I strongly believe people are divided into 2 broad categories depending on their preference of the hot drink – Tea and Coffee. I am a Tea person. I love my morning black cup of sugarless tea as much as the strong milk tea with my breakfast. I come from Assam and have grown up in a tea drinking household. My parents were tea persons too. Thus said, I have to admit when I got this mail about the opening of Tea Villa at Bandra I was glad! Tea Villa offers an amazing range of teas with delectable foods at their first outlet located at Ville Parle. So I was sure looking forward to this one too.
On 11th Feb 2016, Tea Villa opened their second outlet at the heart of Bandra; on Hill Road. So after an exhausting day of shopping at Hill Road, come to Tea Villa to chill over chai and some good food.
We reached Tea Villa on a Saturday afternoon and honestly were not expecting the place to be so full, given that it has just opened few days back. We were in for a surprise here. The place was buzzing with people. We settled down near the entrance and looked around. There were young girls and boys, a lady busy with her paper work while sipping tea, a family with kids and a ladies gang on the mezzanine floor.
The whole place is energetic and cool. They have used just 2 colours here. Black and White. There is the striking Tea Lady with an interesting gown made of tea cups and a handbag of a tea pot. She was sure drawing a lot of attention with everyone clicking selfies next to her.
Tea Villa is the brain child of Roopanshi and Micky who are wedding planners too. We met both at the Bandra outlet. Roopanshi suggested for starters we should have Baked Chilli Parmesan (Rs.175), Paneer Skewers (Rs.195) and Crispy Lotus Root Honey Chilli (Rs.225). Baked Chilli Parmesan was an interesting dish with the oh, so familiar taste of bharwan mirchi with the Parmesan twist. The filling had Zucchini and corn which we loved. Paneer Skewers came with a sprinkle of Pineapple Sauce which added a different flavor to it. But we loved the crispy fried Lotus root the most. But it is spicy, mind it.
Along with the starters, we had the fruit infused tea – Tropical Delight (Rs.245) It is a light tea and leaves a slight sour and fruity aftertaste. We asked for one of their signature teas from their Flowering Tea section – handmade balls of Lychee infused green tea (Rs.495). It is a sight to behold when the ball blooms into a flower in the cup. This tea is very light and goes well with the spicy starters.
Tea Villa has an exhaustive tea menu. From the regular Masala teas to one of most expensive tea in the world, the Silver Tips Imperial Tea from the legendary Makaibari Tea Estate in Darjeeling. The Silver Tiptea (Rs.995) is anti-ageing and made with the star, moon sun and other karmic connections for growth , Premium Pu-Erh Tea(Rs.495) which is a vintage tea from China and the Monkey Chief tea / Taiping HouKui (Rs.495)which is from high mountains of China and monkeys are trained by people to go up and pick the leaves .
From the main course menu we opted for Root Veggie Stew with Khus Khus (Rs.395). The khus khus was soft and well cooked. But overall I found the dish just ok. The stew made with beet root and radish had a very strong taste of tomato ketchup in it. They have an Artichoke and Roasted Bell Pepper salad (Rs.225)which is really very good.
For Dessert we opted for Apple Pie Waffle(Rs.225)as per Micky’s suggestion and that sure is a super dessert. Very well cooked and well presented with dark chocolate and whipped cream.
To end a delightful afternoon of chai and conversations we asked for another Fruit Infused Tea – Rosehip and Hibiscus (Rs.195) another very light tea completely free of caffeine and goes very well with the waffle. In fact Tea Villa has quite a few varieties of waffles on their menu and all freshly made as you order.
Even though the place is called Tea Villa, Coffee lovers do not be disheartened. They have a selection of Premium Coffees, both hot and cold; Flavoured Coffees and even Cold Drip Coffees.
Apart from that, one can also look at the Zodiac themed tea available. Tea Villa has collaborated with Newby, the luxury tea company based in UK. The zodiac tea boxes are embellished with Swarovski crystals. This can be the perfect gift for someone special in a special occasion.
One note : Both Tea Villa, Ville Parle and Bandra outlets serve vegetarian food only.
Ratings out of 5
Food: 3.5 | Ambiance: 4 | Service: 3.5 | Overall: 3.5
Meal for Two with Alcohol: Rs. 1500 Inclusive of taxes | Alcohol: Yes | Credit Card: Yes|
Timing: 11 a.m.to 1 am | Wheelchair access: No
Address: Opposite Marks and Spencer (Formerly Globus), Hill Road. Bandra West
Telephone : 9819696402
Disclaimer : This review was done on an invitation from the restaurant. Due judgment and care has been applied by the author to remain objective and unbiased in the review; however readers may exercise their own discretion.
