Temple Flower is quickly becoming my new go-to place for some great food and drinks. The vibe is quite different from the regular ol’ BSE and Social crowd, and the place is situated strategically between Alfredo’s in Juhu and a church. Quite symbolic if you ask me.
This is like a mini-vacation to paradise after stepping out of Juhu beach. We ordered food and cocktails, and were visited by the owner’s son who promptly showed us the march past routine that he had been practicing for months. So random!
“Left, left, left right left. You know my papa owns this place? You want to meet him?”. We politely said “next time”. In retrospect, we should have met his dad to congratulate him on an awesome resto-bar and an awesome kid. The kid eventually entertained us for 20 more minutes.
We ordered some Balinese Veg soup (INR 165 and the best soup in Mumbai, in my opinion), some starters – Indonesian Satay (INR 260), some beers (INR 175 for a pint) and a really interesting cocktail called Bailey’s Banana Cocktail (INR 400). The Banana felt like the best thing that could make Baileys healthier.
The weather was fine, the atmosphere was chilled out, the crowd was so good and the staff was friendly. Even their menu looks like it’s from a shack in Goa. What more could you ask for?
It’s got a shady-vibe at first, and you really don’t expect this place to have anything fusion, or Indonesian about it. But, there is a solid demand for this type of cuisine and it shows. One may want to play it safe and stick to the regular meals at this place, but I implore you to try out their Indonesian cuisine – they’re too good.
This is definitely a place to come when you want to talk to your friends over some meals and deals, and then go over to another joint to get smashed out of your minds. That’s what Mr Baozi’s strategy is with BSE as well; however the thing that really differentiates Temple Flower from the rest is its ability to bring great South-East Asian taste into everyday meals, with some really innovative cocktails.
When was the last time you felt like going away from the “hip” and the “new” places that you always seem to frequent? Got friends in Juhu? Ask em’ to take you to Temple Flower. Great job Mr Singh!
To round it all out:
Cuisine: Indonesian – surprise surprise
Food you must try: Veg Balinese Soup, Veg Wonton, Spring Rolls and Tofu in Dragon Sauce
Cocktails you must try: Baileys Banana cocktail
Is there a dance floor? (Y/N) – No
Avg price per head: Around INR 1000 with a drink
