Faham is incredibly ho-hum!

Andheri's newest Sheesha joint does not live up to the foodie's expectations, and leaves a lot to be desired

A host of "Sheesha" joints have been springing up all over the city, these days. It's a cheap, vibrant and young hangout option that moves away from the casual coffee shop-like ambience, allowing the young and not-so-young to smoke it up and munch it down in style. Faham Sheesha Lounge, at Andheri, is the latest entrant to stake claim to the space in the hookah hallelujah series. Sadly, it goes up in smoke.


Two levels greet you at Faham Sheesha Lounge as you enter the place.
Pics/ Anuja Gupta

Two levels greet you at Faham Sheesha Lounge. The upper deck, extremely smoky and off-putting with cramped interiors is for hookah lovers while the lower one, comparatively better, presents itself as a fine dining experience. The biggest twist is that the place serves only Chinese food -- an odd combination with the hookah fare.

To begin, the Chilly Chicken (Rs 125) had a tad too much ajinamoto in it. The pieces while soft, didn't have the flavour soaked within -- a flaw that didn't lie in the cooking procedure, but in the marinating technique. To put it mildly, it was very "Indian Chinese".u00a0

Seeing Teriyaki Chicken (Rs 125) on the menu was an exciting change. I hoped that it would come close to what I've tasted in Japanese restaurants. Sadly, this recipe wasn't perfect that mix between the sweet and salty with the twist of ginger -- the key element of Terikayi. However, there was some grated ginger mixed marinade served in a sauce form that made it an interesting experience.

The Tom Yum Soup (Rs 80) is one of Thailand's most popular soups and has many health benefits, due its potent combination of herbs and spices. The Tom Yum here, delighted with both richness and flavour (again with a slight Indian taste to it) while still keeping the soup super healthful. The Triple Fried Rice (Rs 150) was drizzled with sesame oil and had a healthy dose of egg in it. This made it a slightly rich and oily rice that may not appeal to everyone.u00a0

The Roasted Chilly Chicken (Rs 125) was the weakest item on the menu. It was harsh, full of mughlai masalas, and killed the palette with a lingering harsh spicy flavour. Some pieces were coarse and a tad leathery. The saving grace, was the vegetarian Sesame Toast Potato (Rs 130) that mixed butter white bread slices, spread with mashed potato mixture and sprinkled sesame seeds on top. It was toasted to the perfect crisp on both sides and was very tasty.

Egged by our vegetarian success, we tried the Golden Fried Baby Corn (Rs 130). It was a disaster deep fried in batter. For our sweet tooth, we were offered an unusual combination of Honey Noodles (Rs 99) with Strawberry Ice-Cream as opposed to the regular vanilla. Despite being the only dessert they served, the noodles weren't crisp or crunchy and lay limp buried under honey.

AT: Ramesh Nagar, opposite Mahada Telephone Exchange, RTO Lane, Lokhandwala Road, Lokhandwala, Andheri (W), Mumbai;
Call: 9892501764, 9833470650

Faham Sheesha Lounge didn't know we were there. The Guide reviews anonymously and pays for its meals.