Samrat Restaurant, Churchgate, Mumbai

To start with, I am not a huge fan of thalis and prefer ordering dishes of choice separately but what can you do when your friends won't give up taking you to a place famous for it's thali? After a lot of convincing, I finally agreed to go and I never imagined myself saying this but I quite enjoyed the thali sitting on the roof top!

The thali had a wide variety of dishes and each one was special in its own way. I loved the over all experience and now I am more open to the thali options.

You should try it out too.

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Not only me but my whole family is a huge fan of this restaurant. Whenever it is a celebration night or a reunion night everyone votes for Samrat Restaurant. This place serves some authentic Gujrati cuisine and our all time favorites are the thalis. Every item in the thaali, starting from the pickles, curries to the rice, each item is cooked to perfection and tastes delicious.

Interiors are also well done and inviting. Staff is responsive and serves the order quite promptly. I have tried Gujrati thalis elsewhere before but the one at this place has impressed me the most.

I will definitely recommend that you visit this restaurant.

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I had taken my parents to Samrat for lunch. As we are pure vegetarians, it’s heaven for us. My parents were thoroughly pleased with the place and the food. The food was delicious and they also have value for money.

They keep telling me to take them there again!

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I had to take my business clients out for food. Thought of some flashy place but I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea. So I decided to keep it simple yet classy and Samrat is the first name that came to my mind. I walked in with about 15 odd guests. The tables we arranged for us within no time.. Food was ordered and served. As always Samrat didn’t disappoint us with the food. My guests thanked me for getting them here.

So, no matter if it’s your family, friends or business associates, bring them here and you will walk with your head held up high!

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Ok.i went 2 coll in town and had heard abt Samrat.but never really went there.howver a couple of weeks ago I got dragged by my work colleagues.( very nice, smart guju gentlemen) to try the famous Gujrati thali

.am not much of a fan of veg food.so wasnt too keen on it.but boy o boy I had a gr8 experience. the lime juice and chaas they gave us in the beginning of the meal totally set the mood for a good old thali.there were like 10 different sabjis n dals.there was a green palak sabji which was amazing.the chapatis with ghee poured on them generously were gr8.but the khichdi had too take th te cake.i never thought that such a simple dish could be soo tasty and it was the best I ever had! plus wen u have 1 waiter pouring dal, another serving chapatis and yet antnother serving the bitings.dal dhokli, khandvi etc.u cant help but feel like royalty.;).definite high value for money.thali per head was 375 bucks.

would I go back?.hmm.yes wenever I am in d mood for a big fat Indian meal. I would, definitely worth it

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Samrat restaurant at Churchgate is considered to be a decent resturant in South Bombay.  Been a visitor quite a few times; however of late I have found that their approach has been very high headed and unworthy of any praise it gets.  By sheer reputation it has been running so well that more often than not the staff is too rude and unprofessional.

Recently I had ordered some fried delicacy and to my shock realised that it was stale.  Upon bringing it to the notice of the captain he refused to acknowledge it and even refused to take a sample and chk.  Whilst I was still thinking whether to consume or not the waiter hit a customer's leg with the chair and I can assure you it was inadvertant.  Upon the customer bringing to the notice of the waiter the cheapster refused to acknowledge and even back answered bitterly.

This was damn cheap and ridiculous being a hospitality industry.  Upon giving feedback on their website they are least bothered to respond to feedback.  This shows arrogance of Prashant caterers and they should not be hired for parties, marriages etc because the management is bothered least about routine basic courtesies.

They have apparently tried to promote the thali of the restaurant by offering one thali free to people who order against use of some coupons.  One needs to puchase these coupons by paying money and u can have 2 such visits where u can get 1 free thali over another one.  Apparently they tear of the coupon acceptable at future date and when next time u go they tell u that the coupon u have unused is not acceptable as it is old.  A sheer fraud.

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 KHICHDI SAMRAT *

VIKRAM KARVE*

I’ve just had some Khichdi – no, not the yummy lip smacking *sabudanya chi khichadi *my wife gorges and devours by the plateful whenever she is “fasting” – but the Khichdi one is given to eat when one is convalescing. It’s supposed to be light on the stomach, gives you strength and helps you recuperate. My daughter is ill; hence the Khichdi. The Khichdi I just ate was awful – it was fatless; there was no pure ghee in it, as desired by my darling daughter. In fact, it was so tasteless and insipid that it brought back nostalgic mouthwatering memories of wholesome Khichdi I had savored at Khichdi Samrat on near CP Tank in Mumbai.

To get there, walk up Kalbadevi Road from Metro, turn left at the Cotton Exchange, walk past Panjrapole towards Bhuleshwar, turn right on VP Road towards CP Tank, and soon on your right you will see Khichdi Samrat – an unpretentious down-to-earth eatery. In fact it’s so humble and modest that make sure you don’t miss it and walk on to CP Tank! It is a small place, but I always found a seat; maybe they send out more parcels than have patrons eating in situ.

You’ll be surprised, but the first time I went to Khichdi Samrat, one Sunday evening, I didn’t have Khichdi [maybe because of my mental map associating Khichdi  as convalescence-food, or maybe because “Dal Bati” was listed on the menu board as a Sunday special and I was curious to sample this dish which I had never tasted till that day]. Tasty wheat flour balls in scrumptious dal with plenty of pure ghee – it was indeed delicious and satiating.

There are ten varieties of Khichdi, ranging from the bland plain khichdi to the special dry fruit kichdi, and I have tried all of them, one on each visit, and I liked the Masala and Vrindavan Khichdis. Do embellish your khichdi with a papad of your choice. There is an impressive array of papads to choose from.

To my delight, I found the other dishes on the menu like the Methi Malai Mutter, Koftas, Kurmas and Paneer gravies very delicious too, and so is the excellent satisfying thali with a medley of dishes. So, if you go there in a group, don’t restrict yourself to Khichdi. And don’t forget to try different rotis and parathas including those made of maka [corn], bajra and the delicious stuffed versions.

Start off with a jal jeera, have chaas to accompany your meal, and end with a Gulab Jamun or Rabdi; or better still walk down to Bhaishankar Gaurishankar nearby to end your repast with some chilled soothingly-sweet rasagullas.

VIKRAM KARVE 

https://vikramkarve.sulekha.com

vikramkarve@sify.com

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The most important factors considered by anybody while selecting a restaurant are food and location. Samrat, interestingly scores on both these fronts. Located very close to Churchgate station, this place is an ideal food joint for students, office goers and families at large. The food, needless to say rocks..

FOOD

Apart from the Thali offered here there is continental food, coffee and pastries (210 Degrees)

The pastries are more popular with the Gujju/Jain crowd because they are eggless. However, their USP is the full fledged Gujju thali.

The number of items they offer are too many to remember, however I have tried to cover as many as possible. Their Gujarati Thali is authentic and a total feast.

Soon after you place your order for Thali, you are served this huge glass full of chilled Jaljira - an appetiser that helps in digestion of food. It is served with a few boondis & coriander leaves in it. This is something that I prefer to have along with the food

Next on the list are Dhoklas, Kachoris in the shape of small Samosas, Hara-Bhara Kababs, etc.

Add to it, the innumerable chutneys, pickles et al..

Being a gujju myself, I prefer not to have the same food elsewhere, other than home…However Samrat is an exception….

The main course comprises of puris or phulkas (served hot with a spoonful of Ghee spread over it).Other varieties of Roti served are the Bajare ki Roti, Methi Roti(call it paratha or thepla if you wish), and a sweet Roti that is quite similar to the Maharshtrian Puran Poli but is on the thicker side. Second servings for all these items are allowed. Three varieties of vegetables are served. Two with gravy and One is dry sabzi. In addition to above One Dal, one Kadhi (curry made out of Buttermilk)and one Kathol, one variety of pulse cooked with lots of tomato pieces and gravy. The main course ends with Rice. Again a choice here. Pulao, Khichdi or Plain Rice.

3 sweet dishes are generally served. More often than not, gulab jamuns and shrikhand are served.

Last but not the least - A Big Glass of Chaas (Buttermilk), which makes you feel complete..

PRICE

The prices of some of the most popular dishes range from Rs.50-250/-.On weekdays, the price of a thali is Rs. 118 which goes up to Rs. 140 on Sundays. For dishes ordered ala carte you have indian sweets for Rs.30 -50/-.

SERVICE

The waiters are quite friendly, ever smiling and as a result, Samrat scores on the service front. Sometimes, one tends to overeat, purely because of the service.

AMBIENCE

Quiet and peaceful on weekdays....Quite noisy and hush hush on weekends, specially on Sunday nights. You can be assured to bump into at least some of your Gujju friends who prefer to dine at Samrat on Sunday nights. Also, a very good place to celebrate kid’s birthday parties in the hall on the first floor.

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Samrat is a pure Vegetarian Restaurant located at Churchgate. It is very popular among office crowd in and around Churchgate area. I visit this restaurant with my colleagues very often.

Samrat is famous for its unlimited Vegetarian Thali. You need to try one to relish the exquisite taste of its food. I am not a big fan of vegetarian food, but at Samrat the experience is totally different. Even the ardent non-vegetarian foodie will lick his fingers.

The moment I step into Samrat I am greeted with my name and directed to my corner seat. Mostly I prefer the upper floor. The ambience is fairly good and the waiters are very courteous and helpful. I rarely look at the menu card because I go there only for the Thali.

The Thali is just fascinating. What I like best is the snacks provided, the sweet dish (Fruit Salad, Gulab Jamun, Shrikand etc - any one), the yummy butter milk, the khadi and of course an assortment of vegetable dishes with Puri and / or chapathi and of course rice dishes (Pulav, Kichidi or plain rice). And except for the sweet dish all these are unlimited.

The waiters attend on you and literally force you with the variety on offer. You have ghee poured on the chapathis, rice dishes.

I can visit this restaurant again and again. Every visit is a different experience. The items are changed regularly. I look forward to special occasions such as a festival when there are two sweet dishes.

However if you plan to pay a visit reach before 1.00 p.m. for lunch. Later the place gets crowded and you will have to wait outside for 10 - 15 min. before your turn comes.

Finally it is not just Thalis. You can enjoy other food preparations also.

Do visit this place, you will come back again and again. Even if you are a non-vege no problem. You don't have to worry about bird flu, for there is no chicken to stew.

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Let me get straight to the point.

Here is a restaurant which for one offers meals round the clock and unlike other thali restaurants, doesn't close down its meals menu after 2 in the afternoon.It gets rather annoying when you get late for lunch and want a wholesome meal and all the restaurants offer chat,bhel puri or sev puri instead of a regular dal, rice and chapati.

Since I am not very fond of any snacks for lunch and given the time constraints, I have always had to compromise with the quality of food on several occasions esp. since in my area, you do not have a Samrat.All said and done I have to admit that you do have reservations given it proximity to offices and its rather busy in the afternoons.

Now c'mon this doesn't sound convincing enough for me to visit a restaurant.OK, read on....

I am going to talk about the Thali offered there though continental food,coffee(coffee shop rather interestingly named as 210 degrees centigrade)and pastries are also on offer,I guess all these somehow are not their strength areas.Their forte lies in traditional Gujju thali.

PRICE

The prices of some of the most popular dishes range from Rs.50-250/-.I had a Gujarathi thali for Rs.118/-.For dishes ordered ala carte you have indian sweets for Rs.30 -50/-.

CONTENTS OF THALI

Please pardon me for my limited vocabulary for I really don't know the english names for all of the vegetables mentioned below.Atleast the four curries that I have tasted are Rajma(Kidney beans probably whoever knows the correct name please type it out in the comments section.Ok don't try to prove my presumption about you guys commenting for sure as wrong.:) ) Alu raswala, matar paneer ( cottage cheese and peas curry) and Barbatti and Bade ki Sabzi.You also get the usual Papad, Dal, Tiny samosas which are very tasteful, Kadhi and Fried Dal.You get plain dal, pulav rice as well as steaming hot plain rice.

Yes I am sure you must be wondering about the digestion problem which might be casued because of such a sudden influx of highly explosive material into your stomach.Don't you worry.You get buttermilk with boondi and salad too.Besides, you get three sweets out of which you can choose one.I had srikhand(CAUTION :Its very good but so heavy that I didn't have the energy to get out of the restaurant and I went off to sleep the moment I reached home.)My spouse had RasMalai which is so good that you would want to reward yourself with one whenever you achieve nirvana.The other option was Jalebi with Rabdi which if I would have had,I would have to skip meals for the next week for sure!!!!

You have so many options that you wouldn't want to try the usual achar for you get a nice green chilly pickle as wells as some other chutney for that added spice to your already sumptuous meal.Rating 7/10.

SERVICE

The waiters wear a smile and as I have often said, they mind their own business but whenever you need something, they spring back to action and by the time you look up to call one, he is there with whatever you need.Excellent service and I would rate it 9/10.They force you to have more of rice and ghee and they do that with a nice smile which made me have so many things simply because of the way they served it and no I am not a glutton so full marks to them.

LOCATION

Finally,I would want to keep going to this restaurant simply because it is ideally located very close to Churchgate station because on a monday afternoon at 2:30 I would hate to go to either starters and more or any other exotic theme restaurants .I would prefer a nice indian thali joint and given the description,it suits me just fine.Need I say more??

-Keerti

Please do RRC this review.

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A vegetarian joint right in the heart of the city, said to be belonging to the Samrat Restaurant (Gujrati oriented) but this new place belonging to the same group, serves international cuisine.

I guess conti food is gaining momentum these days and one would find more of restaurants serving this kind of food. But this joint is all international veg food. So the veggies can definately have a relishing snack or lunch . What attracts one to this place and specially the vegetarians is that such food is also catered to the Jains. Some dishes are specially created to nurture the taste of the Jains who I guess do not eat stuff like onions, potatoes(basically underground grown stuff)

The place boost of a very good ambience, and quick and excellent service. The place is a little small and could accomodate a crowd of about 50 to 60 pax, gets full during lunch time as a lot of office crowd is founf here these days. the place serves dishes like Cottage Cheese Shashlik, Vegetable Medley,with accomplishments to suit your taste like Buttered rice, American fries, pepper sauce, buttered green peas, Sauteed baby corn or cauliflowerets. (Well here I will not mention many dishes , leave it to your imagination, as in some of my previous reviews some members felt it was a menu card that I put forth.......so cautious this time)

The rates vary between Rs45/- to Rs130/- taxes extra. On the whole a decent joint to enjoi a good food evening.

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Samrat - One of my favourite Hotels in South Bombay. Of course there is Status which also has a ''Status'' of its own. But here we are talking about the ''King''. This Hotel which is close to Churchgate Station is one where I wouldn't mind going to any no. of times - untiringly. Personally, I prefer to go there for dinner than lunch. And this is one hotel where my husband and me don't have to really struggle to agree upon to go for Dinner on his Birthday.

First things first - FOOD

Wow! That is how you would react if you try some. They offer only Veg food - Chinese (or call it Indo-Chinese as satishkl - an ms member- prefers), Gujarati Thali (Un-limited) and Punjabi Dishes in the form of a la carte menu.

To be honest, I have never tried Chinese food here since I believe if you want to have good Chinese food go to china. I think you got my message

I am unfortunately not able to write much on their Punjabi Cuisine. For a change, only once I have tried Hot Aloo Parathas and Kashmiri Pulao. These Parathas are hot in real sense. Hot (pungent & spicy) Parathas are served Tawa Hot and also is one of the Hot (favourite) dishes. They are simply irresistible and for once you would pray - Oh God - please increase my appetite! I am not very fond of Pulao or Biryani (due to bad experiences in some hotels - mouthshut was not existing at that time!). I loved the Hot Kashmiri Pulao that they served with Kachumber Raita and Roasted papad.

Now comes the ''Samrat'' - Gujarati Thali and that is how you would end up feeling after having their Thali - like a ''Samrat'' (King) Oh Good God - the no. of items they offer are too many to remember - I have tried to mention all of them - in case I have missed out on any please mail me.

Their Gujarati Thali is authentic and a total feast. I am, for one, not very fond of Gujarati food (no offences meant!) since I prefer Hot & Spicy food. But this Thali is one that I swear by and my husband is surprised everytime I sing praises of Samrat - for the past six years (he still doesn't believe that I actually like it!! - he simply loves Guajarti food)

Ok Ok.. let's continue - so I was talking about the food.

Soon after you place your order for Thali, you are served this huge glass full of chilled Jaljira - an appetiser that helps in digestion of food. Well, I think you cannot afford to miss this after all that overeating happens and that too within half-an hour! It is served with a few boondis & coriander leaves in it. This is something that I prefer to have along with the food (else I would already have stomach full before eating anything)

Then you are served those Gujarat special Dhoklas, Kachoris in the shape of small Samosas, fried Gawar, Hara-Bhara Kababs, etc. Oh I forgot - the no. of chutneys and pickles that they provide are innumerable and lip-smacking

Then comes the main course - You have choice of puris or phulkas but I usually prefer phulkas - served hot with a spoonful of Ghee spread over it. Other varieties of Roti served are the Bajare ki Roti, Methi Roti(call it paratha or thepla if you wish), and a sweet Roti that is quite similar to the Maharshtrian Puran Poli but is on the thicker side. I am not sure if Gujaratis make puran polis in this fashion (Can any one of you there on MS tell me??) Second servings for all these items are allowed. Phulkas are served faster than your eating speed and you lose count of the no. of phulkas that you have. Three varieties of vegetables are served. Two with gravy and One is dry sabzi. Somehow, I have always missed this Gujarati special ''Undhio''. I am not even sure if it is a part of their Thali. Never bothered to check it out. But well, well, with the no. of items that they offer, you really do not miss it much. In addition to above One Dal, one Kadhi (curry made out of Buttermilk)and one Kathol ( I hope I have written it correctly) - one variety of pulse cooked with lots of tomato pieces and gravy. The main course ends with Rice. Again a choice here. Pulao, Khichdi or Plain Rice.

Dessert (Indianised version) - Usually three sweet dishes are served - most of the times it has been Shrikhand and Gulab Jamun. Third is the one that they served with the main course (Puran Poli)

Last but not the least - A Big Glass of Chaas (Buttermilk) - refreshingly yummy!! I actually feel like asking them to parcel it for me since my stomach is full. It is really refreshing - especially in summer. I don't think I need to mention anything more!!

Now about the Service. I think I have already said it in one sentence in my FOOD section. It is pretty fast and that's all I can say. In fact sometimes you would want to tell the waiter to take it easy.

Ambience - Quite good except for the fact that it is sometimes extremely crowded and noisy. I haven't been there in weekdays and during lunchtime so I am unable to comment on that. But on Saturdays and Sundays it is incredibly crowded at dinnertime especially after 9.00 p.m. The trick is that if you manage to enter the Hotel at around 8.45 p.m. you are assured a table unless there are already ''hajaar'' reservations. (Hey, I have told you my secret) You can reserve tables if you are going in a group to avoid disappopintment. Couples usually do not have a problem since a table for two is easily available. waiting period could be at the most 15 - 20 min. Yes, it is a good place to celebrate Birthdays and Family get -together. You would hear a whole group of people singing ''Happy Birthday to you'' Unknowingly u join them in their moments of happiness and u would unnecessarily feel special - though you are not a part of it. But you wouldn't really complain. Would you???

This is definitely a no - no for a couple looking for some quiet and peaceful dinner. But then on second thoughts - who cares!! - I want to enjoy some lovely food.

Now the most important part - Costs

The punjabi dishes are priced in the range of Rs.70 to Rs.90. Aloo Parathas (for aloo lovers) cost Rs.20 or 25 I don't remember. I never have to look at the Menu card - my choice is fixed - Gujarati Thali that costs Rs.150/- Added attraction is that you can pay by Credit Card

Bon appetite to one and all!!

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Ah well, if you r in the city in the afternoon, and you feel like having a nice Gujarati Thali, u have help at hand. Hotel Samrat, is the place for you. The thali here is scrumptuous and the service here is pretty quick. Only thing is that it is usually crowded, being in the vicinity of many offices. But then u r not here to complain abotu the crowds. While it is noisy at times, who cares. The food is great and thats what matters.

A nice place to take your family too.honestly speaking I havent tried the other fare so cannot comment on the same. For me Samrat means thali restaurant and thali is what I have whenever I get here

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I have been regularly visiting this restaurant and I really like the quality and taste of food, quick service. I would like to specially recommand the gujarathi thali of this restaurnat its a treat. Only one thing which I don't like about this place is at times it is too noisy on the first floor.

Mangesh

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