï¿½ a tangy skew to the traditional tikka kebabs, Achari Basa ï¿½ tender succulent basa fish boneless chunks given a light tadka, and the classic Hooters BBQ chicken wings. Although the second round wasnï¿½t as spicy as we had anticipated, it began getting our guests a little red in the face. And so we went in for a blander third round of starters which included, Nachos topped with garbanzo beans ï¿½ crispy nachos topped with crushed Bengal gram complimented with sour cream and cheese, Wok tossed lamb ï¿½ juicy lamb pieces marinated in a garlic and pepper sauce, Tarbuj & Feta salad ï¿½ Cutely carved watermelon stuffed with salty white cheese served with rocket leaves which is a lesser known aphrodisiac!

Balti Spice Chicken Skewers - Bombay Adda

Nachos topped with garbanzo beans, feta & pomegranate

At the end of the starter rounds, we three women were stuffed and it was only my husband who wanted to move on to the main course. He went in for Nasi Goreng ï¿½ an Indonesian prawn fried rice served with a curry like deeply flavoured sauce. The deserts we ordered for were out of this world! Eton Mess was mouth watering with its thick wipped cream, strawberry sauce and wafer which melted as soon as it touched my tongue. The other desert we tried was Tres Letche ï¿½ a sponge cake layered with creamy condensed milk and decorated with thick soft milky cream.

Wok Tossed Garlic & Pepper Lamb - Bombay Adda

All in all Bombay Adda is a classy place, with picture perfect ambience and downright delicious food, which puts it on the ï¿½to doï¿½ list of the NRI who wants a taste of Mumbai!