I noticed that no one had reviewed Kobes for a really long time (the last review was written in 07). Since I was there this weekend, I figured I should write about my dining experience. First off, Kobes has valet parking, which is very essential on the busy Hill Road where finding parking can be a nightmare. Kobes also takes reservations, which is necessary if you're going on a weekend. We initially considered going to Yokos at Santa Cruz, but they don't take reservations and they don't have valet parking. These two factors are what tipped us in Kobes favor, plus the fact that we wanted to meet at Bandra. Until Saturday, I didn't know there was a Yokos at Bandra too, also on Hill Road! Next time, I plan to try that out (if they take reservations and have valet parking).
Now about the food, Kobes is all about sizzlers and also has some continental food like burgers and sandwiches and soups. This time, I noticed they had expanded their menu to include some oriental food as well. But we chose to stick to what we believe they do best, sizzlers. And of course, we got lemon iced teas (they don't have other flavors) and Diet Pepsi to wash down all the food. I thought my iced tea was too sweet, but it was just perfect and sour (the way I like it) after I asked for and added lots of lemon juice to it. They have a range of other beverages like cold coffee, soft drinks, fresh lime, but no alcohol. I think they should seriously consider getting a liquor license and at least start serving wine coolers and beer, if not hard drinks. But so far Kobes is all about the food. So let's talk about that.
First for the veggies, a friend and I both got the Vegetable Sizzler with Garlic Sauce and Mushroom. My non-veggie friends got the Chicken Satellite Sizzler and the Sizzling Chicken with Garlic Sauce (I think), and we were all really happy with what we got, besides a few hiccups.
I should mention that all sizzlers come with a side of vegetables like carrots, peas, cauliflower, tomatoes, cabbage, which are steamed to perfection, and also potatoes, either in a mashed potatoes or a French fries avatar (word of the year, hated the movie though!). Strangely, we all chose to get the mashed potatoes, which were yummy. They weren't as smooth as the mashed potatoes in places like Pop Tates, but were delicious after we drowned them in some garlic sauce. Btw, if you ask for extra garlic sauce, they sweetly oblige with a whole bowl of it, steaming hot and just delicious. I love anything garlicky, so I always get extra garlic sauce. The only problem is that all the hunky vampires from the True Blood series and Twilight movies are going to stay away from me :)
Also, you can opt for either rice or noodles with your sizzler. We got noodles instead of rice with our sizzlers and, for the first time, that was a huge disappointment. Usually, the noodles are good, like the fat noodles you'd get at any chinese restaurant. This time the noodles were thin and wiry, like Maggi noodles. In fact, we suspect that's exactly what they were. I took a few bites and decided they were just yucky, so I worked around that and focused on all the yummy mashed potatoes and veggies... About the noodles, I hope they revert back to what they used to use earlier and this was just a one-off incident. But when I go next, I'll remember to check with them, or else I'll stick to the rice.
So anyway, moving on, what's a meal without dessert? Despite the guilt and full tummy, there's always room for dessert. When you're at a sizzler place, it just makes sense to get a sizzling brownie, even though Kobes has options like apple pie and ice cream and caramel custard. The sizzling brownie is delicious and warm. They'll even top it with chocolate ice cream instead of vanilla if you ask them sweetly :) Then it looks like a sinful and sizzling mountain of chocolaty goodness :) This weekend, however, we didn't have dessert at Kobes. We had some stuff to discuss so we moved to Mocha Mojo, which is diagonally across the street, for coffee and dessert (will review this amazingly yummy psychedelic place another day), and has better ambiance to have a relaxed conversation.
I have to say Kobes isn't the ideal place for having a conversation, they are all business and their business is food :) You'll be served really quickly, all four of us got our drinks within five minutes and sizzlers within 10 minutes of placing the order. The service is amazingly fast, the guys are very polite and efficient, but not overly friendly and don't constantly ask for feedback, like they do at some restaurants. The speed at which you are served makes up for all the time you'll take picking at your still unfinished sizzler after you've already eaten more than you can handle :) Also, the place is really clean. The cutlery is shiny and they have paper napkins, no linen, so there's no question of laundering it. The food didn't make me sick (and I have a sensitive stomach), so I'm guessing Kobes is hygeinic.
I've been to Kobes in Andheri East a few times since it's close to home and work. And from what I've noticed, the quality and taste (and huge size) is pretty consistent across outlets. The maggi-type noodles were a shock this time, usually they have decent noodles. The Vegetable Sizzler with Mushroom and Garlic Sauce and the Vegetable Sizzler with Spaghetti and Cheese are my two favorites. I can also tell you that their Paneer Shashlik is amazing if you like paneer... this Punjabi completely approves of the paneer at Kobes. It's so soft that it melts in your mouth and is seasoned just right. Other than that, the Vegetable Sizzler with Baked Beans is good too, if you like baked beans, and it's best with noodles (just not the weird maggi kind). That covers it for the veggies, but I wouldn't know about the non-veg, sorry, but I've been told it's even better than the veg!
A meal at Kobes including a sizzler, a drink, and the tip will come to about 500 per head, and also including dessert it'll be around 600. It can be pricey, but the quantity is so huge that it seems ok. And if you're not a germophobe like me, you should try to share. If you can finish an entire sizzler by yourself, you have an amazing appetite. Each time I get a sizzler, I try to finish it but never come close to success. I feel like that guy Adam from Man Vs. Food (on Discovery Travel and Living) who eats for sport, but in this case the food always wins :) I hate wasting food, but forcing it down my throat isn't the healthiest option, so I have no choice. But this wastage doesn't happen a lot because I tend to get a bit bored of sizzlers, so I end up at a sizzler place just a few times a year.
Also, the thought of a sizzler doesn't appeal in humid weather. The best time to go is when it's pouring outside or in winter... the sizzle of the hot food contrasts deliciously with the cold weather. I probably won't get sizzlers at least till the end of this year, when the people in Bombay are wearing sweaters and pretending it's winter (hehehe). Anyway, with the weather being the way it is in Bombay for the last few days, this is the ideal time for sizzlers if you're in my city :) So if you have a hankering for some sizzling hot food to get over the wet gray weather, head to Kobes!
