The Peking Tom — Restaurant in Mumbai

I had been looking for a Friday night haunt, not too far from Borivli where in my opinion, there aren’t too many good restaurants that have taken my fancy. Peking Tom was the nearest to me in terms of proximity to my home in the northern suburbs of Mumbai. Located at Evershine Nagar, Malad, it is neighbour to Jughead’s, Fever, and a line of other restaurants.  A casual dining restaurant, with outdoor seating too on a cool day.

Why I opted for Peking Tom was because it seemed less busy than the neighbouring restaurants, and of course owing to its good reviews as well.

A Friday evening would be a better bet over Saturdays, if you are looking for less activity around the tables.

Even better, is to visit this place during its Happy Hours from 7pm to 8.30pm. I went in for a draught beer which gets you another on complimentary basis. I was tickled by the bell that rings to herald the near end of Happy Hours.  Sounded like I was in a Chinese temple! The bell which makes its rounds inside the restaurant and around the outside tables too is a good idea to serve as a reminder to place an order for the second/third round of drinks, if only to avail of the "one plus one free" benefit.

The restaurant has dim lights and an ambient Chinese ceiling in traditional green paint.  The décor is a wee bit noisy, in that the walls are adorned by red bordered dragon paintings, overhanging green and orange lanterns,  blue decorative  dishes, and porcelain elephant tusks in keeping with the Ch Feng Shui culture. The seating is spaced comfortably, with couple tables against a transparent walled glass.

Must admit that a hint of a whiff of cooking oils assuage the nostrils as you enter.  If you ignore that whiff, all’s well.

My starting starter was the ‘Hot XO prawns’ which is done in extra hot sauce.  A fiery dish which was a surefire hit with me. The dish was meant to be dry but came with a silken saucy finish.  That the prawns were not batter fried was a relief.  They were nice and plump, soft and juicy as fresh prawns ought to be. Try ordering for small prawns which are decently sized and more in number than its jumbo counterpart. A 9 out of 10!

A beer or two later, came the next order of BBQ Gullin Chicken.  The barbecued chicken in spice wasn’t  bad at all, but bore an Indian flavoured stamp all the way!

The flavour was a bit  too strong for my taste buds and I feel sure it would have done better justice on an Indian menu.  If you’re looking for Chinese fare alone, it would help to check with the waiter beforehand to avoid a surprise element.

The only form of bites served here are in the form of sweet and spicy kimchi.  The combination of ginger, garlic, soy, vinegar and olive oil was perfect. A somewhathealth conscious foodie, I quite prefer to go with green bites over nuts or wafers.

What followed in terms of mains was Japanese chicken fried rice.  It does seem different from  Chinese fried rice in flavour and a few ingredients but surely unlike authentic Japanese rice. Overall, good though.

To leave a Chinese restaurant without a  pork dish would be wicked, so it was a roast pork chilli with gravy.  The lean sliced pork was tender and succulent, enough to earn my rating of a 7 out of 10.

Both the mains would have sufficed for 4 pax or 3  hungry ones.

As the night grows older, the piped music grows louder.  I couldn’t fathom the genre of music which only says that it wasn’t one I’d care to remember.  It does get cacophonic at a point.

I was pleasantly surprised by an Oriental dessert prepared with date palm sugar, and coconut and served on a green leaf.  It resembled the Goan “dodol’ in consistency and taste. Enjoyed it to the core but I suspect it may not be up everyone’s alley as far as desserts go  My score for this sweet would be an 7 out of 10.

Valet parking is available but be sure you ask for it.

The bill comes sans service charges and oh how reasonably priced it is! ...

I visited this place on a Sunday noon for lunch. The place was closed due to pandemic but now they have opened it from November 2020. You can book a table on zomato and visit the place as they have 50% sitting available. Body temperature check and hand sanitization is done at the entrance. They have alloted alternate tables for customers and maintained all the safety measures. They don't have a physical menu card to avoid touche. They will give you a whatsapp QR code to scan and then from that number you will get a PDF file of their menu card. All the staff members use face masks, head masks and hand gloves to maintain safety and hygiene.

I already visited this place a couple of times so I knew the taste and quantity they provide. I ordered our usual Fried Crispy Chicken and Spicy Tangy Chicken for starters. It was yumm. The quality and quantity was same. We enjoyed our meal and left the place with satisfaction.

Note: Not all the restaurants follow same safety measures as they do. I am very happy...

Been visiting this restaurant since 9 yrs now. The staff has not changed. The smiling girl who stands outside to take down your name and seat you or take a reservation from you to the waiters who patiently take your orders, serve you with a smile to the managers who always make it a point to attend to their guests and see if they can go beyond their daily duties to make it a memorable experience for you. The food has not changed either which means its the same taste, gr8 quality. The menu has been the same for so many years but they do have a wide variety, so no complains. Their mock tails are yummm, try any dish and you will love it. Prices are not high as mainland china, chine gate but definitely on par or better in taste and good quantity. I've always returned smiling due to gr8 service, over full due to yummy food and a memorable experience with family or friends to be remembered. this is not...