My Experience with Mr. India and Its Successor, Bollywood Tandoor

#NindotKaayo

I could remember back then when Mr. India opened in Gaisano Country Mall before it was closed down and replaced by Rusty's. Back then, I was quite wary of Indian restaurants because of my experience with a restaurant I'll not name but I felt I was five-sixed by it. I remembered learning to drive and going to Gaisano Country Mall to try Mr. India around in 2014. It was a nice, cozy place that served affordable Indian food.

The owner, Gulab "Soni" Vasnani was the one to try and challenge the stereotypes. I think one of the best strategies he did was to allow some customization in spicy levels. Some like it spicy and some like it mild. I did try to eat at Little India and had my food ordered mild. Indian food can be too spicy for some such as how the South Indian style restaurants carry theirs. My first picks were chicken curry, vegetable shawarma (which had tofu), Indian bread (especially their paratha), and some of their biryani. It was pretty much a good experience that I actually talked a lot about it. What amused me was that Bollywood Tandoor still had some unused plastics with the Mr. India print which they used for other takeout deliveries.

Eventually, the time came when Mr. India closed down. Bollywood Tandoor opened in 113 Governor M. Cuenco Avenue, Cebu City, was open. I think it was around 2016 that led to the closing of Mr. India. I always wondered why Mr. India closed down. I gave a call and realized it was closed. The person on the phone said, "Mr. India is closed--this is Bollywood." Then I went to Bollywood which was a rather fanciful place. That explained why prices were higher--the venue was bigger with more people serving more customers. I went to try a serving of goat curry, though my personal favorites were mostly vegetarian dishes. Okra masala, chole batture (chickpeas with bread), and mushroom masala became my favorites. I also tried their falooda, which is quite similar to the knickerbocker of Zamboanga. Falooda is apparently of Persian origi,n and India was occupied by the Persian Empire and later the Mughal Empire.

The environment during the evening can be fanciful or too noisy for my taste. Personally, I prefer to eat there during lunch break over the weekend evenings. The weekends have Indian dancing. I find the whole festive atmosphere on the weekends, not my type to eat dinner in. I usually enjoy the serenity of eating there during noon or a non-weekend evening as a personal preference. I ordered their food on Honest Bee (which isn't available anymore) via Grab and Food Panda even before the pandemic.

What I could say is that this place is ideal for those into North Indian cuisine. North Indian for me is just the right amount of spiciness in contrast to South Indian cuisine. I've also enjoyed South Indian cuisine. I still recommend this place for those wanting to try spicy Indian food--both meat and vegetable.

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