Bonobo, Bandra
When I heard about Bonobo at Bandra and its fancy new concept of ‘Mix-O-logy’, I was intrigued. The review in the papers said that the food was good and the cocktails heavenly. The concept of Mix-O-logy’ was completely new and one could supposedly make one’s own cocktail, pick any ingredient, interact with the bar tender, learn a few tricks and generally have a good time while making their drinks. That itself was enough to get us to try the place.
We decided to go there on a warm sultry April evening and were disappointed to find that it was largely an open air place. There was a small section sealed off in the A/c which was packed with people. The outside, done up tastefully, was still quite sultry and without effective ventilation/ fans was not very inviting.
The initial disappointment overcome and settled in for the evening, we were indeed happy to find a wide range of fresh fruit cocktails on the menu. But the sad part was that there was no one at the bar, besides of course some depressed looking bartenders. The ‘Mix-O-logy’ bar just did not look inviting. There was no one at the bar trying anything. The waiters did not offer any information or invite you to try making your drink at the bar. The new concept was quite downer in reality.
The food was ok. For the starters we had some very nice smoked Salmon. For main course I had some average tasting Bonobo chicken, that is, some char grilled chicken on a bed of mashed potatoes and steamed veggies. Abhi had some pasta, which though tasty was in such a small portion that he was quite put off. The portions of the food were like the one we see on ‘Top Chef’. Tiny miniscule portions, just enough to fill a little tummy space but never the appetite.
The service was nothing to write home about. Actually it was something one can write in one’s review. We were disappointed to find people on the adjacent table smoking away to death. On being asked, the waiter said that they could very well do what they wanted. I tried to point out that smoking in public places is supposedly banned, but the waiter did not care for any general knowledge on my part or for the law. It actually made me wonder if there was any helpline on which such violations could be reported. Does anyone know of one?
All in all, a decent evening… more credit to the company we had than the place. With a bill of Rs 3000 for 3 people, it was a relatively affordable meal, given Bandra standards. Though I don’t think we will return to it in a hurry.
I was disappointed. I ate my meal and yours and still no satisfaction. Drinks is fine… but if you cant back it up with good food and solid portions… you suck in my books!
All this and you end with “a decent evening” … Woman I tell you .. can’t write a bad review even if their life depends on it
Jokes apart … Doesn’t sound like a place I’d want to go to. Thanks
shucks are u guys serious .. you’ll must have gone on a wrong day then .. ive been there a multi million times … love the food guess thats a more personal choice then .. the drinks even better and the service there is top notch .. everyone is so attentive and always get me what i want in no time … love the music love the vibe there so chilled out not pretentious …. u guys should definately go again ya …
@Sharninder you are absolutely right. Women can’t say bad things about places at all. Always middle of the line reviews.
@Apeksha I am a bigger foodie than I would care to admit. I liked the food at Bonobo… but i don’t think that it was great, and the drinks, I really wouldnt know, since i generally drink beer. What I didn’t like the place was that you had to sit outside in the irritating Mumbai humidity and that they were allowing people to smoke in the restaurant.
@ Sherry& Abhi: Dah…! it’s not whether the review is good/ bad… it’s whether it captures all the good and bad things about the place.
@ Apeksha: True…everyone is entitled to their views… for us the food was ok and the drinks really good. But the staff was really disappointing. The waiter attending to us was almost rude when I asked him if restaurant policy allowed people to smoke even though the law doesn’t. On an unsatisfactory asnwer from him, I asked to see the Manager and the waiter gave me the the ‘Ha… I’m going to spit in your food’ look! Also the Manager never came to speak to us. Even if the place is great, such expereinces leave a bad taste.
mix-o-logy never works for me. in fact even your regular known cocktails have an uncanny knack of annoying me. i find most cocktails too sweet (mojito’s) or too salty (margarita mix based) or too sour (fruit based). a freakin alcoholic drink should taste like liquor and hence i am a ‘no no’ on cocktails… but that’s just me.
moving on to portion sizes.. i agree small portions are depressing but being here in north america, i am sick of absurdly excessive food that is dished out no matter what you order.
anu – the blog looks great, ill catch up on everything. give me another short story already..:)
Anmol: that’s too bad ya … considerin im a regular there not good that u had those experiences … generally they are really attentive and cater to all well … maybe it was a one off nite ?!! my take on it: do go again !! sure to come out with more positive experiences
Hey Shakes! Good to hear from you after so long
and yeah..working on the short story… many drafts, but nothing good enough to put out 
@ Apeksha – you’re completely sold on the place na? haha… I think just on your word, I’ll give it another shot sometime