Cha Cha at O:h Cha Kitchen and Bar

O:h Cha was one place which I had added in my wishlist on Zomato. But we all live in a very small world and I happened to be friends with Mr. Sanat Patel, the owner of O:h Cha through a common friend and he was really generous to call me over for lunch at O:h Cha. I thank him once again for inviting me and making the efforts to make me feel all comfortable at the restaurant.

My lunch companion for this meal was Zoran, one of new and already a close friend of mine and I am glad he accompanied me for the meal. 

Tucked inside Mathurdas (Todi) Mills, a little ahead of Blue Frog, I got little excited to try out this place (though I had heard mixed reviews about it) and a new cuisine. I am not a huge fan of Thai food but after the pleasant experience at O:h Cha, my views have changed. Do pay attention once you enter the mill, the place can be quite a miss even though a board has been put outside. 

Also O:h Cha is not a multi-cuisine restaurant and I can easily say that it is the most authentic Thai restaurant in the city. 

When I entered the restaurant, the huge cane look-a-like hanging lanterns (lamps) all over the ceiling  caught my attention for quite a lot of time. Every restaurant has a different kind of ambience and lightning but O:h Cha having something like that was an exception. Also I really liked the lovely glass painting done. It actually looked like a dragon :P and it got me back to the whole Game of Thrones mode and thinking about House Targaryen  (I am so addicted that I just relate GoT with everything.) 

So thumbs up to the warm and yet very classy ambience. 

Pretty, aren't they?

Hello Drogon!

We opted for the new pre-set Express lunch menu which is available every Monday to Friday for Rs. 599/- inclusive of taxes, which is a fair price for the menu options available. 

Now this Express menu lunch has 2 combinations: The Dim Sum Combination and The Curry Combination, for both vegetarian and non-vegetarian. 

I opted for the Curry Combo whereas Zoran opted for the Dim Sum Combo, so in that way we got to enjoy both the set combo menus. Which one is more preferable is what you would like to know. Chalo, we'll find out. 

The soups from both the combos were served first. I opted for the Tom Kha with Prawns from the Curry Combo and Zoran opted for the Tom Yum with Chicken. We were too hungry so Zoran already attacked his soup while I managed to click a picture of my soup. Both the soups were really flavourful, though mine was on a slightly sweeter side and his on a spicier side. I love spicy food very much. So if you are opting for the dimsum combo and like spicy food more, do go for the Tom Yum with Chicken or Prawns else settle for the Tom Kha soup. 

Tom Kha Soup (Prawns)

Then came the Thai Spicy raw Papaya Salad (Curry Combo) and a basket of 4 assorted pieces of  Prawn Dimsums. (Dimsum Combo) The dimsum was really delicious. I just took a huge bite and all I could taste was just chunks of prawns. 

Tip: Accompany it with the spicy sauce to get more spicy and tangy flavour. 

Prawn Dimsum

Thai Spicy Raw Papaya Salad

I don't like papayas at all nor I am really a salad eater. I wonder what it would be like but when the Papaya salad was served, it came as a huge surprise. The flavours were so authentic and delightful, I actually forgot about the existence of the taste of the papaya! I am no good cook and my brother is a chef and he always tells me that it's quite a task to get these fancy dishes correctly done. I wouldn't say I like papayas now! But that salad was a spot on hit with such refreshing flavours. 

Here, What I was a little dissatisfied about is that they are serving the vegetarian salad in the non-veg section as well as the vegetarian one. Maybe a good flavour of chicken in the salad would be a great addition, Not that I really was missing chicken, But Non-Veg Combo and a Veg Salad! Not happening.

Thai Red Curry with Chicken and Steamed Jasmine Rice

Stir Fried Chicken with Egg Fried Rice

Now coming to the mains, I had called for the Thai Red Chicken Curry with Steamed Jasmine Rice whereas Zoran called for Stir Fried Chicken with Cashewnuts and Egg Fried Rice. 

The Thai Red Curry was a bomb. It was exactly the way I wanted it, however I was expecting it to be more spicy. I think the chefs are working on reducing the amount of spiciness in their dishes as having too much spicy food is not everyone's cup of tea. But no complaints, I really enjoyed my Thai Curry. Go for it if you are a fan. 

We always love what we see in the plates (rather bowl here) of others and that was so the case with me. :P This minced chicken was well induced with spices, flavours, chicken and vegetables. Those who are not curry fans must go for this. Its dry and the dish accompanied well with the rice. Also it was spicy. (Main reason for me liking this dish!) 

If I am asked, which one I liked more, I would go for the dimsum combo over the curry combo even though I tried the curry combo myself and the curry combo was as good as the dimsum one. Main reason to love the dimsum combo is because of the SPICINESS! 

This set lunch express menu is quite a good deal for Rs. 599/- (inclusive of taxes) as it ranges from soups, salads and mains. Also I think they should have included the dessert too in the combo meal, atleast a gooey chocolate cake, both for veg and non veg and both the combos. A set menu meal without a dessert is as incomplete as a Parsi without his love for eedas in everything.

Overall, O:h Cha is a nice, vibrant and lovely restaurant to catch up for lunch or office get together or to come for a date in the evening. If you are coming for a date, the presence of those lanterns will just be magical. Thank You O:h Cha for making me love Thai food a bit more. I will surely make another visit, been hearing a lot about this beef starter. Must have it soon again. 

Address: Unit 1, New Mahalaxmi Silk Mills Premises, Mathurdas Mills Compound, Lower Parel,                       Mumbai.
Telephone No: +91 22 66334455 / 24939310

Meal for 2: around Rs. 2500/-