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 - The Italian Job

I was rather excited to be visiting what was a new place, and at the Trident, no less! Restaurant Week’s array of options seems decidedly Oriental this year – so it was nice to get a confirmation for an Italian ristorante.

I’ve almost always eaten only at wedding functions here so I was pleased to be eating in one of their restaurants finally. We were a little early, so we sat around in the lounge, basking in the gold and white ambience that is typical of Trident hotels, enjoying the soft jazz music and eagerly awaiting the meal.

Botticino, Trident Bandra Kurla Complex

Service, as was expected, was extremely polite and well knit. We weren’t waiting long before we were ushered to our table, served water and menus, and a bread basket, which was the bane of the meal! But more on that later. I’ve heard that Botticino is supposed to be fancy, and boy did it live up to its reputation! It’s so fancy that they have little monogrammed butter paper for the thin slivers of butter they serve. Beat that!

 

My appetizer was a chicken roulade on a lightly toasted bun, accompanied with (a) wine soaked fig. Yes, fig, singular. My companion opted for something a little healthier, the pear and pecorino (we had no idea what this was – turns out it’s cheese) salad with balsamic dressing. Beautifully presented, very artistic.

Chicken roulade with wine soaked fig and caramelized shallots

The pear and pecorino salad was pretty good. But it wasn’t EXCELLENT, as we’d expected. In my opinion, it was a little too dry, though the accompanying balsamic dressing made it a little more interesting. The pears should have been cut a little smaller, we were making a horrendous mess while trying to cut it. I’d give it a 6.5/10.

Pear and pecorino salad with balsamic 

The chicken roulade was not up to the mark. It was prettily packaged – four “stumps” of chicken rolled around a single asparagus stick each, balanced on a grilled bun, with an artistic smattering of sauce and the chopped up wine soaked fig on the side. The sausage tasted like anything you’d get from a Venky’s cold storage, and the bun was slightly too burnt. The only good thing about it was the wine soaked fig, which was over before it started. 4/10.

Unfortunately the appetizers were too small to feel good about. A silly thing the restaurant seems to have done is combine the soup and salad course, giving you the option of choosing only one or the other. That’s not right – they should’ve allowed diners to choose both a soup and a salad! It just made us feel slightly cheated.

Before our mains arrived, we were served a little amuse bouche to whet our appetites– a slinky piece of watermelon with a teeeeensy little ball of feta cheese and a coriander leaf stuck artistically atop it. A good palate cleanser, tasty and refreshing. By this point, we were so hungry though that we were scarfing down the bread like we’d never seen food before. And maybe it’s a good thing we did.

  

Our mains were served to us. Mihir’s chilli encrusted red snapper with orange juice looked wholesome and interesting. My calamarata (seafood pasta) on the other hand, was one of the most disappointing LOOKING dishes I’ve ever seen. The idiot who invented humongous, larger than life plates should be roundhouse kicked in the face. My dish looked like an overturned derby hat, with a huuuuuge rim and a tiny little bowl for the pasta. I don’t know why any restaurant would want to use this- though there might be a decent portion in the bowl, it just looks instantly disappointing. Anyway, since I was slightly full with the bread I’d eaten, I didn’t complain too much.

Calamarata and seafood

The snapper was delicious – very nicely grilled and flavoured, though the orange sauce didn’t seem to complement it too well. Maybe that’s just me. My pasta was great – perfectly al dente and slathered in an extremely tasty red sauce, so what it lacked in quantity, it made up for in quality.

Chilli and fennel encrusted snapper in orange sauce

I thought our dessert was the best part of the meal. Tiramisu and berry sorbet and a selection of ice creams. Simple, yet satisfying. The tiramisu was creamy, rich, and had just the right tinge of coffee not to be overpowering. It was beautifully complemented by the sour-ish berry sorbet; both set the flavours off very nicely. My compliments to the chef.

Tiramisu and berry sorbet

The three little ice cream scoops were tasty too – stracciatella (I don’t speak Italian, but I think this means cookies and cream) is a you-can’t-go-wrong flavor, lemon cheesecake (zingy and refreshing) and sea salt and burnt sugar (salty caramel),  were all very tasty and went well together. Dessert clearly won this meal.

Stracciatella, Lemon Cheesecake and Caramelized Sea Salt ice cream

I’ll be honest here. Overall, it was a decent meal – the starters really killed it for me (in a bad way, for those who think “killer” is a good thing) and the main course, though tasty, would have not filled us had it not been for the bread basket. Dessert was good. Main takeaways for the restaurant:

1.  Soup and appetizers are not one course.
2.  Starter portions should be made decent if you don’t agree to point number 1.
3.  Throw away those giant plates like Frisbees and get normal ones please.

I’ll end here with an Italian proverb, one which Botticino would do well to learn by rote. Non si vive di solo pane. One does not live by bread alone.

Kala Ghoda Cafe

I think the only way to find this artsy little joint is by accident. Kala Ghoda Cafe's well hidden location only adds to its charm, though the grungy chic vibe already gets the job done. There are literally 5-6 tables in this place, so you'll be lucky if you manage to squeeze yourself in for a quick bite.

Their selection of salads and sandwiches is limited, but everything sounds wholesome and healthy. KGC (Not my abbreviation) proudly boasts of its home-made brews, which are what some of my caffeine addicted friends swoon over. I'm not a coffee person myself, but they swear by it. For me, the main interest as always lies in the food- the pesto cheddar melt sandwich is divine! Add some chicken to it and it is just fabulous! The KGC special sandwich is another favourite- their ingredients seem really fresh and simply seasoned , the balsamic vinegar in the sandwich was not overpowering, yet added that special something that tickled my taste buds.

For dessert, I would highly recommend their waffles - perfectly cooked and drizzled with honey, it's a no fail formula for gastronomic success. The only things I can find to complain about here were their mini muffins which were a little dry, and the very scary narrow staircase that leads to the lone table upstairs. Not for the faint of heart. The atmosphere, simple food, and reasonable price are what I like about KGC. It's definitely one of the coolest underground places in town, and well worth a visit if you're in the area.


Phone : 022 22633866, 022 33803418
Address : 10 Ropewalk Lane (Across from Trishna), Kala Ghoda, Fort, Mumbai

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Suzette, Je t'aime!

Can you say “Le YUM” in French? Suzette Creperie may not be the most obtrusive of the French restaurants that have suddenly mushroomed in the city, but it is certainly, by far, the most authentic one.

Tucked away in the heart of Nariman point, this little place is large enough to host 15-20 people at best, but the line of SoBo MILFs, hipster looking firangs, and local office goers that waits outside is enough to tell you that you’re in for something special.

As you enter, you are immediately transported to gay Paris, into a little rustic café with warm wooden tones;minimalistic, but tastefully furnished with a wrought iron bookshelf sporting an assorted collection of art, travel, and French culture books, and a few scattered posters and paintings. Simple sophistication.

But décor aside, I want to jump right to the interesting part and say that, being an avid Francophone and gastronome- Suzette has some of the freshest and most authentic French cuisine I have had the privilege to taste. Their selection of salads and savoury crepes is a little limited, but everything I’ve tasted so far has been nothing short of sublime.

My eternal favourite is the Chèvre crepe, filled with goat’s cheese, subtly flavoured with honey and walnuts. The crepe Méditerranée is a close runner up, a flavourful, though not overpowering. The salads are nothing spectacular; I would recommend that you save room for dessert.

Now, after making the laborious decision owing to the sheer delectable variety of their dessert menu (yup, it’s one of those that makes you drool at everything), we decided to stick with the basics and order a Nutella crepe. One bite in, I could hear choirs of angels singing. It was DIVINE.  If you manage not to die of a foodgasm, and are tempted enough to go for a round two – order the Caramel Praline crepe. It is equally good, and with a side of cold cream- it is bound to send you to gastronomic Shangri-La.

Replete and groaning from the sugary goodness, you can choose to try one of their authentic French teas, which will help you come back down to earth a little. Or, you can pack a “smoozie” for later– the banana honey one makes for a good breakfast treat if you don’t mind leftovers.

The total damages are very reasonable for the great meal you get here. I would highly HIGHLY recommend Suzette to anyone seeking a rendez-vous with authentic French cuisine. As for me, I envision a number of delightful little trysts to come with this charming place myself, and am already counting down the days.

Bon appetit.


Phone : 022 22880055 
Address : Ground Floor, Atlanta Building, Nariman Point, Mumbai   


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Restaurant Review : Yauatcha

The Raspberry Delice, and Chocolate Ganache - a feast for the eyes, and the palate!

What Yauatcha lacks in VFM, it makes up for in style. Very elegant and modern, you pass the extremely tempting dessert counter up a flight of stairs into a spacious, electric blue, black and gold themed room, smelling faintly of mogra, with discreetly candle lit tables scattered around. The well stocked bar is the cynosure of all eyes, and if you are willing to splurge a little, help yourself to a cocktail or two.

Contrary to what I'd heard, the service was very polite and attentive, and we soon placed our orders (balking a little at the price of course). The menu selection is limited, yet interesting enough to tempt you with whatever is being offered. We started with the Peking dumpling, a beautifully steamed seafood and chicken dumpling, exploding with the flavour of lemon and red chilli. Sadly, the portion was only three little piece.

We tried the house specialty - Cheung fan something - basically crispy fried prawn wrapped in rice paper and drizzled with soya sauce. Exquisitely tasty, and the only dish that actually seemed adequate in portion. Try it, you must. The cuttlefish is a miss - it tasted like any old Squid Gassi you get at a fisherman's wharf.

For the main course - the braised pork belly is gorgeous, melt in the mouth and deliciously flavoured, the kung pao chicken was more like kung pao onion, and the stir fried french beans were decent, nothing special.

Dessert - we tried the Raspberry Delice and the Chocolate Ganache - was a sight for the eyes, beautifully presented. It was a little too mousse-y for me, but the others loved it.

The total damages were substantial, but we were ultimately full, and it turned out to be just the right amount of food. It's a one off kind of place, not sure I'll be going there again anytime soon.

Phone : 022 26448888
Address : Raheja Towers, Bandra Kurla Complex, Bandra East, Mumbai

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