Mocha Bar
Make way to the new buzz of the town overnight , "Mocha Bar" is the brain child from Impresario Food & Entertainment Ltd who are in the food business since 2001. They have explored every aspect of the hospitality business across 13 cities. From Uber Luxury Dinning to Kiosks and Catering, you name it, they are in it and may we say that we have created some of the finest brands in each category in the process and to name it Social, Smoke House Deli, Salt water Cafe & Mocha.
GastroHogger was invited by Management to review their place and I should say I was swept off my feet as I entered into this place. The front view is nothing but a tinch of what's installed for you as you step inside. the rustic metal logo which brightns and shines like gold in the nights itself is as testimony of its glory.As you get upstairs , you are welcomed into a neat and wood heavy decor with abundance of wooden finish decor and dim lighting to go well with the gold tinch everywhere. Then you enter into an landscape twined outdoor seating. A neat and crisp bar setup, an absolutely beautiful greenery based seating, everything is so fresh and serene of this place. There is a small pond as well to add to the beauty of this place and of course a secluded DJ stand to entertain Live music and DJing in future additions. Ambiance at night was nothing but stellar and so refreshing but the place also made the dining experience more pleasant when we met up for lunch for the foodie event. Both occasions the ambiance, decor and the thought process to keep the landscape as minimal changed and keep the touch of nature everywhere. Mighty impressed.
Note: This review experience is combined feedback of review session based on Management Invite and a food event hosted by a popular & my favorite Foodie Group Highway On My Plate (HOMP) and both instances Mocha Bar provided consistency, top notch service and delectable dishes.
With a clean and suave setup-bar, their mocktails are pretty impressive and I should say there is something for everyone in this drinks menu.Berry Blast was the pick of the crowd in both sessions with its freshness and chill icy feeling throughout and definitely a MUST TRY.Pink & Country Lemonades were good and nice but felt artificial with too much syrup but served chill, they sufficed .Ultimate hot Chocolate was the clear winner for me with its unique style of serving with the tall tower of piping hot chocolate on top of mini candle to keep it warm and fuzzy. The drink by itself was so soul filling and the serene flavor of chocolate can entice you from the first step - MUST TRY. Overall Mocktails are definitely worthy to try.
The cocktails on the other hand were more innovative, impressive and flavors were bang on for any drinks lover.
Jaali Whiskey is a visual treat of a drink which is served inside a jail setup box (meaning Jaali) and filled with dry ice to smoke on the sides giving it a visual appeal. The perfect mixture of bourbon whiskey, Angostura and pine apple juice makes it a drink which is not straight up but a intense flavored drink. Must try if you like strong drinks .
Moscow Mule is another refreshing drink which on first sip will pass on a chill feeling throughout your body. Made of vodka, fresh ginger,mint , lemonade and ginger ale , this drink is straight favorite for me and loved the idea to serve it in brass cup to maintain the chillness all along - MUST TRY.
Sangria both red and white variant were made good but i felt the apple slices could have been more chopped into more smaller pieces and would have been apt for this drink.
Mint Julep was straight up Bourbon Whiskey & Fresh mint and heavy dash of crushed ice. the drink again served in brass cup made it refreshing and pleasantly chilly one.
Spicy Vodka & Pulpy Orange was served on goli soda style (old school years memories kicked in right away) and both flavors based on vodka was simple, flavorful and definitely top notch. I personally liked the spicy one as the desi masala gave the vodka drink another level of back kick - MUST TRY.
Long Island Ice Tea (LIIT) served on a glass tower which was so humongous that one cannot finish was absolutely refreshing and right tone of liqor made it just good.
While the cocktails and mocktails are so enticing and top notch, the insanely huge shakes are no less competition in Mocha Bar. They are gigantic, extremely insane, rich in flavors and can sometimes be have had as a meal by itself. They are that big and massive in size. Flavors also scream out of joy in each shake variant I tried ( yes I dint eat all of 'm simply because you can't ).
Brownie Fudge Freak Shake is the BAAP of shakes and its so thick that no-one can eat just one :). Extremely soft and scrumptious brownie slices along with whipped cream , M & Ms drizzled over rich chocolate shake by itself makes it a visual appealing one and was a hit among all of us - MUST TRY .
Cronut Extreme Freak shake is another monster which is caramel sauce drenched donut and loads of whipped cream and insane vanilla shake. The visual appeal that this attracted was nothing but stellar. So drenching and satiating for any foodie. Food coma guaranteed and yes forget to keep a tap on your calories. Burn them in the amazing flavor- MUST TRY .
Ferrero Shake is definitely the expected rich variant and you can get the flavor right away on the nut crunchy Ferraro rocher balls crushed along with some amazing choco shake.
Banoffee Freak Shake was another instant hit on the perfect balance of banana and toffee combination and the real banana slices topped with drizzles of toffee (caramel sauce) was epic. I can just keep eating it again and again - MUST TRY .
Both sessions started off with some amazing starters and both veg and non-veg mighty impressed me in terms of flavors being there almost perfect and definitely prominent in every bite..
Stuffed Tangri an interesting twist on my most favorite chicken starter - Tangri kebab. Vilayati cheese stuffed and cooked over tandoor and the legs just ooze out chicken fat and cheese and there's nothing to say NO to this dish. Amazingly cooked ans definitely lip-smacking <3 - MUST TRY.
Lebanese Key-bab platter a collection of some amazing items including chicken seekh kebab, shish Taouk, Harissa Chicken , Pita, Salad, Hummus & Tzatziki sauce . Every component was flavorful but the show stopper was that amazingly fragrant and soft pita bread. One of d best I have ever had in my life time. Do try them 'em out.
Meeze platter (Veg) a collection of veg items including pita, falafel, fatayer, awesamosas, lavash served with tzatsiki sauce, mutabal and Hummus. This dish was super light and flavorful. Three variants of hummus was interesting. I liked the little caramelized version as it gave some nice tart to the otherwise normal hummus.
BMT Kulcha Sandwich(Veg) had a nice twist to make a typical American sandwich with kulcha bread and toasted on a grill with fresh black pepper mozzarella, sliced tomato, basil balsamic vnegar, olive oil served with tangy salsa dip. Was fresh and the kulcha with little grill on it was super crispy and definitely tasty - MUST TRY.
Crispy Honey Chilli Awesamosas was another innovative dish where you normally see potato fries tossed in it but this one had a good twist to have the otherwise super crispy onion samosas tossed heavily with honey and chilli flakes to give that texture and stickiness to it. The flavor was nice but I would prefer it to be little less sweeter and that would have made me go WOW for this.
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All d following starters were served during the tasting session and were definitely highly recommended ones.
Nachos Grande this Mexican quick snack is favorite anywhere go and being in Texas for a while I know I much I was addicted to this dish. Loaded with crispy corn tortilla chips,jalapenos, sour cream and loaded with cheese is a heaven for junkies like me. The "grande" version normally has minced meat or what we call kheema and I was particular about it and feedback was given to chefs. Never the less the flavor was cheesy and absolutely lovely - MUST TRY.
Jalapenos Hush puppies a dish hat definitely was in everyone;s mind when served which had nice juicy jalapenos filled with cream cheese and deep fried with panko coating and served with Sriraja chunda. I fet the jalapenos deep dried as whole had too much hotness to the dish and overtook the cheese but nevertheless the crispiness with which it was fried was good to savor as a spicy starters.
Khanda Pav Sliders was a twist to another desi classic with onion rings stuffed with pav and the sriraja sauce as dip made the difference as well.
Mocha Chicken Pops is your traditional seasoned batter coated chicken fries with peri peri marination. IF anybody loves KFC, they would love this, this packed more flavurs and definitely than the commercial fried chicken. A quick snack at its best.
Fiery Chicken Wings - the sauce was mind blowing but there wasn’t much fieriness in the wings. The chicken to me could have been cooked a bit more and the more spice to the wings. If I could pass it, it aint that fiery :)
Baked Mac & Cheese - An American classic which makes any kid or kid inside even an adult goes high was served. I thought they lacked the cook and needed nice seasoning to it. Second round on feedback also didn’t quite get me high.
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Chicken Biryani which is typical of any lunch in Hyderabadi aspect was also part of the vent serving. Which was not your traditional dum biryani but had loads of nice flavors with those huge quantity of fried onion rings and I liked it though I have had better ones.
Nashila Rogan Josh - this was my pick on the review session. Served with some amazing roti varieties, this one had a unique kick and mutton was super soft than usual. On inquiry, we found from Chef Tushar, it had whiskey in its preparation. So non-alcoholics, BEWARE and if you are me, just jump in - MUST TRY.
China Box - A typical street side noodles with tofu served inside a togo box and chop sticks. Tofu was super soft and brilliant and noodles went well. Not the best but definitely flavorful for any foodie palate.
Country Style Cottage Cheese - This Chindian variety (well they had Indian and Chinese touch to it) had some huge chunks of paneer sautéed in a sweet sauce and bell peppers. I felt the sweetness but not the heat. Could have conceived the dish better in my option
Khow Suey - This is not your authentic one but Mocha’s take to bring it to desi flavors. Serving it was very unique and made it a single plate serving meal in itself. The flavors was a bit indianized not to get over dominated by coconut milk. Many of them seem to love it but I still would go any day for the original. Taste wise it fared well :)
Bhel Puri 2.0 - Well for anyone who raised eyebrow what is 2.0? Its an other version take of a street food classic but never the less didn’t tarnish the original’s image. They have added slightly roasted cashews for the crunch and pomogrante as well. Now who would think of that you may ask? Join me but when tasted it well absolutely well. nicely blended dish thought through with a small twist.
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Rasmalai Cheese Cake - Now enough has been talked about this trend setter of the dessert. Bring in Rasmalai which is an Indian delicacy that any sweet tooth will fall in love with and fuse it with cheese cake. You might think - how is it possible? Well, yes Chef Rajiv has done the collaboration and brilliantly executed. The richness from the cheese cake over the biscuit crumble, the rasamalai fused in 3 layers altogether blended in the rich malai broth. Everything just works. In both my instances, it has nothing but been brilliant. This dessert is definitely going to trend in Hyderabad after Apricot Delight from Spicy Venue. GO CHECK IT OUT FOR IT!!!!! - MUST TRY.
Brownie Cheesecake - This was served in the review session. The brownie was definitely super soft and crumbling even on a slight tough but there wasn’t much about the cheesecake in it. Dessert was definitely good but I have better ones.
Chocolate Fudge Brownie - This was served on the foodie group event where the fudge brownie was brilliant. Super soft and fluffy chocolate brownie. It went well with ice cream served as well. A absolute delight.
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Service & Hospitality:
In both sessions, Brand Chef Rajiv & Executive Chef Tushar along with their absolutely every smiling and energetic crew made sure we had some amazing food, service and nothing to complain about. Of course the crew is a fine pick by the franchise owner Vikas & Pranay (who also own Cafe Mocho) as well. The crew use definitely well versed with what dishes were served even under pressure of serving a group. Overall service is one of their strong asset and if they retain it, it will be a big game changer.
Franchise Owners Vinay & Pranay have done a brilliant job in identifying a absolutely spectacular landscape for setting up this place and of course the garden, greenery all across is one of the best you can find in the ever buzzing and crowd prone Banjara hills.
Verdict:
Mocha Bar - Now by the review you would know how my experiences in both review session and foodie event has been. Nothing more to say that they got the best of all tools in all aspects - be it lip smacking food, amazing ambiance & decor, well efficient service and everything combines under able leadership and co-ordination for Chefs Rajiv & Tushar . If you are looking for a pack of friends to laze out with some amazing drinks and hang out - GO. If you are a family wanting to have a nice dinner in nature while kids can be themselves and enjoy greenery which is a rarity in the part of the city - GO. I hope you enjoyed as much as me and of course food is one of d best in recent times. All the best to Team Mocha and I wish them that they do amazingly well.
Note: This review experience is combined feedback of review session based on Management Invite and a food event hosted by a popular & my favorite Foodie Group Highway On My Plate (HOMP) and both instances Mocha Bar provided consistency, top notch service and delectable dishes.
Hyderabad Food Blogger | GastroHogger | © 2019