The Lower Parel area of Mumbai is probably one of the most colourful areas as far as Food and Hangout places are concerned. At the same time it is also one of the most iconic office spaces in town. Most of the South Mumbai offices have shifted base from Nariman Point to Lower Parel, making it the new financial hub in town.
Despite of these demographics a curious peculiarity of the place is that despite it being a major office district, most of the restaurants in the area are high end, with an overly expensive price structure. Be it the iconic Shiro or the Hard Rock Café, Auriga or Barking Deer pub, all of them have a price structure which is aimed at evening traffic and/or high end eaters. For a normal office goer, there seems to be a major dearth of reasonably priced QSR options. However the strategically located Asia On My Plate seems to be an exception and certainly a welcome delight.
The restaurant is located right at the corner of Senapati Bapat Marg and Walachia, Bang opposite One India Bulls Centre-right next to Deepak Cinema. A colourful interior, a transparent glass façade and a poignant signage makes it stand out and each passer by surely takes notice of its presence. However due to it being right on the intersection of a busy road, I doubt that the passers-by stop over to take a second look. I believe the restaurant is targeted more towards an office delivery, take away crowd. The interiors of the restaurants are quite comfortable uber chic and welcoming. I am sure that it could provide a nice hangout for working people residing in the area to grab a meal and spend some time chatting.
A word now about the food During our visit we tried out several dishes across the board starting the evening for a Gay Lim Sook Tong – A Classic Sweet Corn Soup (Rs. 100) which was a bit dense, sweet and clumpy and a Chicken Tom Yum Soup (Rs. 125) which was loaded with veggies and chicken but to my taste was a bit salty and watery. For starters we tried the SatayAyam (Chicken) (Rs. 175) which was very well prepared and juicy- a bit of caramelization on the chicken would have placed the satay notches above in comparison with many of its peers in the area. We were quite tempted to try out the Dimsums, but were disappointed with the Veg Siu Mai (Rs. 150) as it was very spicy and the dough was a bit thick – I hope that they improve the recipe more to resemble a siumai and not a roadside momo. We then tried out the Som Tam (Rs. 125) which I found to be the tastiest dish till that point with the crunchy, tangy, spicy and the sweet dancing in perfect harmony on my palate.
For the main course, we tried out two dishes – The Haka Noodles with Chicken in Chilly and Basil Sauce (The base sauces remain the same and you can choose between Chicken, Prawn and Veg options) and the Burnt Garlic Rice in Green Thai Curry with Chicken (Both Combos @ Rs. 179 each – Veg option Rs. 149) . The first thing that struck me was the portion size which I found to be very decent and wholesome. The tastes of the dishes were fine enough for a quick service restaurant and I was quite happy with the Burnt Garlic Rice as well as the Chilly and Basil Sauce. The spice quotient on the dishes were a bit on the higher side but overall considering that the focus of the restaurant is quick service lunch restaurant, the portion taste and the prices live up to their expectations.
I have been to a few offices in the Lower Parel area where each office building has an inbuilt cafeteria and/or a few branded cafes. My overall experience in these cafeterias has been that usually the quality to price ratio does not match itself. Either they are priced high or if the price structure is fine, the portion sizes are not quite big enough to satiate the hungry lunch crowd. Asia on my plate stands as an exception proving not only a price structure which is affordable to each pocket but the portion sizes are also large enough to fulfill the growling lunch bellies each afternoon. I would also go on to say that the restaurant with its strategic location and cool interiors provides a suitable option for people looking for a quick meal in the evening and use it for a neat and clean hangout location.
Ratings (Out of 5)
Food: 3.0 | Ambience: 3.0 | Service: 3.5 | Overall: 3.0
Meal for two:Rs. 800 (Without Alcohol) Alcohol:No | Credit Card: Yes | Timings: 11:30 AM to 11:30 PM
Address: Asia on my plate, 7/8, Walachia, Opposite One India Bulls Centre, Near Deepak Cinema, Lower Parel, Mumbai | Tel: +91 7666217007, 8976608090
