Category: Lounge & Cafe

Place: Mocha 
Location: Road No. 9, Banjara Hills 
Cuisine: Cafe & Lounge 
Meal: Lunch

Though it’s located right next to my office, I’ve never visited Mocha so far, for I had a very bad experience the last time around. Walking in, the sections on the ground floor were all closed and I walked up to the first floor into the separate non-sheesha zone and seated myself in a corner. The seating was quite uncomfortable and the table was too high for the seat. Added to this, the cushions looked very dirty. The place in general looked quite unclean and everything around looked rugged and old.

Once seated, the waiter placed a torn menu on the table. I had already gone through their menu online, so asked for a Dutch Truffle Cake Shake, a Garden Fresh Panini and a Lava Lava desert.

It took exactly 20 minutes for my shake to be served. It looked good and tasted yummy. Apart from the whipped cream not being fresh, it was a perfect drink.

The Panini was served in the next 5 minutes. The bread looked a little dry, but along with the pesto sauce served, it tasted good. The vegetables were crunchy and the cheese gooey.

The desert, the Lava Lava cake turned out to be a disappointment. The brownie was very sweet and there was no hot chocolate sauce in it (no lava in the lava cake). The cappuccino ice cream served along was pretty good though.

Overall, except for the desert, rest of the meal was decent enough. Everything else about the place though was quite a let down. The ambiance was pretty much grimy, and the service was horrendous. Once I placed the order, there was no one around even to serve water. The prices too are on the higher side. With so many new and better cafes in the city, I wouldn’t recommend this place. Good food alone isn’t good enough, right?

Food: 7/10
Drinks: 8/10
Ambiance: 5/10
Service: 5/10
Meal for 1: Rs. 479/-

Verdict: 6/10

Place: Xtreme Sports Bar 
Location: KBR Park Road, Rd. No. 2, Banjara Hills 
Cuisine: Lounge 
Meal: Dinner

I always wanted to go sit at this place and watch cricket matches, but never had the right company to do so. When I got an invite for a classic rock gig from a friend on couchsurfing, I had a  reason to pull my ass out on a Sunday evening. There was also a ManU football match to enjoy.

So here I was, alone. I sat at a cozy bean bag table on the first floor, watching the Fulham vs Wolves game while enjoying the band play. I ordered a Virgin Caprioska and Crispy Chilli Potatoes to munch.

In about 10 minutes, my Caprioska (virgin) was served. I’ve never had one before, and thought this one was great. It had a nice lemon flavor to it, not too strong, just perfect for my taste. The sweetness also was perfect. I randomly chose my drink, and was very happy with it.

The Chilli Potatoes were served pretty soon. Julienne potatoes fried in honey chilli sauce, yum!! The potatoes were very crispy and I loved the taste. I was also very impressed by the quantity served and struggled to finish them all. Only problem was that they were too oily.

Since I was pretty full, I skipped the main course, and had another Caprioska while watching ManU beat Tottenham 3-1. The second one was much stronger than the first one, a little too strong for my taste. Towards the end of the game, I ordered a European Chocolate Sundae. It was creamy, with chunks of chocolate in it; not the best, but not bad either.

Overall, my experience was not as bad as I though it would be. I made some friends with whom I enjoyed the game. People scared me saying this place is really expensive, but it wasn’t that bad. The service was great, ambiance in my opinion was perfect, and the live music gig was good. It did seem a bit cramped for space though.

I had a pretty good time, and definitely will be going back to this place. I only wish I had company to go with!!

Food: 8/10
Drinks: 8/10
Ambiance: 9/10
Service: 8/10
Meal for 1: Rs. 496/-

Verdict: 8/10