Restaurant Review: M & M.

Powai's Mirchi and Mime

The Good Lord be praised. This place pampers the palate with remarkable Indian cuisine which takes care of the wallet  with moderately prices and warms the heart with hearing-speech impaired staff. I just got an off today from my office and popped into Powai's Mirchi & Mime and left from there singing “SO AMAZING”!

Mirchi and Mime is a local restaurant located in Powai, Mumbai.. Its staff chiefly consists of people with hearing and speech disability. Most of the activities are undertaken by the staff who communicate with the customers through sign language, images of whose variations accompany every item in the food menu. 

Mirchi and Mime was founded by Henley School of Business graduates, Prashant Issar and Anuj Shah. Drawing inspiration from "Signs", a Toronto-based bistro which functions on a concept of hiring differently-abled people, Issar and Shah set up the restaurant in March 2015.

Mirchi and Mime only employs people who are hearing- and speech-impaired. Diners are requested to place their orders by mimicking hand-gestures associated with a particular food item. Items in the food menu are accompanied with photos of these hand gestures.The food menu matrix, which lists all food items in a single page along with the images, was designed by India's National Institute of Design. The staff were trained by Dr. Reddy's Foundation. 

The Decor:

Mainly the interior of the restaurant is very eye-catching. Kinds of spoons and vessels are hung up on walls or been framed. The ambience complimented the interior very well. A daylight themed ceilings and wall make can make any customer feel pleasant. Although on weekends the restaurant is full and pre-bookings are suggested. Other than that the Decor is a plus point for the place.

Service:

Sure! The hearing and speech handicapped staff has not only been recruited through the help of special schools also been trained for 8 weeks but what shines through are the essential qualities of good service, eagerness to please, focus and their kind attention. It’s all explained at the start of the meal and you communicate with servers in sign language which makes you feel good in your own way.

 



Now comes the best part of the blog...

Food: 

Mirchi & Mime bills itself as a fine-dining restaurant, but their friendly pricing belies this tag. Barring the New Zealand lamb chops priced at Rs925, and the jumbo prawns tagged at Rs875, nothing on the menu crosses Rs700, not even the lobster, of which there is a lot. What’s more remarkable, however, is that they have dared to include uncommon meats like guinea fowl and quail, and vegetables like raw jackfruit, parwal and shakarkand that are less utilised by restaurants. The food is progressive not by way of it's presentation that have become the hallmark of modern Indian restaurants, but more by way of unique flavour combinations.

The Must Try -  Duck Seekh (Rs315); Raw mango and prawn curry (Rs375); and Nutella and Toffee Tart (Rs185).

The 'Can Skip" - Assorted tawa platter (Rs185); and sitaphal panna cotta (Rs185).

 The Menu is filled with antique meals and flavours. The most ordered dishes from their menu is the kinds of seekhs they have - yellow mirchi tikka, stuffed kulcha, Nutella tart with vanilla ice cream, chicken tikka biryani, malai paneer seekh, all accompanied with beers or their mocktails.

 

This new Powai restaurant has its share of flaws, but it is nonetheless the most inspiring kind of restaurant story. It’s not a readymade brand imported from another city, no big-statement decor, but examines  great food at moderate prices (Rs 1,800 meal for two).

It’s not about gimmicks but good food. I love that. The speech-hearing impaired waiter’s shirt announces “Sign language is my superpower, what’s yours?” So, it’s not about do-good or pity it’s about empowering. I love that too!