Enchiladas on a Monday

Chilli Flakes, the new takeaway joint at Dadar's Parsi Colony, serves exotic Focaccia and Enchiladas, with a slight desi twist; save on a Tuesday

The first thing you must remember about Chilli Flakes is that it is shut on Tuesdays; not on a Monday, like most commercial establishments in the area. So, when we dropped by the place the first time around, we wondered if it had already shut down. After all it was barely a few days since Chilli Flakes had set up shop in a garage-like space inside the compound of Palia Mansion in Five Gardens.


Shrimp Pasta

However, Areez Patel, the owner, explained the idea behind being closed on Tuesday -- "Thursday through Sunday are our busy days and on Monday most other shops in the area are shut. So, we decided to keep Chilli Flakes shut on Tuesday instead." Excuse us if that quote reminded you of Rebecca Black's Friday (of course, that wasn't the intention).

Chilli Flakes is essentially a new avatar of Tangy Tomato that operated out of the same place. The menu too looks pretty much the same except the prices of dishes have increased a bit. There are soups, salads, sandwiches, pizzas, burritos, enchiladas, and quesadillas to choose from. They also have some interesting coolers and smoothies in Kiwi, Lychee and the ever-popular Fresh Lime flavours. Unfortunately for us, the evening we stopped by, Patel had to attend to a personal emergency and the counter was handled by his cook Subodh, who wasn't much help recommending their specialties.

We opted for a portion of Chicken Wings (Rs 120), Bean Cheese Red Enchilada (Rs 160), Bread Salad (Rs 140), Shrimp Pasta (Rs 230) and a Litchi Yoghurt Smoothie (Rs 60) to soothe our rumbling tummies till the kitchen worked on the rest of the order.

The Chicken Wings were essentially chicken lollipops saut ufffded in a tangy masala -- not quite what we expected. The Bread Salad was fresh and crunchy, with the right amount of pesto sauce; still, it tasted bland. The pasta and the shrimp seemed to have been cooked separately and didn't blend in.

Eventually, the Bean Cheese Red Enchilada and Litchi Yoghurt Smoothie saved the day for Chilli Flakes. The enchilada had the right kind of cheesy-gooey feel to it, with soft beans in red sauce. The smoothie was refreshing for a summer evening. Despite a 50-50 outcome, we are game to return for their specialty Focaccia
sandwiches.

Chilli flakes
Food: there's still hope
Service: prompt
At 622, Palia Mansion, Lady Jehangir Road, near Five Gardens, Dadar (E). Time 11 am to 11 pm (shut on Tuesdays) Call 9820420471

Chilli Flakes didn't know we were there. The Guide reviews anonymously and pays for meals.