16 December,2015 08:00 AM IST | | Dhara Vora
A visit to The Pump Room Beer Factory, Andheri's newest micro brewery didn't excite us as much as the news did
The Hefty Hog burger is worth an order
Beer : Lacklustre
Service: Quick
Ambiance: Industrial
The news about the opening of The Pump Room Beer Factory had us in good spirits. The mood was upbeat, as we stepped into the spacious Andheri bar where a DJ was spinning lounge mixes of popular tracks. The beer vats dominated the interiors of the bar.
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The Hefty Hog burger is worth an order
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But things went downhill as soon as the tasting session began. On offer are stout, wheat beer, English ale and red ale. The body of all the beers was the same; even the stout had the same weight in the palate. The wheat beer tasted like regular lager only the English Ale had us nodding. We ordered a glass (Rs 190 for 330 ml, plus taxes, according to the bill it's called Empire Strikes Back) and called for a peach flavoured beer (Rs 350) to fulfil our beer craving.
The Four beers served in cutting glasses for tasting
The Pump Room offers some interesting cocktails but we decided to skip them and call for grub instead. There are very few options for vegetarians, and the menu is a curious mix of dishes (Lamb Chop Naga, Chicken Fajita). For beer nibbles, we ordered Nachos Tex Mex (Rs 315), an average Joe preparation that could do with more cheese in its sauce.
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Not in the mood to try an equally average sounding tomato basil pasta, we called for the Ultimate Veggie Burger (Rs 350) and Hefty Hog Burger (Rs 500). The portions are large enough to feed two, which sadly worked against the vegetarian burger. It needed more sauce to compensate for its size and was too dry to finish. The Hefty Hog Burger was a hit, thankfully, with a filling of smoky roasted pork and bacon.
With craft beer as its USP, The Pump Room needs to up its game to gain leverage in a cutthroat market.