Gone Fishin'

I’ve always made my intentions 100% clear when it comes to matters of gastronomical kind. If you know me, you know that I’d pursue good food to the ends of the earth. Which is why, I found myself uncharacteristically abandoning a Sunday dinner at home and heading down to Versova last weekend for the annual Seafood Festival.

I’d heard mixed reviews about the festival from various sources, but the universal consensus was that for any seafood lovers, this was a must visit. Making our way through the crowded little bylanes of Versova gaon, walking past tiny, colourful bungalows, absorbing the strong smell of the coast and the lively chatter from the tightly knit community which was out in full force…we barely felt like we were in Bombay any more! Very evocative of the road trips I’d been on with my family down the Malvan coast, where we had passed though innumerable tiny little fishing villages and coastal towns before finally choosing one to camp out in for the night.

We arrived at the venue and were instantly stunned by the hordes of people who’d apparently had the same idea as us! Foreigners and locals mingled in what seemed to be a large open air carnival, food stalls scattered at the edges and tables and chairs neatly organized into little clusters. Music blared from a large stage at one end of the venue, with a troupe of Koli dancers putting on a lively show for the large crowd that had assembled. The air was rank with the aroma (yes, it’s an aroma for the lovers of seafood) of frying fish, and happy faces milled all around us.

The Versova Seafood Festival 2013

We didn’t know where to start. Making our way past a counter that was selling fresh sol kadi, we decided to find ourselves a table and waste no further time in getting started. Rather intelligently, it was a service system rather than self service at the counter, so a lot of chaos and shoving was avoided, though it slightly increased the waiting time. We didn’t mind though. Our server, a pretty, young Koli woman, dressed in her traditional garb, recommended that we start with a tandoori pomfret and some masala tiger prawns. We added a plate of batter fried bombil to our order and waited, in eager anticipation.

Tandoori Pomfret

The tandoori pomfret was served first, slathered in fiery tandoori masala and garnished with a handful of chopped onions. A few drops of lemon juice added a delicious tang to the spicy, fresh meat. Crunchy, fried bombil followed, which were so fresh you’d think they were just pulled out of the ocean and cooked for us. We must have burnt our tongues raw in our eagerness to get at the hot fillets.

Batter fried bombil

The masala prawns were for the more stalwart, as they had not been de-shelled. The faint, sweet flavor of imli complemented the masala and onion stuffing that the prawns had been cooked with. Deciding to give my belly a break, I started to walk around to explore this place a little more.

The Seafood Festival, I heard was organized by the Koli community to not only promote authentic Koli cuisine at reasonable prices, but also to bring the community together. In this atmosphere of camaraderie and celebration, I’d say their objectives seemed to have been achieved. The young men jostled their way through the crowds, serving up plates of hot fresh fish to every table. The chefs behind the counters, the elder members of the community shared jokes between frying up pans full of fish, or stoking flaming hot tandoors on which plump red lobsters lay. The women had clearly decked up for the occasion, more than a touch of makeup in evidence, well accessorized, and dressed in vibrant hues.

Getting back to the table, we decided to go for round two. We ordered tisriya (clams) and a huge fillet of fried surmai. The spices that had been rubbed into the surmai added a nice crunch to the skin of the fish. The bite sized tisriya were so good that we ordered another two helpings before we were done. One prawn Frankie later, we were stuffed to the gills (if you’ll pardon the pun!).

Considering what we could have paid in a hotel for the amount we ate, the total bill of around 1000 per head turned out to be pretty satisfying. It was actually the pomfret that had upped the bill amount, but at this point, no one was complaining. One cold sweet paan later, and everyone was ready to hit the sack.

The Versova Seafood Festival ultimately exceeded my expectations. The freshness of the fish, fine quality of preparations and general bonhomie did it for me. For the sticklers – the entire setup seemed pretty hygienic, and there were a fair number of foreigners who seemed to be enjoying themselves as well. For those who like a little extra kick with their fish, alcohol was served at reasonable prices, and you could actually bring your own along. A well worthy way to spend an evening, one wish I now wish would happen more than once a year. I’m hooked!

Cafe by Night

I didn't realize that Oba had died such a premature death, but the minute I walked into this charming little place, I didn't feel quite so sad. We walked in early on a Friday evening (well, early by Friday standards anyway), and it was a little empty, but the cheerful citrussy walls and clean white tableware gave this low ceiling-ed café a nice little air of charm.

We had booked our meal through a pretty cool new website - GourmetItUp.com, which offers fine dining experiences similar to what you'd see during Restaurant Week - a fixed menu at a particular price, at various upper crust restaurants around the city. Having already seen the menu on the site,  I was pretty much starving for what sounded like an incredible meal to come.

5 All Day, Hotel Apollo, Colaba

We chose an intimate table in the corner of the restaurant, and were handed our menus by our smiling server. As part of a special prix-fixé menu, we were entitled to one beverage, soup and salad or two appetizers, a main course, and dessert. Not a bad deal. Our beverages were soon brought to us – a Fizzy Orange, and a Water of Life (pretty intriguing name).

Both were pretty nice – the Fizzy Orange was really just like a fresher version of Mirinda, but the mint added a nice touch. Water of Life a.k.a. limbu pani was refreshing, nothing to rave about.

Two thumbs up for presentation here. The starters were served to us decent portions in thick white platters, with artistic smatterings of sauces and sprinkles of spices (see the alliteration there?).  I had ordered the Ajwain encrusted basa and a crostini topped with caramelized pears and goat cheese. Both were absolutely delicious – the lightly flavoured basa, cooked to perfection, and the delicious combination of flavours of the crostini making for a gastronomical masterpiece!

Goat Cheese and Pear Crostini, Ajwain Basa

My companion’s appetizers were decidedly less fabulous. The Cajun chicken was pretty much a chicken tikka, served with a side of fresh mint and yoghurt. The meat frittata too, failed to break the delicious mark – I had expected some innovation, but it turned out to be a good old omelette. A letdown, after the first round of appetizers.

Cajun Chicken and Meat Frittata

 

As a palate cleanser, we were served two wafer thin pitas topped with a dollop of hummus.

For my entrée, I had ordered herbed shrimp and salmon penne, and Mihir went with the chicken stroganoff. Portions were generous, especially with the shrimp and salmon which a lot of places scrimp on. The pasta was creamy and delicious, just the right amount served to fill you without over stuffing you. The chicken stroganoff was strong, well flavoured, and perfectly complemented by the lightly seasoned bed of rice it was served with.

Chicken Stroganoff

Seafood Penne

I must put in a special mention here for the staff, who were among the most attentive yet non-intrusive that I have hitherto dealt with. Our server was conscientious and prompt – even brought me a hot brandy and pepper when he saw I was suffering from a bout of the sniffles, not free of cost, but it’s the thought that counts.

By the time dessert came we were stuffed. The blueberry cheesecake was prettily presented, and the crème brûlée looked great. Both were well made – neither was oversweet. The cheesecake was a little too creamy, not as “full bodied” (?) as I would have liked. The crème brûlée was just perfect, with a gorgeous caramelized layer on top, and rich creamy goodness underneath.

Blueberry Cheesecake

After a perfect meal, it was time to dish out the moolah. We were a little taken aback by the taxes – but it all managed to work out (damn it). Overall – we paid around 2.5 grand for the entire meal, including alcohol. I suppose it’s not a bad deal at all – considering the excellent service, nice ambience and good quality of the food.

Creme Brulee

Though I don’t think it was particularly outstanding, I may find myself back here to try some more of their menu offerings, which sounded interesting. Welcome to Colaba, 5 All Day, hope you’re here to stay a while.

Restaurant Week Recon - Hakka-Sad :(

I have been waiting to try Hakkasan ever since it opened, and finally got my chance to do so this Restaurant Week, without blowing a hole in my pocket. I was super excited to try a sampling of their menu offerings, and starved myself all day in eager anticipation.

The ambience of Hakkasan can be summed up in one word – it was very BLUE. I was honestly a little jarred by the electric blue lighting, which in an attempt to be trendy, felt a bit like a (very expensive) fishtank. The lounge-y music didn't do much for the dinner experience either, it was too loud and thumping. I’ll grant that service was very professional and just what you’d expect from a schmancy place like this.

Electric blue Hakkasan

Before coming here, I’d read what the menu was going to be and must confess that I was more than slightly disappointed with their selection. Sure, I’m a huge fan of dim sums and fried rice, but I expected a little something more creative from here. Anyway, we decided to give it a go.

The hot and sour vegetable soup I started with was very tasty. A little on the gelatinous side, but felt good on the throat. The sweet corn chicken soup however, tasted just a little tooooo sweet. They'd overdone the corn bit, so it was more like corn soup. It was decent, but nothing special.

Vegetarian Hot and Sour Soup, Sweet Corn Chicken Soup

Our starters consisted of chicken shu mai, chicken xiao xing, and crystal dumplings. Each was served with a cute little bowl of very delicious red chilli oil. The shu mai was good, but no different from what you'd get at Royal China or anywhere else. The caviar it was topped with was overpowered by the taste of the chicken.

Chicken Shu Mai with Chilli Oil

The aptly named almost transparent crystal dumplings were exquisitely prepared. It made for a good light bite, and went well with the chilli oil.

Crystal Dumplings

The xiao xing was the clear winner - crispy on the outside, tender and mildly flavoured on the inside, with a special brown sauce that brought out the flavour very well. This dish was clearly the highlight of the meal for me.

Xiao Xing Chicke

I was frankly disappointed with the main course. Egg fried rice and hakka noodles? It’s hard to innovate with something so standard. Anyway, the fried rice was whatever - I mean, how different can it possibly be? They had used a lot of egg yolk in it, which made it a little yellower, but otherwise, it was no different from anywhere. And the hakka noodles were pretty "meh" too. In fact, I thought it was a little too dry.

    

The San Pei claypot chicken was very well flavoured, however, very tasty, in a sweet soya like sauce and lots of red chilli.

San Pei chicken clay pot

The steamed snapper was delicious, too and had a very interesting sauce- spicy yet not mouth burning, very flavourful. A good one, though we had to fight a little for a slightly larger portion!

Red snapper in Assam sauce

Dessert was excellent. The strawberry and dark chocolate sorbets were fantastic, but the peanut butter one was delicious too. Their white chocolate mousse is a must try- airy and not oversweet.

White chocolate mousse

I'm going to go out on a limb here say my experience here was lukewarm. While the food was good, it was definitely not excellent. I wonder if their specialty menu is any better – I sincerely hope so, because I do want to give them a second chance. Service was very good and polite, but unfortunately a smiling waiter doth not a Michelin Star experience make.

Restaurant Week Recon - Oriental Twist

Having been to Koh once before in my life, I knew that this would be a prime opportunity to get the same great experience I’d had here the last time- except maybe a bit cheaper!

The ambience is everything you’d expect from a classy hotel like the Intercon- purple funk – dim lighting, trendy music, a private dining section. Service was a little impersonal, but polite beyond reproach. It was also VERY efficient, like the most efficient I’ve seen in a long time!

Koh, at the Intercontinental Hotel

It was another 10 ‘o’ clock seating, so we were justifiably starving. The menu was exciting and had a lot of variety. We began with an amuse bouche (French – Amuse the Mouth) – a spinach leaf “dumpling” stuffed with assorted steamed vegetables and soaking in a light soya sauce. It was steaming hot and very delicious. Our “bouches” were indeed amused.

What accompanied the dumpling, however, was infinitely more interesting. Served in a tiny little cup, a hot steaming tom kha soup, which had been exquisitely flavoured with corn and the mild taste of coconut. It was absolutely delicious, and a very nice, light start to the meal. A good combination, the soup and the dumpling.

Spinach dumpling and coconut and corn tom kha

 We were pleasantly surprised when our server told us, while ordering our main course, that we did not have to choose from their non vegetarian and vegetarian choices– each individual dish on those lists was in fact part of an entire meal that included about four “sub dishes”. We were very happy to order one veg, one non-veg, and one laksa meal.

Each course was served to us almost immediately, which I was very thankful for. Both the vegetarian and non vegetarian meals offered raw papaya salad, green curry and jasmine rice. The difference was the non vegetarian meal had as its showstopper a poached fillet of sea perch soaked in lime and chilli oil, whereas the vegetarian meal had the the rather ordinary spicy stir fried vegetables.

Green curry with chicken

The rice was artfully packed into a leaf, served with a generous portion of the green curry. The sour-sweet raw papaya salad was fresh and delicious, and went well with the smooth, mild flavoured curry. The genius of the menu planning was evident – all the flavours brought out the best in each other and were delicate, rather than overpowering, which I find to be the case with a lot of Pan Asian places.

Jasmine rice and raw papaya salad

Even the laksa - which I'll be honest here, was more like kaukswe- was delicious! Not overly peanut-ty, served with a variety of condiments, and a large bowl full. Very tasty.

Chicken Laksa with condiments

The sea perch was fantastic- I think some might have complained that it was a little too sour, but I love the taste of lemon, and relished every bite. The portions were just about perfect – we managed to polish everything off without feeling hungry, but yet with enough place left for dessert!

Sea perch with lemon and chilli oil

And oh, what a dessert it was. Fruitoffee, a non conventional take on banoffee pie – which was much like a sundae, except warm. The bottom of the glass was a mixture of condensed milk and extremely salty peanut and caramel crunch. Topped off with a dollop of whipped cream and assorted fruits – this was a heavenly end to the meal, and different from the usual sorbet – ice cream, chocolate cake situation. Absolutely fabulous!

Fruinoffee sundae

Koh definitely topped my charts this restaurant week. I hope they offer us brand new awesomeness the next time round, but even if they don’t they’ve definitely got one reservation in me!

Restaurant Week Recon - A Tale of Three Kebabs

When I read the menu of Kebabs and Curries, and found out that we were being served just that - kebabs and curries, I was a little apprehensive. I've always been a little wary of "luxe" Indian restaurants, especially because it's so easy to find delicious Indian food on the streets of Bombay! But nothing ventured, nothing gained - we decided to add Kebabs and Curries to our Restaurant Week repertoire, and today, I can safely say that it was one of the best decisions ever made!

The ITC is so swanky and stylish that you almost forget the hell of Parel that you have to drive through to get there. Starting from the doorman to the maitre d'hotel - superlative service is ingrained in the core culture of this hotel, and it certainly shows. We were ushered to our table, in an earthen walled, understated dining area, with muted gold lighting. Our server wasted no time in handing us our menus, and we ordered equally quickly. Waiting till 10 for dinner is no joke.

Kebabs and Curries, ITC Grand Central

While we were awaiting our platters, we kept ourselves occupied with papad, kanda - limboo, achaar and chutney - the eternal saviours of famished Indians everywhere. They had served us an interesting spicy garlic pickle that was addictive. I didn't want to make the same mistake I'd made at Botticino and fill up on condiments, though, so I took it slow.

Our food took a really long time to arrive, but when it did, we were so hungry that we didn't leave our mouths unoccupied for even a minute to complain. Each platter consisted of three varieties of kebab, a roti/naan of your choice, their signature dish, kaali dal, raita, and a curry. The non vegetarian curry was chicken, but upon our request, they very obligingly changed it to mutton. Carnivores everywhere, rejoice!

With the amount of permutations and combinations of kebabs being ordered, we got to taste pretty much everything. My personal favourites were the divinely tender and tasty Murg Angaara, and Tala Gosht. The Barrah kebab was satisfyingly charred, a little too thick on the palate to enjoy the succulent taste of the mutton though. The aloo could have been given a miss- it was too dry, but the Machchli Tikka and Murgh Malai more than made up for it.

Murgh Angaari, Barrah Kebab, Murgh Malai Tikka

Though we were served only one type of each kebab, each piece was decently proportioned, and with the naan and lachcha parathas that accompanied them, the plates were decently filling. However, our meal did not end here. The crowning glory of the entire meal was their kaali dal, which was exquisitely flavoured, hot and tasty - total soul food that could make you go "aah" in a second. It was delicious, good enough to eat plain, and combined with the cold, fresh dahi that it was served with - it was absolute heaven.

The mutton curry they served along with this was also worth a mention. Gorgeously tender, with a hint of sweetness, the curry tasted like a little spicier version of sali boti (another one of my eternal favourites), and went deliciously with the rest. It really was an utterly satisfying meal.

Kaali Dal, Dahi, Mutton Curry

There were only two things I could have complained about in this entire meal. One, the fact that it took a little too long to arrive. The second, that no decent Indian meal ends with a "fruit platter" - our dessert after such a fine meal was woefully disappointing. Hey ITC - we WANT our capillaries clogged, can you please oblige us with a gulab jamun platter next time? Finally replete, we were given the fanciest finger bowls EVER to wash our hands in. Ever tried washing your hands in green tea? Five star experiences, I tell you.

Fancy fingerbowl

Failure at dessert :(

Service - excellent. Food- excellent. I think that this was one of the best Restaurant Week outings I've had so far. I would highly recommend a trip down to the ITC either this time, or the next, to enjoy a true soul satisfying foodie experience!