The Chinese Next Door? - Magnolia, Baner

Maybe not for 24 years, and maybe not Alice, but I've spent quite some time living next door to Magnolia. Every time I saw her calm, removed facade, I yearned to get closer.

And finally, one magical Sunday, I did!

Okay, jokes aside, Magnolia is a surprisingly brilliant place. Surprising because it looks like a standard neighbourhood hotel that you go to for urgent food needs at the last minute. However, we were shocked by the hidden talents that Magnolia showed us!

At first, we thought it was a Chinese place (I mean, with a name like Magnolia, what else were we to think?) and we stuck to Chinese. While that blew our minds in itself, eventually, we discovered that they do more, and very well, at that.

Stand-out dishes? The bhakri-ki-tokri. I kid you not, we ate bhakris as they were because they were so delicious!

Apart from this, the Chinese and Thai food is phenomenal.

We had the Thai Red Curry and Noodle soup, the Thai Chicken and Vegetable soup, the Chicken Manchow soup (over a long period of time, of course) and they're all lovely! And the best part is that their quantity is amazing. Having become used to scanty portions, it was a good surprise to see the hearty bowls of soup.

The Thai Chicken Spring Rolls are amazing! The taste of all the essentially 'Thai' elements really sparkles. You have the fresh lemon-grass, the ginger and those wonderfully herby flavours of the cuisine.

We also had the Okra and Chicken dish, which was a great experience. Spiced to perfection, we became fans of the Okra (for the insane non-vegetarians that we are, this was a feat) before the chicken.

The noodles and rice selections also are up to the same standards. Everything is fresh, delicious and wonderfully presented to you.

As for service, I have not seen such an eager set of people before. They're the right mix of helpful and discreet. They notice things like empty water glasses before you have to call, and this is even when the place is full of people. They're very courteous over the phone as well, if you're calling for delivery.

And the best part of the whole thing is, even their delivery service is prompt and detailed. They send you mouth-fresheners in a little packet!

I have eaten and ordered from Magnolia multiple times and I have never been let down neither by their service, nor their food. I say great job, guys! Hands down, the best I have seen.

Points for value for money, taste and excellent service.