Sushi And More (Japanese Takeaway)

GPS: 2/A, Meherabad Building, near Tata Gardens, opp. Muchhad Paanwala, Warden Road, Mumbai – 4000356

Tring Tring: +91-22-66157285/86

Click: http://www.sushiandmore.com/  

In & Out: 11am – 8:45pm daily (last order)

Damages: Rs.1000/- for a meal for two

Must-Order: Shitake Mushroom Tartar Sushi

Umami Quotient:  Salty

The surest indicator of the gastronomic evolution of any city is the easy availability of affordable quality sushi. In that respect Mumbai has been nearly prehistoric. For save  Wasabi and San Qi which are über fine dining and the midlevel places like Joss (good), Asia 7 (terrible) and Japengo (RIP) there is absolutely  no go-go sushi to be had at beck and call unlike, say the ubiquitous Chinese takeaway. However SAM takes baby steps towards remedying this terrible lacuna with their new takeaway service at Napean Sea Road.

Palate

The menu is simple, short and fuss-free so all the indecisive people and Japanese cuisine virgins should have a field day navigating this 23-item menu divided into neat categories that span basic Japanese cuisine viz. sushi, soups n’ salads, gyoza (Japanese dumplings), tempura, teriyaki skewers, curries and the bento boxes (meal-for-ones) with vegetarian and non-vegetarian options. However SAM sticks to safe fishes like prawn, salmon and tuna, the ever-popular chicken and generous vegetarian options given their location in the Napean Sea Road/Warden Road which has a majority vegetarian population.

The Shitake Mushroom Tartar Roll among the vegetarian sushis was a pleasant eye-opener given we’re hardcore pescetarians who don’t even consider veg sushi an option! The texture of the shitake blends well with the tartar sauce, it’s not too cloying or creamy and the rice and nori are surprisingly fresh. Furthermore the sushi comes in a neat box with garo (pickled ginger), a blob of wasabi, sachets of soya sauce and a pair of chopsticks.

The salmon, cheese and scallion roll was delish as well with fresh fish, a hint of scallions and just the right dollop of cheese that prevents the sushi from getting gujju-fied! The chicken bento box is a bit humdrum though. There are 4 pieces of sushi with no discernible filling other than a large chunk of cucumber, some generic chicken stir fried in a soya/oyster sauce with bell peppers and some version of fried rice which wasn’t sticky enough to be quite Japanese or separated and fluffy enough to be Chinese. As Mariam concluded, it must’ve been local kollam rice at best.

Crowd V/s Company

The beauty of Bombay is that there is always an interesting conversation around the corner even if one is jostling cheek to jowl in a tiny takeaway hole in Napean Sea Road. In our case it was proprietor Harry Cheng (“Harry as in Harry Potter”) who shuttles between Tokyo, Singapore and Mumbai and has landed in the warmth and beat of Mumbai via jobs at Branson’s Virgin, weekly fish shopping in Tokyo’s legendary Tsukiji market with its 4000 stalls and daily USD 2 million turnover, and an undergrad course in Psychology from London School of Economics (“Me too” I pipe in and there is instant bonding since the Japanese origins of umami have already set the stage of comfortable bonhomie).

Alongwith takeaway, SAM sells a respectable collection of Japanese culinary aids viz. shitake mushrooms, miso soup sachets, tatami table mats and the vintage Kikkoman soya sauce dispenser bottle that we’ve been seeing on tables at Chinese restaurants in Bombay ad nauseam. A cheery orange and white interior with an L-shaped counter, 3 barstools to wait out the preparation of your order and some Japan maps and guide books to browse through complete this efficient sushi outing.

Boo Hoo

We weren’t kidding about SAM’s baby steps in the food business. They took 4 years to launch this outlet and even now don’t offer delivery beyond the pin code aka Breach Candy, Altamount Road and Nepean Sea Road. We envision this being a hurdle in their growth and popularity especially they have launched in a season where people are hindered by rains and wont to sit at home rather than brave the weather for a takeaway when there are many other options that have no problem bringing it to their doorstep.

Comeback Quotient

It’s a great idea for game nights with friends over when people are fed up of the usual kebab/biryani/Chinese options, and some sushi and gyoza can really make a pleasantly big difference. However a chauffeured car is intrinsic to sustained loyalty!

Chello Kebabs at Picaddilly Restaurant

GPS: Donald House, Colaba Causeway, opp. Electric House, Mumbai – 400039

Tring Tring: +91-22-22823217

Click: http://www.who/?

Damages: Rs.150/- per portion

Some things are as plain as the nose on your face and yet it’s so easy to miss them. That’s a bit how it is with Picadilly. Though its located bang in the centre of Colaba Causeway, its edged out of the talking point space by the Woodside Inns, Leopold’s and Mondegars (partly due to the fact that they don’t serve alcohol and what is Colaba without an intoxicated lens to experience it through?)And yet Picadilly serves some of the best budget Lebanese food in town alongwith a full-fledged Iranian food menu. And top amongst its authentic offerings is one of our favourite dishes Chello Kebabs. Succulent sheikh kebabs lend their smoky flavor the buttery rice they are ensconced in; all we need to do is mash the accompanying grilled tomatoes and squelch the juice onto a morsel of rice and meat and pop into our mouth for instant bliss. Unlike most city versions of chello kebabs doused in cream or coconut milk the Picaddilly version is thankfully dry and much lighter with just the juices of the meat and the tomatoes to accompany the rice. For Indians used to gravies over their rice this might be a departure from convention, but when we’re exhausted from an afternoon of street shopping and hardball bargaining on Causeway this is what we crave to put the gleam back in our eyes and the energy back in our persuasions!

Orange Juice Cake at Theobroma

GPS: Shop Number 24, Cusrow Baug, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Road, Colaba Causeway, Mumbai 400039 / 29/30, Link Square Mall, Linking Road, Bandra (W), Mumbai 400050

Tring Tring: +91-22-22830101/22880101, +91-22-26469010/2646 9040

Click: www.theobroma.in

Damages: Approx Rs.35/- a slice

In childhood fairy tales, there existed many mythical places with rivers of chocolate, gingerbread houses and lozenge flowers. But then we grew up and everything became status quo. Rivers were rivers and chocolate was just a boring bar. However every once in a while there is a return flight to fantasy if we are lucky enough to spot it. Theobroma’s orange juice cake dripping with the moist juicy tang of fresh oranges is one of those things. It’s glazed with a layer of OJ gel, and has slim layers of delicate orange cream ensconced inside. Whether its tucking into a slice with your 4pm cuppa tea or buying a whole cake (shaped like a bread loaf) to serve as dessert for that Friday night dinner party at home, this cake feels like a glass of fresh OJ on your plate and rates as one of those great-yet-simple delights that never go out of fashion. 

The Table

GPS: Kalapesi Trust Building, behind Regal Cinema, Apollo Bunder Marg, Colaba, Mumbai - 400039

Click: http://www.thetable.in/

Tring Tring: +91-22-22825000-02

In & Out: 7:00pm – 12 midnight daily

Damages: Rs.7000/- for a meal for two with alcohol. Rs.4000/- for a meal for two without alcohol
Must Order: Chicken Liver Pate and a sake cocktail

Umami Quotient: Umami!

It’s always a pleasure to have a meal with my friend Romit who I consider an epicurean par compare on most things that matter viz. good food, good books and good travel. Just like us, he is not swayed by big names and fancy prices and always knows how to cut to the chase, be it the finest sushi in LA, nonchalantly passing up a reservation at El Bulli due to a traffic jam despite its imminent closure, or the exaggerated snob value associated with corked wine bottles as opposed to screwtops. The latter in fact dominated a fair bit of our diverse dinnertime conversation as we sank into the sumptuous splendor at this new Colaba eatery (which if I am not mistaken has opened at the same spot Nanking used to be - my favourite Chinese restaurant of my childhood - and thus gets instant associative good karma!). Add to that the comfort quotient that TT’s chef Viraf Patel used to be the chef at Saltwater Grill and we have a good feeling about the evening already.

Bar-O-Meter

We didn’t spot a liquor menu so we assume TT doesn’t serve any hard liquor. But we didn’t miss it a whit since the wine list is impressively exhaustive; split up by texture and type like the one at Tasting Room (mild, medium-bodied, full-bodied), serves the largest variety of wines by the glass in the city that we know of, and has an innovative option of half glass and full glass (for those times when you just need a little bit extra to get happy or stay within drinking n’ driving limits!). We ordered a bottle of Bouvet Brut (pretty reasonably priced for a fine dining restaurant) while eyeing the delish sake cocktails replete with fresh fruits like strawberry, lychee, cantaloupes etc and infused with herbs like rosemary and thyme. Add to that there is a competent sangria selection as well as wine cocktails like Kir and Mimosa (made with ‘fresh Malta orange’; we wonder if these oranges are imported daily or what?) and one is set for an elegantly tipply time!

Palate

The menu has the confidence and the chutzpah to be brief and distinct. As Romit said, there is something reassuring about a chef who announces that "I specialize in a few dishes but those I do bloody well"! It’s split up into Snacks, Small Plates, Large Plates and Sides. The dessert menu is a separate leaflet in itself comprising desserts, dessert wines and hot beverages; we like very much! There are distinct echos of Saltwater Café in the menu given the chef’s past associations and the highlight of it is the Chicken Liver Pate with balsamic gelee, sour onions and ciabatta. The pate comes glazed with the perfectly tart balsamic gelee (and faintly resembling British blood pudding!) and has a wonderfully smooth texture with none of the unpleasant raw aftertaste pate can have if not seasoned right. We also tried the Grilled Calamari with chili lime vinaigrette, fresh herb salad and peanuts which had a clean, uncluttered flavor crucial for having calamari while the salad retained its colour and crunch. And though I am not a huge peanut fan it added the right aftertaste to the tang of the vinaigrette.

For main course we were spoilt for choice. Though I was leaning towards the Frisco-style Cioppino or fish stew the maître d’ steered us towards the Grilled Grouper in Japanese style sauce (which was slightly sweet and reminiscent of a miso-mirin combination) on a bed of spinach. The fish was firm, flaky and white-fleshed and a beautiful robust flavor set off by the sauce.

The other dish we tried was pork which is highly unusual since I am not a pork fan at all. But something about the Campania-style Pork Sugo with pappardelle was calling out to me and I had to heed my instinct. Thankfully I wasn’t proven wrong, the sauce had a creamy tomato base with a pleasant buttery aftertaste which concealed most of the aggressive fatty  flavor of pork I abhor. For dessert we again gave in to Smokehouse Grill memories by ordering the Panacotta with a green peppercorn reduction infused with orange rind. The panacotta was perfectly creamy, delicately sweet and set off to perfection by the sharpness of the pepper. The yum factor was completed by the playful bittery sweetness of the orange rind.

Crowd V/s Company

Table is hands-down one of the most beautifully done up Indian restaurants I have been to in a while, enough said! The striking black n’ white tiled flooring contrasts beautifully with the French window alcoves housing plump armchairs in jewel-toned velvet upholstery and tempt you into long cozy drinks and tête à têtes. For some reason this corner is very demi-monde French salon inspired and reminds me of one of my favourite concept restaurant in London Sketch whose bar has similar elements.

Alongwith a welcoming bar counter on the ground level they also have a mezzanine level which is best suited for having dinner. The early evening crowd comprised the well-heeled 60-plus expat/tourist clientele but they soon gave way to the insipidly expensive South Bombay set complete with ostentatious LV hobo bags and strapless dresses with exposed bra straps. What I don’t understand is, if you can afford to eat at The Table you can afford a strapless bra woman! Straps just look tacky, definitely a good taste offender! There was also a fair amount of corporate diners since it’s a great option for an elegantly casual yet classy meal with good wines a la neighbor Indigo.

Loo Hoo

With the same zebra flooring following me into the standalone ladies loo accompanied by acid-green walls and a spotlit mirror I don’t mind frequent trips to this trippy little room at all!

Comeback Quotient

Whenever we want to be transported to Paris and yet remain in our favourite Colaba, sipping some champers with our favourite people and mixing the highbrow with the lowbrow in our conversation, you can be assured you will spot us at The Table. Oh, and (hint, hint!) if anyone wants to ask us out to dinner, guess what their numerous uno suggestion should be?

Banoffie Pie at Mocambo Cafe

Banoffie Pie at Mocambo Cafe

GPS: 23/A, Sir Pherozeshah Mehta Road, Fort, Mumbai - 400001

Tring Tring: +91-22-22870458/+91-22-66065264, +91-9821053066/+91-9820051364

Click: www.who?

Damages: Approx Rs.200/-

It’s not chocolate, it’s not tangy fruits, and it’s not even an odyssey of cream. And yet it’s the most amazingly rich yet comforting dessert ever. The banoffie pie was discovered in UK in 972 by trial and error and is alive and kicking nearly 40 years and a continent away in my favourite Irani café turned . . . Irani café with continental delicacies and lip-smacking desserts! Mocambo’s version is a pitch-perfect marriage of bananas, cream, toffee boiled in condensed milk all served up on a buttery biscuit base. As the spoon cuts through the squelchy fruit and the cream to hit the crumbly base the combination is sheer orgasm on the palate. But be warned this dessert is heavy enough to warrant being a meal in itself. So I usually go straight from salad course to dessert if banoffie is on my mind! The web squirrel in me couldn’t resist tracing the origins of this miracle dessert and the findings are the actual original recipe as discovered by Chef Ian Dowding all those years ago in a Sussex eaterie. Bon appétit!