Hopping Chef is the newest food-based app to hit the city and it’s perfect for every one of you who doesn’t bring a lunch dabba to work. Available on iOS and Android platforms, Hopping Chef lets you choose the best of Asian foods and promises Michelin Star quality food at affordable prices.
Download the app and you get to choose from Indian, Italian, Chinese, Thai, Burmese, Japanese, Middle-Eastern and Indonesian cuisines; you can have the meal delivered in 45 minutes. Available in Mumbai only (from Nariman Point to Bandra Kurla Complex), you have the option of choosing from breakfast and lunch options, making it a perfect app for a working girl who is also a foodie.
Between the six of us, at work, we opted for four Hopping Chef meals which included two vegetarian options – Asian delight with Teriyaki noodles and Thailand Twist – and two non-vegetarian ones – Being Beijing with Teriyaki noodles and Hearty Italian.
The meals are delivered in air-sealed containers – you don’t need separate plates; it comes with cutlery – so having it right at your desk works perfectly well too. Another plus point is that the meal wasn’t too cold despite the 45-minute delivery time.
The Asian Delight came with Thai greens and Bean salad, and Kung Pao potatoes that were lightly fried and tossed in sweet and spicy sauce, both of which made for great appetizers. The grilled asparagus and cucumber served with Japanese rice were a tad bland but the tofu served in hot garlic sauce, when mixed, made for a perfect combination.
The vegetarian Thailand Twist came with Thai green curry, burnt garlic rice, Vietnamese cold rolls and Thai greens and Bean salad. The soothing green curry and burnt garlic rice somehow presented the perfect blend of flavours. Surprisingly, the highlight of the meal was the succulent grilled mushrooms. The salad was nothing to write home about, though the cold rolls were just the right amount of sweet and tangy.
Being Beijing came with Vietnamese Cold Rolls which were a bit too sweet for our liking. However the Yang Yean Friend Chicken tossed in chilli sauce and the sushi were just about perfect. The fourth meal, Hearty Italian came with a signature Caesar salad, which was a tad disappointing. The barbeque chicken balls and the crisp catalan croutes were just the right amount of tangy. The sundried tomato risotto topped with chicken and infused with pesto sauce makes for a great meal.
Overall we were quite satisfied with the service, and priced between Rs. 300 to Rs. 350 with desserts thrown in for Rs.100, the meals packed quite a value for money option too. While the food might not exactly live up to the Michelin Star fine dining quality, for a take-away meal we were quite satisfied. The meals also deserve a thumbs up for perfect packing for a take-away meal.
