Monsoon Special | 15 Days of Fryday Menu at Monkey Bar (till August 5, 2016)

The monsoons are indeed here and I don’t think there’s a better way to either fight the rainy blues (if you are one of those) or celebrate this glorious season (if you love it like me) than with some garma-garam fried foods along with some chilled from the outside while warm from the inside rum induced cocktails.

Considering the expectation, Monkey Bar has a limited edition menu called ‘15 Days of Fryday‘ for the monsoons. Available till the 5th of August, the menu consists of some of the most fascinating fried foods I’ve tasted in a while. Some classics, while some with a twist, the baarish wala season deserves a menu like this.

We started off by checking out 2 cocktails; namely, The Passionate Monk (Old Monk, passion fruit monin, sweet and sour mix, orange juice and bitters) and An Apple A Day (Old Monk, apple juice, kiwi crush, sweet and sour mix and soda).

Although I can’t do rum anymore, I took my chances on these 2 because I know how successfully experimental Monkey Bar can be with their concoctions. Both our drinks were pleasantly potent and there’s no reason to not love ’em.

Full marks to being innovative with the Prawn Balchao Kachori topped with date tamarind chutney and mint sauce – one of my favourites of the evening. The Chicken Chettinad Samosa  served with spicy coconut sauce is best enjoyed while they’re still hot so make sure you don’t waste any time in clicking pictures of your food. 😛 I thought the stuffing itself could have been a bit more spicy to complement the weather, but otherwise it’s quite enjoyable.

One can’t really go wrong with Poutine – potato fries topped with cheddar cheese, gravy and caramelized onions (you can add some bacon to it if that’s your calling) which is a safe option for those who aren’t big on experimenting. Next, we tried the Cajun Spiced Chicken Chimichanga. If you love Mexican food, then this could be your instant favourite. I personally didn’t think much of it since I’ve never really fancied Mexican cuisine.

Another favourite of the evening, the Crispy Chicken Pakodas is served with an interesting onion slaw and is one of those binge worthy items on this menu. For the vegetarians (who also eat mushrooms) there’s the Mexican version of savoury style karanjis (a Maharashtrian preparation) Spicy Cheese and Mushroom Empanadas (assorted cheese with caramelized onions in a white paprika dough) and Stuffed Mushrooms (bell pepper and feta stuffed mushrooms with spicy mayo) which were pretty addictive to say the least!

Last but not the least, we savoured a couple of bites of the Deep Fried Dumplings. You can either pick vegetables, chicken or prawns as a stuffing and I personally loved the Prawns’ version the most. I say this despite the fact that I’ve always loved my dumplings steamed. The whole menu basically offers classic fried foods but in typically inventive Monkey Bar style!

Unfortunately there’s only one dessert on offer. They’re freshly made Churros served with a Hot Mexican Chocolate Dip and it sounds like the perfect way to end this meal… If only I could have tasted it too. *sigh* Sadly I couldn’t due to some unforeseen circumstances. Nevertheless, I was recommended to try out the Chocolate Pot De Creme with Salted Caramel (rich chocolate mousse topped with some salted caramel popcorn) from their regular menu. Boy! Was I glad… cuz this one’s an absolute delight with every bite!

The weather indeed demands some comfort food and Monkey Bar’s limited edition menu delivers exactly that, but with a fine dash of experimental fun.

The 15 Days of Fryday menu is available till August 5, 2016.

Telephone No : 022-26005215
Monkey Bar Mumbai: Summerville, Junction of 14th and 33rd, Linking Road, Bandra West, Mumbai

Until next time…

PS. The blogger was invited for a tasting.