This Lower Parel food delivery service offers delicious Chinese fare

In a city like Mumbai, it would be safe to say that where there's a hungry soul, there's the fried rice. But we never expected that a food delivery service, which specialises in Kolkata or Awadhi food, would surprise us with the humble fried rice. And that's what Feeast (yes, that's how they spell it) a new addition to Lower Parel's eating joints, did.

The eatery, located opposite the Peninsula Business Park, follows the model of the multi-chain retail outlets like Ammi's Biryani (also in the same area) we had written about few months ago, and has outlets in Worli, Antop Hill, Kalina, Wadala (Imax), Andheri (Sangam), and Ghatkopar (R City) along with a full-fledged restaurant in Thane that opened this month.

Our order included three combo meals — Chicken Fried Rice with Choice of Gravy (R160), Mutton Curry with Steamed Rice (Rs 150) and Veg Keema with two Laccha Paratha (Rs 110) — available only between 12 noon to 4 pm. For starters we had Mix Veg Cutlets (Rs 50), Chicken Cutlets (Rs 80), Chicken Wings (R120), Chicken Classic Momos (Rs 100), and a Mutton Tawa Roll with wheat bread (Rs 130). Feeast@East had us with the Chicken Fried Rice. Packed with the right mix of egg and chicken pieces and mixed vegetables (chopped), we were simply blown away by the simplicity and taste of the popular dish. The gravy added to the charm.

Our next favourites were easily the chicken cutlets and the heart-shaped veg cutlets (two pieces each), which for some reason had peanuts in it. The Momos (five pieces) had gotten cold by the time we began tasting the food, but they could still give some of the most popular Chinese joints here, a run for the money. For Rs 100, it was steal. Another surprise winner in the menu for us were the Chicken Wings.

Cooked with soy sauce, sugar and ginger, it added a nice fiery touch to our meal. However, we feel, perhaps some adjustment in the sugar quantity may add a great deal to the dish, as it was a little too sweet for our liking. The Mutton Tawa Roll was also good, but failed to tantalise our taste buds. The most disappointing items, however, were the Veg Keema with Lachcha Paratha and the Mutton Curry with Steamed Rice. Not only was the curry too little to go with the steamed rice, it tasted weirdly off as well. The Lachcha Paratha was a bit too hard for our liking, and the Veg Kheema simply too disappointing to be discussed any further.

Eat This: Dutch Pancakes at Lale

It seems as though brunch is the one meal where it's 100 percent socially acceptable, and welcomed, to go to town on the sweets. That's not counting the afternoon snack or dessert (sometimes lovingly referred to as second or third dinner), of course. With that being said: Put Dutch pancakes on your list to try next if you haven't yet already.

Even a cursory search for anyone with Internet access will already yield generous results when it comes to the brunch joints in San Francisco with delicious pastries, french toast, and pancake options. These days, expensive toast has also been generously added to the mix. A personal favorite of mine that I haven't seen as often is the Dutch pancake, also known as the Dutch baby. (Note: Contains no baby. Sorry, had to.)

A Dutch pancake/baby is inspired by traditional German egg pancakes (which are called eierkuchen), and it's essentially an eggier pancake with crispy edges. Dutch pancakes are made of eggs, milk, flour, and sugar, and then baked in a cast iron or metal pan — hence those delicious crispy edges. They're usually served with butter and powdered sugar, and/or topped with fruit (strawberries, bananas, and apples are all popular). Basically, just imagine that a crepe met a pancake at a bar, and they invited a popover in on the fun, and after too many shots of syrup came their lovechild: the Dutch baby. In other words, it's far more superior than the American pancake. Yes, I said it.

Lale in the Inner Sunset (which quietly took over the slightly dated and old Villa Romana space — rest in peace) has delicious Dutch pancakes. These dessert-like, breakfast-appropriate pancakes are only available on the weekends, and come with a couple of different options for toppings, including caramelized bananas and whipped cream (again, still breakfast appropriate). I prefer their version to Outerlands', because Lale's Dutch pancakes are thicker and heftier, almost more custard-like with their fluffy centers, and still have those deliciously crisped edges.

They also feature a menu with a Mediterranean flare, with a popular lamb wrap available during lunch and dinner, alongside a fairly traditional and San Francisco-approved breakfast and brunch on the weekends (with other notable items here including their Jerusalem Benediction, a corned beef hash eggs benedict atop a homemade English muffin).