Candies, Pali Hill - Mumbai

'★★★½' Never ending beautiful statement. After landing in Mumbai, this was the first place where my relatives took me to. I have never been there and from outside I was thinking that why is there so much rush in a small place like this. But boy I was wrong. From outside it seems to be a small cafe but once u step inside... It doesn’t end. It’s so big. It keeps on growing n growing n growing. There is an old rustic wonderful ambience as I think it was made in an old bungalow. Lovely decor, gives a European feel to it. Never ending steps and never ending menu.

We decided to go upstairs. It’s a self-service cafe. We ordered mutton mince roll, roasted chicken, veg club sandwiches with cheese, Manchurian & rice, veg roll, small garlic bread, blueberry cheesecake and 2 small angry birds. They took 10 mins and we sat on the terrace. It took us 3-4 minutes to find a place with proper shade.

'Mutton minced roll'

Mutton mince roll: Very tender bread filled with minced mutton. It was delicious, juicy and the mutton was cooked nicely. The roll was a kind of hotdog, the sausage replaced by minced mutton. The quality and freshness can be felt in the first bite itself.

'Roasted Chicken'

Roasted chicken: It was a mouth-watering roasted chicken served with cold pasta, green vegetables dipped in delicious sauce. It was actually this wonderful presentation which motivated me to take the plunge. It smelled heavenly. Rich, savory, sweet & tempting are some words which can capture the deliciousness of the chicken. It was a flavourful chicken that i have the pleasure of putting in my mouth. Loved it.

Veg club sandwich & veg roll were just ok in taste. Stacked with veggies, the sandwich was appealing to look but it failed in taste. The roll tasted a bit better then the sandwich but was not overwhelming. There was something missing in it. They tried adding a little bit of each ingredient but still didn't succeeded.

Manchurian & cold coffee: Manchurian was little flat. The dish was not a go go for us. Not gonna lie, but it didn't tasted like some good Manchurian, however it was better than sandwich and roll. I think that it was their version of Manchurian & rice. I personally didn't like it. Coffee was super fresh more like a ‘take my money’ coffee thing. Cold coffee has been a regular part of our breakfast rotation & candies coffee managed to be both mellow and refreshing at the same time.

Small Garlic bread & Blueberry cheese cake: Garlic bread cost only Rs. 4 per piece. These handheld garlic bombs were filled with fabulous taste. We all have a serious soft spot for garlic breads and these little breads were appetizing. Don't refuse to give it a chance. No cheese but still loved the garlic bread. Blueberry cheese cake, as usual, tasted like a normal cheese cake. Nothing to brag about.

Lastly: Now I know why it was so busy. They have huge space to sit. Wonderful snacks and I think there is so much to order there. One of the best places to hang out with friends/family. Just order something and sit there. I personally felt great. The atmosphere was different. If u r sitting on terrace then u have to be aware of the crow shit. Try and sit beneath shade coz they will not stop. Candies is itself a landmark. The ambience was enough to fall in love with it. Not to forget their Non Veg menu. I felt something missing in their Veg dishes. More than the food, what I felt was the ambience and location which attracts the crowd here (I may be wrong coz taste bud are different for different people). Perfect place to hang out for every age group.

My Rating: 3.5/5 *

website: http://www.candiescafe.com/

Facebook: https://goo.gl/nRe9dU

Directions: 5AAA, Pali Hill, Bandra West