Celine Mathew makes a mean chicken curry but let’s also give credit to Mr Mathew, who carts back spices from business trips to Kerala three times a month. They probably won’t have you over for dinner, but you can get a taste of this Kerala curry at On the Go, a new Bandra multi-cuisine restaurant opened by their son Thomas, who studied hospitality management at NYU.

Tray Bien!

bpb dropped in for lunch yesterday to find that On the Go has moved into the tiny space (holds about seven tables) previously occupied by Smokin’ Joes. It didn’t look very hygienic from the outside, but the interiors here are cute and clean with neon serving trays pasted on the walls and techni-coloured glass lights hanging from the ceiling. We didn’t care too much for the table tops with pop culture quotes, but on film dialogues we propped our elbows and began ordering.

The well-priced (nothing costs more than Rs 220) six-page paper menu here overwhelms, featuring paninis, salads, sides, rolls and plated dishes from across the world, but a wide-smiled  manager navigated us through it easily.  Carnivores will be disappointed at the lack of meat selection; all non-vegetarian dishes come with chicken.

Rice Boat and Beyond

We started our meal with a plate of vegetarian quesadillas, baked to a crisp and filled with a colourful mix of buttered corn and red, green, yellow peppers, as pleasing to taste buds as they are to the eye. These triangles may not be something you’d eat in Mexico, but at Rs 120, they make for a cheap and tasty snack. Up next from India, the abovementioned Kerala Chicken Curry steamed fragrantly, seeping into its bed of white rice. Aromatic and light on the coconut, it makes for a great lunch, but only if your office has provisions for power naps. Last came cannelloni stuffed with chicken, herbs and tomato puree, passable, but our least favourite of the three.

What we’ll try during round two: The chicken and paneer rolls (seems to be popular with nearby offices goers), Belle Frijole (owner Thomas’ favourite) and the Coca-Cola marinated Chicken lollipops (just because they sound so bizarre).
From the quick service, non-fancy cutlery, tiny bill and office delivery calls we spied in on, you can tell that On The Go is the kind of eatery that’s looking at volumes.  Turn it up loud, we say!

Getting there: On the Go, 1 Gloria Building, St Baptista Road, Mount Mart Steps, Bandra (W), call 7738230777, delivery in Bandra, Rs 500 for a meal two.

bpb reviews anonymously and pays for its own meals.