I really have to begin the food section with this one. Not because it offers the most amazing of food, but, because of it being a stone’s throw from our apartment, it has been a lifeline for me and my housemates (who, for perspective, are similarly-aged guy friends who sing better than they cook. And they don’t really sing much).
Coming back to Summer Park. It is not uncommon to find restaurants like this one in Mumbai. Located close to a residential area (this one being in Worli), good footfall, strictly vegetarian, Summer Park is a restaurant with an inclination towards South Indian cuisine, but one that has a fine assortment of north Indian preparations too. It has a separate menu for ‘Jain’ dishes as well, for the relevant populace.
The restaurant has very ordinary interiors- seating for, say, 20-25 people on the inside, a similar number on tables laid in the outside shed, and a sneaky, yet more ‘formal’ seating area upstairs where the room height makes you believe it was the original residence of the Hobbits. The menu for the segment upstairs is the same, with a surprise alcohol serving. Taking this seating, however, is not recommended, (1) because it takes more time for the food to be served with the kitchen situated downstairs, (2) the idea of eating at Summer Park is basically agreeing to a compromise on ambience for simple food, so trying to get formal seating beats the purpose, and lastly, (3) it can be a fatal exercise for claustrophobics.
It is advisable to settle for ‘mendhu vada’, fried ‘idli’ and more from the family if one is in for snacks. Some of the north Indian curries are good too- a trifle less oil and spice, and they would be as ‘home-like’ as restaurant food gets. Some of the pluses are the fresh fruit juices ranging from pomegranate to black grapes (one of my friends actually convinced them to make a customized spinach juice), a very filling chickoo shake and the availability of palatable tea till past 11 in the night. The very sensible ‘khichdi’ also deserves a mention. Also, the quantity in the dishes is more than value for money.
Summer Park is your no-nonsense go-to restaurant. The staff is friendly enough. Nobody really pesters you with too many choices, and sticks to what you order rather than confuse you with a zillion additions and variations. They also deliver within reasonable vicinity, and they open from 8 in the morning and close only past 11pm.
It might make sense to reiterate that with the not-so-spectacular seating, the location jutting out right into the road, this is not your impress-my-friends eating joint. One of the wall posters (pictured) pretty much sums up the purpose of the place!
Food: 6.5/10
Ambience: 3.5/10
Service: 7/10
Value for money: 7.5/10
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