Bombay Bronx encapsulates the spirit of Bombay, its flavour and its quirks. This fun, ultra-modern yet rustic resto-bar is a series of contrasts, just like Amchi Mumbai is. Located in the posh neighbourhood of Breach Candy, I first set foot in it a couple of years ago for a friend’s birthday party. I remember it being SO crowded, and we stood at the bar, screaming to each other over blaring music.
The food then didn’t really lure me enough to travel all the way to SoBo again. But when I did visit last week, I was pleasantly surprised. The place looked brighter, more colourful and with even more ingenious twists, post a renovation that was completed a couple of months ago.
AMBIENCE
Whatever you associate with Mumbai, you’re bound to find here, in a quirkier avatar. It’s so clichéd, in a great way and as they say of Mumbai, you’ll either love it (the attention to detail) or hate it (the over-the-top elements.)
The half-rickshaw that greeted diners at at the entrance was gone and a half vintage-looking car took its place as a photo booth for selfie-addicts. The Mumbai Local train compartment with hanging train handles was done away with as well, making the place look much more spacious. Instead, a wall to wall caricature of the train compartment, with various characters you find in the Mumbai local, featured on the wall.
Speaking of walls, the larger-than-life painting of Amitabh Bachchan wearing bright, yellow pants and a blue shirt, striking the ‘angry young man’ pose still remains one of the best attractions, and next to it, a new lego character was splashed on the wall. You can’t miss the new addition to the space – the dazzling set-up done along the entire width of the bar – a collage of flashing yellow vehicle headlights and red brake lights added a lot of glimmer to the filmy space, while reminding you that you’re never too far from Mumbai’s traffic-choked streets.
The music? Upbeat and current Bollywood + Bilboard hits to add to the ‘hatke’ vibe.
SERVICE
When I arrived at 8 pm, there was only one table occupied so the staff was just a gesture away. Dishes came to the table one after the other, faster than I could click pictures of them, and it stayed that way even when the restaurant started filling up! The staff could do with a better briefing on the menu – ours seemed like he had 50/50 knowledge of it.
FOOD
TBB 2.0 has fun new additions on the menu and while many items are twists on classic Mumbai finger food to tease your taste buds, there are some divine finds that I would definitely go back for! Whatever I sampled was so picture-worthy! In terms of drinks, they have quite a number of Indian spirits along with beer and wine cocktails, twisted classics and alcoholic iced teas. For teetotallers like me, a decent amount of mocktails, smoothies and shakes featured too. I tried ‘Simply Magic,’ which was a refreshing strawberry-peach lemonade, but for those who want to go the true-Mumbaikar route, the Imli (tamarind) soda as well as the cucumber-raw mango fizz would be interesting choices.
Let’s show you the food:
OVEN BAKED CORN, CHEESE AND SPINACH SAMOSAS – Big, chunky, soggy samosas are such a put-off so I was glad these were small, deliciously crispy, well stuffed and simply irresistible! The menu said that tamarind chutney would accompany it, but sadly, it didn’t. A pity, since it would have been even more ah-mazing with it!
THE BOMBAY BRONX CHILLI CHEESE TOAST WITH MASALA FRIES – Mumbai’s cheese chilli toast isn’t just a toasted slice of bread with cheese! It’s much more elaborate treat to be savoured at any time of day. TBB totally nailed this one. Laden with melted cheese, tiny pieces of bell peppers, onions and chilly, it came with a side of crispy masala fries for those who want a little extra heat.
BOMBAY ISHTYLE CHILLI CHICKEN – Semi-dry chilli chicken pairs well with a mug of beer! This Indo-Chinese street food item thankfully didn’t have any funky twist to it, because it’s already perfect the way it is. Boneless, bite sized pieces of chicken in a soya-ketchup-garlic marinade was tossed with a decent amount of sautéed onions and capsicum that doesn’t let you complain about all-veggies-no-meat. You cant go wrong when you order this crowd-pleaser at TBB!
CHICKEN MALAI KEBAB – My favourite type of kebab, and one I tend to order whenever I see it on the menu! The malai kebabs here didn’t disappoint. Mild, fragrant and irresistibly tender, I could taste the cream and cheese in every bite. The chicken was ultra-soft and came apart at the slightest insistence. Yum!
TRUFFLE AND PARMESAN CHEESE PASTA – I’m not sure what prompted me to step away from the Bomaiya fare and order pasta, but it was undoubtedly the highlight of my meal. Truffles always add that intoxicating scent and flavour that is simply indescribable. The luscious, earthy and umami-packed flavour in every cheesy bite just did it for me! Highly recommended.
BRONX PAV SLIDERS – The quintessential vada pao has several avatars and appear under the Bronx Pav Slider section of the menu. I sampled the rajma ki galouti (mashed kidney bean) slider with fried onions, roasted garlic, chilli pickle and cream cheese glaze. The addition of salty-sweet cheese is an ingenious touch and it keeps drawing you in to take another bite, however the dish could do with a little fine tuning.
All in all, the Bombay Bronx 2.0 still remains an innovative addition to SoBo’s nightlife scene. Try and get there early to grab a table because as the night progresses, lights dim and DJ-wala-babu turns up the volume, you’ll find the place filling up in no time.
Check out my reviews of other hot places in Mumbai – Pa Pa Ya, The Daily Bar and Kitchen, and Sheesha Sky Lounge, if you haven’t already!
…. also, let’s hang out on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!
Until next time!
Cost for 2 – Rs. 1600/- with alcohol
Address – 10, Hub Town, Akriti Sky Bay, Bhulabhai Desai Road, Breach Candy, Mumbai
P.S. My meal was sponsored, however, views, as always, are my own.