RESTAURANT REVIEW: Cafe Grain & Bagel

"Grain and Bagel" is a cute little cafe tucked between Costa Coffee and Cafe Coffee Day, near Criticare hospital in Juhu. The first thing i loved about the place was the cozy feel of this little cafe. It immediately transported me to an obscure little breakfast or brunch place you'd only find on a laid-back vacation! But irrespective of it's size, "Grain and Bagel" has it's home in order. The decor is the epitome of pretty, comprising a mix of umbrellas and potted plants, adorable sun umbrellas and strings of light bulbs.

I dropped by here one Sunny Sunday morning for a hearty breakfast and as soon as i got my hands on a menu card, I was immediately in the mood to gorge on everything I could get my hands. The menu comprised of everybody's dream breakfast food ranging from your all favorite eggs prepared to your liking, waffles & pancakes of the dreamiest kind, the unlikely cult classic Maggi and of course; heavenly bagels! After making some hard hitting decisions on what to eat (it really was a difficult choice!) I finally settled on the one portion of the Sobo Cheese Chilly Maggi, one Egg White Omelette (they're supposed to be healthy, right?) and a portion of my very own bagel, customized to my liking with brown bread, basil pesto spread, veggies, teriyaki & smoked chicken (I couldn't decide between the two so why not just go for both!) and a mix of sauces. After placing that hearty breakfast order, I still couldn't peel my eyes away from the pictured pancake stack on they're super cute chalkboard, so I ended up ordering that as well.

To say that the Maggi was simply amazing is an understatement: but it's definitely and a must have if you ever end up at breakfast here. And don't get me started on the bagel! The freshness of the the bread and veggies blended beautifully with the flavors of the teriyaki and smoked chicken. The omelette was cooked to perfection; just the way I like it and the stack of pancakes stack was simply delicious and also made of whole wheat so it cut my hogger guilt in half for sure. But if I was gonna indulge, I decided to go all the way and topped my pancake stack with chocolate sauce, but they have options of Maple or Blueberry as well. Another must have on their menu is the "Cutting Chai" which, like pretty much everything i tried here, was perfect! One may just not be enough but i wanted to try some of their Mock-tails as well. I ordered the Kiwi Panna Granita which was the perfect blend of refreshing and sweet since the Bombay summer was beginning to shine down on us.

When it came to prices of the food at "Grain and Bagel", I was really up for shelling crazy money after eating what felt like food fit for kings. Everything was totally worth it and believe me, if given the option, I'd have breakfast there every Sunday. The Maggi was around Rs.130/- which, at first, seems a bit steep for something you think you could whip up in your kitchen in 2 minutes, but the Maggi here was totally worth it. Their English and American Breakfasts are absent on the menu but are still served here at the cost about Rs.199/- and it serves one person, which in my opinion is steal, given the quality and quantity of food served here. The English Breakfasts consist of your eggs Benedict with a side of toast, hash browns, a blueberry muffin, oatmeal and Earl Grey tea whereas, the American Breakfasts comes with potato salad eggs, cinnamon and vanilla toast, mini cream cheese bagels, potato bites, cereal and cafe Americano. A really difficult choice there.

The service at "Grain and Bagel" was top notch and our servers were pleasant and friendly. They also sported cute typography t-shirts which was an added to charm to the lovable, quaint mood of this little cafe. But since this cafe and small in size, it can get a little crowded and you may have to wait awhile and from experience I'd say the best time to visit would be early morning or around tea time at 4 in the evening.

To sum up, my experience at "Grain and Bagel" was warm and hearty and i definitely can't wait to go back soon!

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