Restaurant review - WTF! Versova, Mumbai. 'Where's The Food?'

Given my knack for writing random incidents/experiences coupled with my fixation for trying out new restaurants I had been coaxed into writing restaurant reviews on multiple occasions. But sadly never gave in as judging food is clearly not one of my greatest talents. Eating out is meant to be a fun experience and I could hardly ever be judgmental about it to put in a page or two describing food. But my visit to this particular eating joint left a bitter-sweet taste & since I’m still thinking about it 24 hrs later, I thought it deserved a note. So here goes…

Accompanied by friend, and bored of eating at our usual favs – crepe station & ivy, which we visit atleast twice a week, we set out to seek a new place for our Tuesday evening rendezvous. The agenda was simple – a quick drink & Italian food on the mind, but not wanting to travel from Andheri to Bandra, we hoped to find something in the vicinity. Remembered reading about WTF! Versova (thanks to @missmalini), we decided to check it out. Google search threw up good reviews, quick glance at the menu we could expect, & at around Rs. 800 for two it seemed a perfect choice.

We reached around 7:30pm & were in for a pleasant surprise. Place was around 50% full (capacity of around 30-35 (?!) pax outdoors) & an additional couple tables indoors, the place was buzzing with a laid-back feel. We were greeted immediately; staff was extremely cordial in showing us around & let us takes our time for checking & choosing where we wanted to sit. Considering the slight chill, we chose the al fresco option, although the look, complete with barrel for a table & a wooden chair wasn’t very welcoming. Within the next half hr, the place was nearly full. The service was very efficient, despite the packed house that they were attending to; every waiter was very prompt, cheerful, polite and were constantly on their toes serving with perfection.

The menus are very basic, drinks has your usual variety of cocktails, mocktails, & other beverages including wine varieties. The disappointment was the food menu which had no mains, just appetizers (10-12 varieties of veg & non-veg each) check MENU. Nevertheless, we ordered drinks and after much musing (since we were VERY hungry) opted for plate of WTF! Kebabs & a serving of chicken crostini. Again the waiter impressed by being helpful and attentive about the orders.

We were half-way through our drinks, when we were served the kebabs first, which was delicious, nicely cooked and passable portion for two. The ambience was great; music near perfect and almost everyone seemed to be having a good time. But sadly that was the last of it. The crostini’s were served next. Neither the presentation of the dish nor the quantity was remotely appealing. After taking the first bite we were confident that they mixed up the order as there wasn’t a tiny morsel of chicken in it. The staff agreed to check it up, but after a wait of a good 10 mins, they returned with the same plate & absolutely no explanations whatsoever. That was enough to put out any chances of a repeat order that evening and we left immediately. Having said that, upside is the place is fairly value for money, two drinks (cocktails+vodka) cost us around 300, food cost us another 350 (all inclusive).

So in conclusion… WTF! scores for its unpretentious setting, and going easy on the pocket. It’s a convenient option for those days when you’re looking to hang around with pals after work & hit a few drinks, but if you’re hoping for a hearty meal, you’re in for a HUGE disappointment. Not only are the eating options very limited, they aren’t exactly a gourmet’s delight. As for us, we are sure to be going back there, to grab a drink or two & maybe just French fries as safe accompaniments.

(all photo credits - WTF! fb page)