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| Image taken from www.burrp.com |
Jamjar Diner- A small door from the outside;
easy to miss, but try not to, because once you enter--- it’s a whole different
world inside. Tilted, vibrant, adorable looking shelves, placed to make it look
like they are falling over each other, a cute jukebox adding to the magic of
this place, colorful seating, lots of daylight and oh oh…. drinks served in
jars. Yes, that’s why it's called "Jamjar" I think or vice versa
(It's one of those chicken and egg stories).They have seating on the ground
floor, the first floor and on the terrace. The place looks surprisingly big compared to what one
would imagine just looking at the tiny door from the outside. This is one of the
first places that I had been wishing to visit in Mumbai, owing to the funny names
of certain dishes on their menu. However, because even thinking about commuting
from Mahalaxmi to Andheri exhausts me (yes I'm super lazy and really respect
the people who do it on a daily basis) it did not happen until I was in the
area for a doctor’s appointment. So I dragged a friend to sit (and eat) with me
and we soaked in the warmth, happiness and joy that the ambience of this place
has to offer.
We reached at 1:30 in the
afternoon and waited for a table while sitting at the bar. In about 20 odd
minutes we were escorted to the terrace. It’s a covered area so even on those rainy days when
you feel a bit gloomy the terrace is an extremely inviting and a very much
accessible place to cheer yourself up. The menu is extremely diverse
offering Mexican, Italian and American cuisine. On the alcohol front they have
a huge collection- their Margaritas are called ….no guesses…..Jargaritas!
Now, I had been extremely
intrigued by this one dish on their menu that goes by the name of Eggs Kejriwal
and we decided to start off with that. The accompaniments were the Banana
Caramel Shake and the Butterscotch Macadamia Shake.
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| Eggs Kejriwal (Rs. 217) |
Eggs Kejriwal (Rs. 217) is fried
eggs mounted on slices
of toast, crowned with cheddar and chopped green chillies sprinkled on top-
absolutely loved it. I am one of those “I-love-chilly-and-spicy food” people
and this was a simple but an excellent egg preparation. The bread was toasted
perfectly and the spicy green chillies added that oomph to the egg and cheese
bonding. I was curious to know why the dish is called so and whether there is
any connection to the politician (a little far fetched, right?) and so while
looking this up on the internet I came across a restaurant review which
explains that the dish is named after a local guy of the same name who liked
his eggs fried and served on toast with cheese and green chillies.
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| (L) Butterscotch Macadamia Shake (R) Banana Caramel Shake (Rs. 156 each) |
The drinks were served in jam
jars, with 'Jamjar Diner' written on them! The Banana Caramel Shake was
heavenly- delicious, smooth, light, perfectly sweetened. And what can I say-I'm
a die-hard fan of banana flavoured desserts, shakes, etc. I thoroughly enjoyed this. The Butterscotch
Macadamia Shake was a close second- maybe a little too "nutty" for a
few. However, the shakes overall were extremely refreshing.
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| Chimichurri Grilled Chicken (Rs. 312) |
For our mains we decided to go in
for the Chimichurri Grilled Chicken (Rs. 312). Chimichurri is an Argentinean
sauce made from finely chopped parsley, minced garlic, olive oil, oregano, and
white or red wine vinegar. It is famous throughout South America. The
Chimichurri Grilled Chicken here is a marinated chicken breast served with 4
herb chimichurri sauce, potato mash and grilled veggies.I don’t know how
authentic the chimichurri sauce was, nevertheless, it was good on the taste
buds. The tenderness of the chicken breasts however was under a cloud. The
grilled veggies were well seasoned, and boy do they know how to mash potatoes! However,
overall this was just about an average dish.
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| Banana Nutella Pancakes (Rs. 217) |
Dessert time and we couldn’t help
but order the Banana Nutella Pancakes (Rs. 217). I mean seriously, you can't read
"Banana Nutella Pancakes" on a menu and look past it. The pancakes
were scrumptious. Thick, but not too much- I would say Jamjar achieved that
perfect thickness of pancakes, not sad and thin like they lack love and not too
thick so that one only tastes the cooked batter and nothing else. A stack of
pancakes, coated with oodles of Nutella, and banana slices cozied in the
layers- what a divine combination! The Banana Nutella Pancakes will definitely
make me come back to this happy place.
Service was first rate. The
servers were apologetic for making us wait for a table even though we did not
have a reservation. The staff here makes you really feel welcomed and that’s
such a good feeling. However, to avoid waiting before you can dig into some
gorgeousness, do call them up and book a table.
Will I go there again?-I would love to go to Jamjar Diner again and
this time I won’t even think twice about the distance. They have a few more
interesting things on their menu such as the Full Monty -2 eggs of your choice,
toast, baked beans, chicken sausage, crispy bacon and skillet potato; and the
Flower Pot Surprise- gooey brownie, marshmallow, ice-cream and oreo soil (for
the all the chocolate lovers). I look forward to going there for dinner next (and
maybe trying their tacos) as I hear that at night the place really comes alive.
Going by their menu, this place seems like a great visit for any meal be it
breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner or even just an early evening cuppa. Also, a
great place to go on your first date, my company for the meal told me dreamily!!!
Where is it? 7A & B, Aaraam
Nagar 2, Behind Washing Bay, Yari Road, Versova, Andheri West, Mumbai. Keep a look out for the tiny door! Call 022 33487977.
