Looks like Andheri is on a second-outlet-welcoming-spree. What with outlets of Carterz Blue, HRC and Alfredos opening up in the vicinity? With their first launches in Bandra, Worli and Juhu respectively, the city is going to take some getting used to Carterz Blue Andheri, HRC Andheri and Alfredos Andheri.
Bindiya Chotrani walks into Alfredos at Andheri wondering if this one is going to be a letdown when compared to the one at Juhu.
Luckily for us, we’d visited Alfredos in Juhu, and didn’t need much gumption when walking in here. We’d fairly presumed our experience at this place. It was going to be either of the two: Not match up to the outlet in Juhu or surpassed all our expectations that came from our experience at the first outlet. We subconsciously knew, the experience wasn’t going to fall below average.
And all our apprehensions were put to rest, once we walked into the place. Polished wood furniture, turquoise couches, exposed brickwork, framed black-and-white photos on rough concrete walls, warm, focused lighting instead of a uniform, shadow-less illumination and a playlist with songs from the 90s; for us, the café had made its first impression.
We decided to settle down in the al-fresco dining area that overlooked the main street at Link Road. The wait staff promptly walked up to us, asking us for our choices and recommending a few. Our pick was the Sangria, a lemonberry mocktail and a blackgrape mocktail. We were starving and how, which is just why we considered randomly calling for all courses than following the typical three-course approach.
We ordered the Creamy Chick-Pea Hummus with Sumak Grilled Pita, Mushroom Tokaz and Chargrilled Cottage Cheese and a Grilled Chicken Steak in Garlic Pepper Sauce. All of which, except the chicken Steak, were placed onto our table instantaneously; well almost, within 15 minutes of us placing our order.
While the Mushroom Tokaz, fairly decent and consumable, was mushroom buds stuffed with 
mashed potatoes and spices. the Chargrilled Cottage Cheese, charred cubes of paneer, were a little too tangy and piquant. We’d definitely tasted chargrilled cottage cheese better than this. The Creamy Chick Pea Hummus with Sumak grilled Pita, was nothing more than typical – triangular pieces of Pita bread sprinkled with red chilli powder accompanied with grainy hummus. While Hummus is ideally supposed to be grainy, we were of the opinion that this was a tad too grainy and could have been done a little better. We’d wolfed down all of this, while the Grilled Chicken Steak in Garlic Pepper Sauce, was yet to arrive.
If there was one thing that seemed to please us and encourage us to plunge into ordering more, it was the prompt service here. From the mains, we chose the Pizza Mediterranea, Mediterranean Mushroom Cottage Cheese Sizzler and an Aglio Olio Penne Pasta in Red Sauce. While the Pasta was passable, the Pizza Mediterranea was nothing out-of-the world either. Fortunately for us, the Sizzler lifted our Spirits. Great quantity, the right hit of spices and perfectly tender paneer. The Mushrooms seemed a little imperceptible though and we would have been happier with a little more of these species in our sizzlers. Our Grilled Chicken Steak in Garlic Pepper Sauce finally arrived. Tender, peppery, the chicken was doused in a brown gravy that was flavoured generously with pepper and garlic.
Comparing two outlets siuatted in different loacilties doesn’t help much. While it was the food at the Juhu outlet that won us over, it was the ambiance, the decor and the prompt service that did the trick at Andheri.