When we win, I'm so happy I eat a lot. When we lose, I'm so depressed I eat a lot. When we're rained out, I'm so disappointed I eat a lot. ~ Tommy Lasorda
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Recently there have been so many restaurant reviews but not a single one on my favorite eating joint! Now, what could be the reason for this ignorance? Is it coz there are no MSians from Nariman Point or is it coz..... well whatever, I guess its up to me now to do justice to this place I love visiting when I suffer from those hunger pangs [which is too often ;o)].
If you work at Nariman Point, chances are that you have already been to this restaurant many times but if you haven't then you've been missing out on the most delicious mouth watering dosa-sambhar in Bombay!
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STATUS, A regular lunch place for many office-goers; especially for pakka veggies like me, is situated in Regent Chambers at Nariman Point. Status has been serving for almost two decades now & is quite popular in NP, as it offers the tastiest food at a very reasonable price.
Status Outside:
As you approach the restaurant the first thing you would notice would be lots of people standing & stuffing their mouths, just out the restaurant. This is what I call The Status Dosa Corner!. Even if you plan to visit the air-conditioned restaurant inside, you would find yourself turning towards the left & checking out the South Indian menu displayed about the food counter : A wide range of Sada, Ghee Rava Masala, Mysore Masala, Onion Dosas, Rava Idlis, Medu Wada, Upma and what not! [mercifully, they do not have chinese dosa!]
The menu offers a mouthwatering variety of Punjabi snacks - samosa, cutlets, chole-bathure etc - as well as regular lunch: Puri Bhaji, Rumali Roti with Korma [a different curry each day], Biryani, Pulao etc.
On 'fasting' days Status prepares delicious sabudana wadas.
The price for these items is between Rs. 20~30.
Besides, the food there is the usual cold drinks, appetizing milkshakes, tea & coffee. [priced between Rs. 10~25]
Covered with lots of stand-up tables, from 9am ~ 6pm this is a self-service place where one needs to buy coupons for their desired food & collect the same from the food counter. The chefs, waiters, coupon collectors are all stuffed in this open counter and then starts the long wait for our order. This is the part I dislike most, waiting & smelling the delicious aroma till its our turn to collect our plate.... is so killing! But once the order is in our hands, its worth the wait & more!
One of my regular order is Ghee Rava Masala Dosa, believe me this is the most delicious dosa I have ever eaten & am totally hooked to this. With the unlimited piping hot sambhar & coconut chutney, this is such a treat for a hungry stomach. I must add here that Status sambhar is absolutely out of this world! One cannot have enough of this sambhar & this even as the dosa is already too filling. [on one such treat a friend mused ''This is a never ending dosa yaar!'' lolz].
To save the 15-20 minutes waiting time & still get a taste of Status food, one should visit this place in the evenings, when this standup eatery turns into a regular open air restaurant. Gone are those ugly standing tables, replaced with normal table where one can sit, select & be served the food of their choice. Status at evening is less crowded [all office goers are in a rush to
be home] its a much more advisable time to relish the dosas.
There is also a take-away/parcel counter, which again has a long queue but a parceled dosa isn't as good as eating one in the open [there is no unlimited sambhar in parcels ;o)]
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Status Inside
For those who want to have a full fledged lunch there is the air-conditioned restaurant beside the stand out eatery. This place is ideal for power luncheons, to impress your date or just
some serious hogging!
Here you can select any dish from Punjabi/Gujarati/Sindhi cuisine. The most popular among the office goers seems to be the Gujarati thaali which has an unlimited servings of rotis/puris, veggies, rice, kadhi & a dessert! A spice lover, I am not very fond of the sweet n sour thaali & my all time favourites are: Paneer Tikaa, Malai Kofta, Handi Biryani & Stuffed Pudina Paratha. A decent meal for two would cost upto Rs. 300 ~ 400. [minus the drinks, of course]
Once again, the waiting time is too much. During lunch time one has to actually wait n watch while others enjoy their meal. In the evenings & on sundays the local residents make a beeline for this restaurant. Status also has a banquet hall for conducting press meets, anniversaries, receptions, inaugurations, engagements, seminars etc
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The Rest:
Being a pakka shakahaari [vegetarian, ghaas-phus eater], I am rather fussy about where I eat. Usually I prefer eating home cooked food but when I have to eat out it has to be a clean spacious & pure veg restaurant. I don't look for ambience & certainly don't care a damn for the decor which I am not going to eat anyways, all I want is good yummy vegetarian food. One that satisfies my taste buds & makes me come back for more of its food, is a good restaurant for me. But if you must know, then at Status the food presentation is superb, the interiors, ambience & decor is passable.
What's more important is the quality of service; which is very prompt & efficient. The food, I've been praised all through my review, is as good as home food & much better than eating from the roadside food stalls. As we all know, too much of a good thing isn't good! To be very frank all the adorable food we get at Status is too oily to be gobbled everyday but then we live only once, don't we? :o)
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Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside ~ Mark Twain
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