They might have to fight through some of the city’s worst traffic, but office goers in Lower Parel are certainly eating well, wooed by restaurants both fast and fancy that are cropping up in the area quicker than you can say “delivery”. The newest suit(or) in this culinary contest is Garam Masala, a bite-size eatery wedged between the garage stores opposite Kamala Mills, which hopes to seduce with cartoons on its wall and lots of cheese on the menu.

Taking the Same Road

A few storefronts down from Mumbai Deli, Garam Masala has clearly been inspired by its neighbour, down to the graphic walls, strange business hours (it shuts at 9 pm) and super uncomfortable chairs. The cuisine offered, however, is more Shiv Sagar than deli, consisting of cheese balls and rolls, parathas and pizza: essentially, desi fast food.

Soft Serves

Although it’s meant to be self-serviced, the staff at Garam Masala is nice enough to take your order at the table, and can even offer useful suggestions. Remember though, to ask for plates, cutlery and tissues separately, and also specify how many of each you want. Apart from its lack of intuition (or even common sense), however, the service is quick and efficient. 

Driving in the Fast (Food) Lane

Start with the above mentioned cheese balls, golf-ball sized spheres that are crispy on the outside but insanely creamy within, and studded with kernels of sweet corn. These are more successful than the parathas, which come drizzled with cheese and sides of pickle, chutney and yoghurt, but are a little gummy on the inside, a trait that will probably get worse if you’re ordering for delivery. The Schezuan paneer roll is a good lunch option as well - spicy, filling and whipped up right in front of you at a workstation near the door. Ask them to go easy on the onions, though.

The Gardenia pizza is loaded two inches high with thick layers of cheese, slivers of mushroom and slices of capsicum: it belongs to an older era, a time devoid of wood fire ovens or even Dominos, and we wish it had just stayed there. Skip the pasta unless you have a hankering for noodles dunked in over-spiced ketchup.

A Butter Tomorrow

Garam Masala has no dessert or coffee, a fact that deeply saddened a friend who had hopped over from Kamala Mills to have lunch with us, and didn’t have the time to trek over to the Le15 counter at Raghuvanshi Mills for a sugar hit. But then he brightened up: a new restaurant, one that did serve dessert, was bound to open up in the vicinity sooner rather than later.

Getting there: 11, Madhav Bhavan, opposite Kamala Mills, Lower Parel, call 24949370, Rs 300 for a meal for two.