Sukhwinder Singh's Bhangra number from Monsoon Wedding might inspire the name of this new restaurant. But it's quite misleading. Unfortunately for Kawa Kawa, the new Chinese food and hookah place, has little going for it anyway

Looks aren't everything. But in the case of Kawa Kawa, they pretty much tell the whole story and it ain't pretty.

It took us three calls and two U-turns to find the restaurant, housed in a dimly lit, hut-like structure in a shady lane at New Link Road in Oshiwara.
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Dry Veg Garlic

Once inside, our appetite sunk further south, greeted as we were by spirals of hookah smoke enveloping some teens and run-down couches lit up by spooky blue light. Ouch.

When asked if there was a smoke-free area, the management helped us climb a flight of stairs into an under-construction, dust-filled, attic-like space with more badly-maintained couches.

No thank you, we said, and made the precarious walk down to the blue-light room, hoping that the food would redeem what the ambience had completely destroyed.

It didn't. Things started off better than expected, with a plate of Crunchy Crispies (Rs 90) and schezwan sauce making for an addictive appetiser as we waited for our order of Chicken Schezwan Noodles (Rs 115), Dry Veg Garlic (Rs 90), Veg Garlic Rice (Rs 80), Veg Paneer Chilly (Rs 90) and Veg Tomyum Soup (Rs 55).

Some insistence from the management, and we settled on a Double Apple Hookah (Rs 250).

But it was only downhill from there.

After much waiter-prodding, the order finally materialised a good half an hour later, and with the exception of the Chicken Schezwan Noodles, everything on offer had way too much salt and too little other flavour for us to want more than a couple of bites.

Water, please. The noodles were fairly decent, with some egg thrown in for good measure, and came in generous quantities, as did everything else.
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The hookah was regular fare, nothing to write home about. But then, neither is the restaurant.

AT: Kawa Kawa, The Sheesha Lounge, 891, Adarsh Nagar, near Lotus Petrol Pump, opposite Oswal Hall, New Link Road, Oshiwara, Andheri (W).
Call: 9820283700 /u00a0 64466437
Kawa Kawa didn't know we were there. THE GUIDE reviews anonymously and pays for meals.

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