Breakfast, Bagels and more at Grain & Bagel, Malad

For most of us the definition of the weekend means going southwards in the city to explore the various interesting treats the new cafes in Bandra have to offer. It was in one such place earlier this year that I was introduced to the concept of Bagels. But couple of weeks back, I got an opportunity to head northwards to Malad to learn more about Bagels.

After I moved from Andheri I have rarely been to Malad. But Malad is developing, with a string of residential and commercial complexes coming up, there is a visible need for interesting cafes and restaurants. Grain & Bagel is an attempt to tap into this market, currently dominated by elaborate food courts and restaurants in malls in the area.

The first thing which is noticeable is the approach to the cafe, it’s hidden somewhere between concrete towers behind Infiniti Mall. It might give you an impression of an office cafeteria from a distance but once you enter the place, you find an open, warm and welcoming place.

The location works to its advantage as it offers peace inside a corporate park, as compared to the roadside noise of numerous other cafes elsewhere in Mumbai. The interiors are spacious and open and they do have FREE WIFI! Now about the food.

Breakfast menu: Maggi, Eggs and Pancakes

From the time I checked up the menu I was most excited about the Mornay Maggi. The dish is reminiscent of some lovely cheesy Maggi you will end up having in a hill station Maggi-Momo shack. Maggi is prepared in a creamy cheddar cheese sauce and plated with some parsley on top. Be it the excitement of having Maggi after sometime or the simplicity of the preparation, it took us no time to gobble it up.

A breakfast place is almost inconceivable without the presence of eggs (neglecting the brilliance of South Indian Veggie joints). We ordered a couple of egg dishes- the Irani Omelette and Scrambled Eggs with Pesto. The Irani omelette was quite “normal”, something which I won’t feel like having in a nice café. But the Eggs with Pesto made my day, the dash of pesto in scrambled eggs just takes them to a lovable level. The eggs were garnished with bits of Feta and some fresh Parsley, but the sad piece of bread and hash-brown served with it could have been avoided, or presented in a better way.

We ordered the regular pancakes (with maple syrup) which were soft, fluffy and simply delicious. The best bit is that they have an eggless variant, hopefully equally tasty!

Bagels

I am still getting used to the taste of Bagels and its texture. Caramelwings enlightened me about how the dough is hand shaped, boiled and then baked to achieve a dense and rather chewy consistency of Bagels. Reema added that these Bagels represent the New York style of Bagel making, popularly served with a healthy spreading of Philadelphia cream cheese with some simple toppings. I am lucky to be in this awesome company!

We first tried the Veggie Bagel with a Rye Bagel with lots of fresh veggies, a garlic cream cheese spread and a schezwan sauce. Simple and I would assume I still need some Bagel education before I can comment on their quality.

Although I loved the Fluffy Scrambled Eggs with Chicken and Cheddar Bagel. It was plated with salad and I somehow feel that softer fillings rather than crunchier ones will suit me better, given the texture of Bagel.

The next step: Risotto and Spaghetti Bolognese

Thankfully I am much more informed when it comes to Risotto, the one we ordered with Mornay Risotto with Asparagus Tips. The dish looks simple yet elegant with Asparagus tips on top. Asparagus adds a crunchy and distinct element to an indeed well-done dish.

Spaghetti Bolognese was a bit of a disappointment with the lamb meat tasting rough and not smooth enough as expected. I was expecting meat to be soft, but it was of chewy consistency, something which disturbed the neatly done flavors of the sauce.

Desserts

We were served an assortment of desserts (Ganache, Mousse, Cupcake with amazing frosting) but I will talk about just one. Mandarin Pot De Crème  was my favorite dish on the menu. As I heard the girls discussing its complex recipe with Chintan (one of the owners) I tasted the most amazing mix of Chocolate and Orange, which took me straight from the simple childhood delights of Amul Orange Chocolate to the complex world of orange reductions and cooked chocolates. Who cares, brilliant dessert!!! The best.

All in all Grains and Bagel was an interesting journey, I learned a lot about Bagels, scrambled through the remains of the delicious scrambled eggs with pesto, fell in love with the creamy Risotto and ended it all with the zest of Orange in Chocolate.

Definitely worth a visit, especially if you stay in the neighborhood of Malad.

I was accompanied by Ashrita, Amrita, and Reema for the review.

Disclosure: Restaurant’s owners covered all the expenses associated with the food tastings mentioned above. For more details refer my disclosure page.