For the Love of a Fat Man

Fat Man's Café- a cute and cozy café situated in the Bandra reclamation area, near Lilavati Hospital. Quite contrary to its name- Fat Man's- the café is tiny, with a distinctive and vibrant set up of colorful chairs and stools creating a cheerful ambience. You would love the Fat Man's caricatures (placed all over the cafe with apt food quotes). Fat Man's Café had been fairly at the top of my eating bucket list, which is why it is befitting to start off the blog by sharing my experience of this place.

Image from www.chefatlarge.in  

We decided to hit the place for a Sunday brunch- which, thanks to the late night drinking on Saturday, became more of a "lunch" time brunch. We called the café to make a reservation but were informed that they only take reservations for groups of 6 or more and since it was only the 3 of us, we were required to walk in and try our luck. So we reached by 1:30 in the afternoon and found a spot right in the middle of the café- lucky? Definitely! It was a relaxing rainy afternoon to tuck in some comfort food and I was really looking forward to my very first meal at the Fat Man's.

The diverse menu has something to offer to every hungry man/woman/child from 9 in the morning till 12 midnight. However, since we were specifically in the mood for a classic brunch we decided to start off with a Cappuccino (Rs. 125), a Masala Tea (Rs. 125)and a Banana Peanut Butter Shake (Rs. 225). The Cappuccino lacked any froth (weird right?) and tasted quite okay-ish clearly defying the "a-lot-can-happen-over-coffee" rule. (Nothing can happen over that coffee.)The Masala Tea, apart from looking nothing like masala tea, tasted like a tea-bag made version of the drink (Pseudo Masala Tea). However, the Banana Peanut Butter Shake was delightful. With the right amount of sweetness, consistency and a hint of peanut butter, this drink was definitely the winner out of the three and was indeed the savior of the lot.  The Banana Peanut Butter Shake was enjoyed thoroughly, so much so that I had to control the urge to finish it up in big gulps.

Eggs Florentine

For our main course we ordered a portion of the Eggs Florentine (Rs. 205), Eggs Benedict (Rs. 225) and a Beef Cheese Burger (Rs. 375). The egg preparations came with a side of yummy and crisp hash browns. The Eggs Florentine- poached eggs designed with spinach, cheese, and hollandaise sauce on a bed of bread slices- turned out to be a little over-salted (probably owing to the salt content in the sauce, spinach and cheese).

Eggs Benedict

The Eggs Benedict was poached eggs mounted on bread slices with a sliver of ham in the middle and a portion of hollandaise sauce drizzled on top. Now I have always eaten Eggs Benedict that come with an English muffin preparation. This was a little different for my taste. Fat Man could have shown a little more generosity with the hollandaise sauce, specifically around the corners as you literally had to bite all the way to the middle to taste it. But once you got there, the result was a mouthful of yum. However, I have eaten better preparations of Eggs Benedict in the city.

The Beef Cheese Burger was a soft buttered sesame bun with a deliciously well done patty in the center, along with caramelized onions and some sauce. I am not too fond of burgers that come stuffed with a million things as it is almost impossible to take a bite without spilling half of it on the plate. However, hats off to this one! The beef patty was tender, palatable and juicy, and the caramelized onions had me at the first bite! It was difficult to wait and take a picture, hence here is a picture of the half-gobbled champion! :D

Beef Cheese Burger

We were quite full by the end of the main course and decided to call for just one helping of the Classic Pancakes (Rs. 200), a common favourite amongst the 3 of us. The Classic Pancakes were served with bananas and honey on the side, whereas I was expecting "banana pancakes" (bananas stuffed in the pancakes). However, that was probably something that I should have been ready for as the menu reads Classic Pancakes with bananas and not "banana pancakes". My bad!

Classic Pancakes with bananas and honey on the side

As for the service- a little shoddy. We had to call for the server a number of times and ask for plates which they were apparently not too happy providing us with (I wonder why). I am hoping that these are just "teething problems" though I don't know what should be considered a reasonable time-line for teething problems to end, considering they have been in business for a while and it is just a total of 7 tables that they serve at one time. Nevertheless, slightly better management and co-ordination would do wonders to the place. 

Will I go there again?-Only for the Banana Peanut Butter Shake and the Beef Cheese Burger (highly recommended); otherwise only if there is something that I am told is a must try. Sadly, I haven’t fallen in love with the Fat Man (yet).

Where is it? Fat Man’s Café, shop No.9, ONGC Building, next to Candies, Bandra Reclamation, Bandra (W), call 26402053