May Buffet Madness is still going in full swing. On the massive day of the Uefa Champions League I traveled to the shit hole that is Versova, don't get me wrong the place is crawling with celebs and stars but it is probably the worst place to get to in Bombay, but I had to suck it up and go the extra mile to Versova since it was a special occasion. The DHS survivors were getting together after almost a year, I say survivors because only we know what we have been through in the last 5 years with the Mussolini-esque dictator, you know in the off chance that he does read my blog, I'm not gonna take his name. But our mutual respect and hatred towards the Boss Man is what binds us together and we decided to go have a nice meal to honor this bond. Well all sentiment aside, people are really hard to catch hold of these days, so finally a get together of 8 people was skimmed down to 3 hungry boys and ONE delicious Lunch Buffet at Aromas of China.
A lot of people would know that Stairway To Heaven was probably one of the greatest rock songs of the classic rock era and Led Zeppelin was definitely up there with the greatest ever rock bands. After Arsenal I'd say Led Zepp are probably the next best thing that originated from the city of London. Anyways this song, Stairway to Heaven is an absolute peach. Everyone has heard it. Everyone loves it. There's no two ways about it, this is the song that cemented Led Zepp's status as the true pioneers of British Rock. So obviously if I were to award such a prestigious title to a Lunch Buffet then damm straight that buffet should have earned and deserved such recognition. I had super high expectations of Aromas of China before I went there to eat and I was not let down. As much as I love Mainland China and the 5 Spice Chinese, when it comes to indulgence and quality, Aromas of China well and truly takes the cake. Let me go about explaining how they went about sealing their status as "The Stairway to Heaven of Chinese Buffets".
Stage I: Location and Exclusivity (ANGER)
Unlike MLC, the number of AOC's in Bbay are few and far between with one at Oberoi Mall Goregaon (which doesn't have a lunch buffet) and the original one at Versova. So AOC is the kind of luxury not everyone in Bombay can experience, and even if you want to, you gotta travel all the way to Versova. The ambiance is nothing short of spectacular with private dining lounges, fortune cookies, big wooden doors and giant chinese inscriptions on the walls. Well lets just say its a very fancy place.
Stage II: Getting started (DENIAL)
How many lunch buffets have you gone to where they give you complimentary welcome drinks? Might I add you get to chose from Red n White wines, a pint of Beer and a normal soft drink or a soda. Well some people love a glass of wine before any meal, I am obviously not one of them. Wine is easily the flooziest and gayest drink ever made. I don't care how fancy it is, its god dam awful. The buffet starts at the back with the Dumplings and steamed Momo's section. Piping hot dumplings to chose from, 2 types for the Veggies and 3 for us Carnivores - Chicken and Prawns. Absolutely delicious this, they have about 10 different sauces you can sample with your dumplings. Don't feel shy, load up on these cause they are super light and super tasty.
Stage III: Main Course - Challenge Accepted (BARGAINING)
For a change the Veggie's had ample representation in a Lunch buffet, an entire Stir Fried counter, 3 diff types of main courses to chose from and the usual Rice and Noodles. But who cares about that part of the buffet, it was literally empty throughout the entire afternoon. The non veg section was where the real action was. Chicken Sapo and another Chicken gravy. Lamb in black pepper sauce. Prawns in Oyster sauce. Chicken spring rolls and a chicken starter. A live counter for the most delicious Chicken Satay, a smoked Cantonese Chicken which looked as delicious as anything I have ever seen and yes one Chicken fried rice and Chicken Noodles. I ate all of this, 2 helpings of most, specially the Lamb in Black Pepper Sauce, it was absolute divine. The live counters were an absolute tease and you simply couldn't resist them.
Stage IV: When Gman chickened out like a Wuss. (DEPRESSION)
Like I said I went for this buffet with a couple of guys from work, one being a vegan and the other was a fellow converted carnivore. Still all of us had the mental block towards seafood, simply because we don't know what the hell to expect from the insides of a fish, crab etc. So unwillingly we had to skip a certain items on the buffet. An assorted seafood platter. A fish preparation that smelled really nice. Baby Lobsters with their shells or whatever. Crabs cooked in some black sauce. Upon telling my friends I left all this, they actually told me that I was an absolute douche bag, so much so that some of them told me to shove some baby lobsters in my pocket the next time I go for their buffet because and I quote, "The center is pure ecstasy right there".
Stage V: The grand finale - The Desserts (ACCEPTANCE)
As always they have saved the best for last. Quite magnificent their dessert counter, I'm surprised we even made it till there, I was quite literally stuffed but I had to soldier on. And I'm glad I did. Caramel Custard. Pineapple Cakes. Chocolate Brownies. Chocolate Truffle Cakes. Yogurt Cakes. Strawberry Cheese Cake. Hot Chocolate Spring Rolls with 4 types of Ice Cream. Honey Noodles. Fruits. My god we had to go 2 rounds even in the desserts cause we didn't have enough space on one plate to jam all of this on. Special mentions to the Caramel Custard and the Pineapple cakes, huge fan favorites they were.
So after about 2 and half hours of just eating, we finally finished our lavish lunch buffet. I'm a bit disappointed that we missed out on the Duck and Fondue (chocolate fountain). But one can't be greedy. All this was about 750 bucks with tax. Some might say that's way too much for one meal, but let me tell you this One meal is worth it. I skipped dinner last night because I was just too full. If you are a foodie, and you have a massive appetite, then make that trip to Versova, you will not regret it. Aromas of China is the best Chinese meal I've had in a long time. Without a shadow of doubt.
Now coming back to Mr Jimmy Page and his New Yardbirds, popularly known as LED ZEPPELIN. One of my favorite bands, all the more so because, this band grows on you. At first U'd think they have like one good album which is Led Zeppelin V with their cult hits "Stairway to Heaven", "Going to California", "Misty Mountain Hop" and "When The Levee Breaks". An average rock fan would have heard these songs atleast 200 times in their lifetime, and some of you might have even noticed how Led Zepp songs have been used in the popular sitcom from back in the day That 70's Show. Then you'd make it a point to listen to all the songs which they have used for that particular season and you will be left speechless. Led Zepp's awesomeness will win you over with their next best album Led Zeppelin I. "I Can't Quit You Baby" will feature quite a bit in your playlist. "Dazed and Confused" will leave you dazed and confused because that song has some many levels its scary. The die hard Gooner in me listens to "Your Time Is Gonna Come" almost every week to convince myself that our time will indeed come in the near future and I will cry my eyes out when Arsenal lifts some trophies. "I Can't Quit You Baby" will leave you wondering how come Jimmy Page gets away with saying Baby so many times in one song and Justin Bieber gets all this flack for his one teenage friendly hit. Nevertheless my point is that one cannot NOT like Led Zeppelin. Their contribution to music is simply too much, they are and will always be the greatest ever British Rock Band. Sad to see them split because of the death of one member, LOL maybe the Beatles should have learnt a thing or two from them. On second thought Led Zepp vs The Beatles, dayyum, lets just call that one a TIE shall we. If you are having trouble gaining confidence for maybe a KT or some lousy exam, have a listen to "Kashmir". That song will pump so much adrenaline into you, you'd bloody ace that exam/interview. Sadly only 9 albums and about 81 songs. Studios atleast. They have had a lot of singles and unreleased tracks, but I'm a studio album kinda guy. Definitely download the entire discography. I miss bands like Led Zepp, they had so much potential, one can only wonder what if, what if Lynyrd's plane didn't crash, what if Bob Marley didn't die of Melanoma, what if John Bonham didn't die and leave Led Zepp without a drummer. Well one can only wonder. But we must be grateful to the beautiful music they have made and that's what I recommend. Here's their Discography in order of my preference:
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A lot of people would know that Stairway To Heaven was probably one of the greatest rock songs of the classic rock era and Led Zeppelin was definitely up there with the greatest ever rock bands. After Arsenal I'd say Led Zepp are probably the next best thing that originated from the city of London. Anyways this song, Stairway to Heaven is an absolute peach. Everyone has heard it. Everyone loves it. There's no two ways about it, this is the song that cemented Led Zepp's status as the true pioneers of British Rock. So obviously if I were to award such a prestigious title to a Lunch Buffet then damm straight that buffet should have earned and deserved such recognition. I had super high expectations of Aromas of China before I went there to eat and I was not let down. As much as I love Mainland China and the 5 Spice Chinese, when it comes to indulgence and quality, Aromas of China well and truly takes the cake. Let me go about explaining how they went about sealing their status as "The Stairway to Heaven of Chinese Buffets".
Stage I: Location and Exclusivity (ANGER)
Unlike MLC, the number of AOC's in Bbay are few and far between with one at Oberoi Mall Goregaon (which doesn't have a lunch buffet) and the original one at Versova. So AOC is the kind of luxury not everyone in Bombay can experience, and even if you want to, you gotta travel all the way to Versova. The ambiance is nothing short of spectacular with private dining lounges, fortune cookies, big wooden doors and giant chinese inscriptions on the walls. Well lets just say its a very fancy place.
Stage II: Getting started (DENIAL)
How many lunch buffets have you gone to where they give you complimentary welcome drinks? Might I add you get to chose from Red n White wines, a pint of Beer and a normal soft drink or a soda. Well some people love a glass of wine before any meal, I am obviously not one of them. Wine is easily the flooziest and gayest drink ever made. I don't care how fancy it is, its god dam awful. The buffet starts at the back with the Dumplings and steamed Momo's section. Piping hot dumplings to chose from, 2 types for the Veggies and 3 for us Carnivores - Chicken and Prawns. Absolutely delicious this, they have about 10 different sauces you can sample with your dumplings. Don't feel shy, load up on these cause they are super light and super tasty.
Stage III: Main Course - Challenge Accepted (BARGAINING)
For a change the Veggie's had ample representation in a Lunch buffet, an entire Stir Fried counter, 3 diff types of main courses to chose from and the usual Rice and Noodles. But who cares about that part of the buffet, it was literally empty throughout the entire afternoon. The non veg section was where the real action was. Chicken Sapo and another Chicken gravy. Lamb in black pepper sauce. Prawns in Oyster sauce. Chicken spring rolls and a chicken starter. A live counter for the most delicious Chicken Satay, a smoked Cantonese Chicken which looked as delicious as anything I have ever seen and yes one Chicken fried rice and Chicken Noodles. I ate all of this, 2 helpings of most, specially the Lamb in Black Pepper Sauce, it was absolute divine. The live counters were an absolute tease and you simply couldn't resist them.
Stage IV: When Gman chickened out like a Wuss. (DEPRESSION)
Like I said I went for this buffet with a couple of guys from work, one being a vegan and the other was a fellow converted carnivore. Still all of us had the mental block towards seafood, simply because we don't know what the hell to expect from the insides of a fish, crab etc. So unwillingly we had to skip a certain items on the buffet. An assorted seafood platter. A fish preparation that smelled really nice. Baby Lobsters with their shells or whatever. Crabs cooked in some black sauce. Upon telling my friends I left all this, they actually told me that I was an absolute douche bag, so much so that some of them told me to shove some baby lobsters in my pocket the next time I go for their buffet because and I quote, "The center is pure ecstasy right there".
Stage V: The grand finale - The Desserts (ACCEPTANCE)
As always they have saved the best for last. Quite magnificent their dessert counter, I'm surprised we even made it till there, I was quite literally stuffed but I had to soldier on. And I'm glad I did. Caramel Custard. Pineapple Cakes. Chocolate Brownies. Chocolate Truffle Cakes. Yogurt Cakes. Strawberry Cheese Cake. Hot Chocolate Spring Rolls with 4 types of Ice Cream. Honey Noodles. Fruits. My god we had to go 2 rounds even in the desserts cause we didn't have enough space on one plate to jam all of this on. Special mentions to the Caramel Custard and the Pineapple cakes, huge fan favorites they were.
So after about 2 and half hours of just eating, we finally finished our lavish lunch buffet. I'm a bit disappointed that we missed out on the Duck and Fondue (chocolate fountain). But one can't be greedy. All this was about 750 bucks with tax. Some might say that's way too much for one meal, but let me tell you this One meal is worth it. I skipped dinner last night because I was just too full. If you are a foodie, and you have a massive appetite, then make that trip to Versova, you will not regret it. Aromas of China is the best Chinese meal I've had in a long time. Without a shadow of doubt.
Now coming back to Mr Jimmy Page and his New Yardbirds, popularly known as LED ZEPPELIN. One of my favorite bands, all the more so because, this band grows on you. At first U'd think they have like one good album which is Led Zeppelin V with their cult hits "Stairway to Heaven", "Going to California", "Misty Mountain Hop" and "When The Levee Breaks". An average rock fan would have heard these songs atleast 200 times in their lifetime, and some of you might have even noticed how Led Zepp songs have been used in the popular sitcom from back in the day That 70's Show. Then you'd make it a point to listen to all the songs which they have used for that particular season and you will be left speechless. Led Zepp's awesomeness will win you over with their next best album Led Zeppelin I. "I Can't Quit You Baby" will feature quite a bit in your playlist. "Dazed and Confused" will leave you dazed and confused because that song has some many levels its scary. The die hard Gooner in me listens to "Your Time Is Gonna Come" almost every week to convince myself that our time will indeed come in the near future and I will cry my eyes out when Arsenal lifts some trophies. "I Can't Quit You Baby" will leave you wondering how come Jimmy Page gets away with saying Baby so many times in one song and Justin Bieber gets all this flack for his one teenage friendly hit. Nevertheless my point is that one cannot NOT like Led Zeppelin. Their contribution to music is simply too much, they are and will always be the greatest ever British Rock Band. Sad to see them split because of the death of one member, LOL maybe the Beatles should have learnt a thing or two from them. On second thought Led Zepp vs The Beatles, dayyum, lets just call that one a TIE shall we. If you are having trouble gaining confidence for maybe a KT or some lousy exam, have a listen to "Kashmir". That song will pump so much adrenaline into you, you'd bloody ace that exam/interview. Sadly only 9 albums and about 81 songs. Studios atleast. They have had a lot of singles and unreleased tracks, but I'm a studio album kinda guy. Definitely download the entire discography. I miss bands like Led Zepp, they had so much potential, one can only wonder what if, what if Lynyrd's plane didn't crash, what if Bob Marley didn't die of Melanoma, what if John Bonham didn't die and leave Led Zepp without a drummer. Well one can only wonder. But we must be grateful to the beautiful music they have made and that's what I recommend. Here's their Discography in order of my preference:
- 1971 - Led Zeppelin IV
- 1969 - Led Zeppelin I
- 1969 - Led Zeppelin II
- 1982 - Coda
- 1975 - Physical Graffiti Disc 1 and 2
- 1973 - Houses of The Holy
- 1970 - Led Zeppelin III
- 1976 - Presence
- 1979 - In Through The Out Door
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