Going Places: 5 All Day

GPS: Apollo Hotel, Brightland Building, Landsown Road , Colaba, Mumbai - 5

Tring Tring: +91-22- 65247070

Click:   http://www.5therestaurant.com/ (website of parent restaurant 5)

In & Out: 12:00 noon – 12:00 midnight

Damages: Rs.1500/- for a meal for two without alcohol

Must-Order: Kasundi Marinated Bekti with Lentil Cone Mash & Butter Melt

Umami Quotient:  Sweet

The last week of September saw a neat restaurant swap between Colaba and the Andheri. We sent over our favourite trusty Woodside Inn to quench their thirst for ‘coolth’ and they graciously reciprocated with a branch of Restaurant 5, renamed 5 All Day, a modern European restaurant which has been quietly delighting discerning diners for the past 3-4 years. Since Colaba has such few new restaurants we jumped at the bait, glad that the prime location behind Regal had bid adieu to the dodgy-looking nightspot Oba for an affordable dining option.

Bar-O-Meter

As befitting an all-day dining they have a respectable list of cocktails and wines and surprisingly good list of aperitifs which is rare in Bombay outside clubs and five-stars. Since we had gone for the wine-soaked pre-opening brunch we can vouch for the crisp n’ tangy cranberry champagne cocktails though the mojitos were too sugary for Mariam’s liking.

Palate

The list of starters is ambitious and impressive with a variety of interesting options like Pork Bratwurst & Kasundi Flavoured Scrambled Eggs. We scoured the list and opted for the Burger Platter with 3 mini burgers; the chicken burger was alright but the chorizo & ham variant was juicy and delish. The vegetarian corn one though was rather blah and hazy. Portion-wise it’s a perfect share between two people.

The Seafood Stew though was superlative, peppered with generous quantities of fresh fish bits, prawns, squid and scallops. The broth was infused with garlic, basil, lemongrass and Thai yellow paste and delicately fragrant and a delightful accompaniment to my friend Monali and my incessant gossip sessions!

I know chef cum manager Mrinmoy for a while now, from his last stint at Yellow Tree Café and I love his modern ways of introducing elements of Bengali cuisine to European fare. Though he had started the same at YTC, it’s come full bloom at 5AD. The Bengali staple Kasundi (a tangy mustard sauce that usually accompanies bitter gourd preparations) makes repeated appearances in different forms as does Calcutta’s favourite all-purpose fish bekti (much like rawas, firm-fleshed and sparsely boned). The Kasundi Marinated Bekti we had for the main course was superbly fresh with hints of the river sweetness still embedded in the flesh. The tang of the kasundi balanced the freshness out beautifully and I was pleasantly surprised to find another humble Bengali kitchen ingredient make a posh European debut, the bori (dried lentil cones used in different curries as an add-on).

We also had the Roast Leg of Lamb though we substituted the herb rice with grilled veggies. The lamb was a piece de resistance, beautifully tender, marinated to the bone in red wine and flaking at touch. It’s rare that we have a non-Indian mutton preparation that is packed with so much umami!

We were packed to the gills but dessert is a duty towards our palates we have to fulfil so we reached out for the Dark and White Chocolate Parfait and parfait it was! The dark chocolate was a rich mousse studded with maraschino cherries while the white came with a mascarpone mousse. The combination was intensely creamy and rich without being sickeningly oversweet and was more than enough for two people; definitely a dessert meant to be shared!

Crowd v/s Company

The unusual combination of pink n’ green walls with a mirror-mosaic ceiling spread over the bar makes for a curiously cool and clean ambience. The tables are few and spread apart, affording privacy to diners, most unusual of an all-day eatery. The location as we mentioned before is über-prime at the troika of Ling’s Pavilion, All Stir Fry, Indigo Deli, Table & Moshe not to mention the Taj Mahal. In such august company it’s a sin to go wrong but we have a feel 5AD wont! We predict many effortless catch-ups with friends, cozy dates, quick after-work meals and post-shopping coffees in the future!

Comeback Quotient

As long as they remain coolly uncluttered and unpretentiously affordable they can expect us back as lifers!

You can also catch our story on http://www.vogue.in/content/going-places-5-all-day and spread the love to friends and foodies!

Foodyssey: French Riviera en route London

You probably know by now how much we love our food. Thus it’s but natural that any travel should have gourmet escapades as a prominent centerpiece. My recent week-long trip to Cannes, Antibes and London was no different. There were some gorgeous meals, some experiments, some discoveries, some disappointments and a whole lot of umami adventures!

As soon as I had checked into my hotel at Cannes I decided that my first meal should pay homage to the location. Thus I sat in my crochet maxi dress (black naturally to go with French chic!) with Gucci shades perched on my nose, Kindle in hand and shopping bags on spare chair and proceeded to sip a glass of house red wine alongwith some steak tartare. It was a nameless café but I was confident that steak tartare was to France what the samosa is to India. Perhaps not. The stomach loosened considerably over the next few days and I swore to stick to Balthazar in the future especially since there is one opening in London, Covent Garden as we speak!

The next day Sunday was spent in Antibes which is thoroughly recommended for anyone breezing past the Riviera. After walking a good 3-4 hours through the city and its offerings we stopped for lunch at a local’s recommendation at La Forge. The 3-course at LF was perhaps my best French meal ever.

A dozen mussels served in an ingenious dish resembling an egg tray dipped in basil garlic aioli was a mouthful of heaven. My colleague’s vegetarian option of the goat’s cheese n’ honey drizzled toast was an absolute delight as well with the most sublimely smooth cheese ever.

For mains I had the beef tagliatelle which could have been a bit tenderer but the vegetarian pasta was delightfully fresh. The highlight of the meal however was the desserts and the wine. A Sancerre Blanc (white) is a must while travelling in France; it’s simply put the best white wine ever.

And what can I say about the desserts? The panacotta served in a champagne flute with fresh berry compote was a creamy dream while the intensely coffee’d tiramisu with the spongiest cake ever was music to the palate. The most amazing thing was that both desserts have a vanilla cream base and yet their textures were so subtly but definitely different!

However the highlight of the entire trip would have to be the pizza we had at Vesuvio on the Croisette in Cannes right next to the Martinez hotel. Vesuvio is probably the most popular restaurant on the Croisette, serving Italian cuisine instead of the usual French with boisterous waiters, a no-reservation policy and the best dark chocolate sorbet ever! We were in luck to find truffles in season and ordered the Al Tartuffe thin crust pizza with cream cheese, loads of fresh rocket and generous shavings of black truffle covering the pizza like a soft blanket. How the taste exploded in our mouths is almost impossible to describe. I’d say that truffles ARE umami! The sensation of umami exists to describe truffles which for a vegetarian item have the most sensuous and fleshly fragrance – almost sexual if I can say that without blasphemy! The best part of the meal was the complete lack of snobbery or overpricing involved, the dish was served without drama and a very generous quantity of truffles and priced exceedingly well at 30€ which was more than enough for two people to share. Frou-frou restaurant learn a thing or two I say!

By our last night in Cannes though I was all Frenched out and ready to give my tummy some R&R. And voila L’Evolier on the Croisette provided just that with a really interesting dish of organic quinoa mixed with seasonal greens served alongside smoked salmon n’ cream cheese on toast. The cold and fresh quinoa provided a perfectly light n’ healthy foil to the salmon and the meal provided some salve to a overworked tummy!

Then came London and bye-bye sunshine! The whiny cold crept up my legs and drove me into the warmth. Or should I say the overbooked noisy razzmatazz of Nobu at Berkeley Square which had Russian oligarchs and 6-feet blonde babezillas galore and Arabs at the next table who surreptitiously copped our order? However the actual dining experience was a total letdown compared other London Japanese haunts like Roka, Cocoon or even the Nobu’s older sister at the Metropole hotel. The sashimi passed muster but the Wagyu beef steak with truffle was a complete con-job with stringy beef which is no way shape or form resembled the fabled beer-massaged bovines and the only truffle we saw was the truffle oil drizzled over the steak slices. Completely not worth the label or the price. Venture to this hotspot only if you want to be seen or bask in the glow of oil money!

The next day was some respite as we headed for lunch to the Mews of Mayfair tucked into a small square off the main Mayfair road. The downstairs bar is plushly cozy with studded sofas and dark wood paneling while the dining room upstairs is a complete yin to the bar’s yang. Pale cream walls, curtainless windows adorned with Riedel decanters and iron filigree butterflies comprise the décor. The duck terrine entrée was superbly fresh and I suggest never having a terrine in London unless its gourmet; the pub variants are a tasteless pasty waste! For mains I got the black-faced lamb with spinach while my partner opted for a well-done steak with wild cep mushrooms. This is the first time I have had a well-done steak which retains its softness, moisture and juice; that alone earns my loyalty! My lamb was delish too though a tad heavy since it included a rack and a portion of liver. We washed down the meal with some lotus blossom tea served in the prettiest silver-painted china ever and then had the best part of the meal, a superlative crème brulee brimming with Madagascar vanilla beans and the perfect layer of crisp caramelized sugar. Blissville anyone?

As the trip came to an end so did my famed appetite and inclination for European haute cuisine. By dinnertime some Asian flavours were needed urgently and Banana Tree at Soho provided some indo-Chinese relief with a spicy Chicken n’ Prawn Pad Thai. Burp, sigh! I was ready to go home!

You can also check out this post on http://www.vogue.in/content/foodyssey-french-riviera-en-route-london-0 and share with friends and foodies to spread the love!

Freeman and Baker

GPS: Shop No.5, Sagarika CHS, opp. Palm Grove Hotel, Juhu-Tara Road, Juhu, Mumbai - 49

Tring Tring: +91-22- 26131522

Click:  www.freemanandbaker.co.uk (site under construction)

In & Out: 11:00am – 11:00pm

Damages: Rs.600/- for a meal for two

Must-Order: Salami Milano sandwich in multigrain bread

Umami Quotient:  Sweet

Very rarely do we love a suburban restaurant enough that we wish it moved to town. But F&B deserves that honour. We went looking for a quick lunch and a hangover cure and what we found instead was a delightful little deli with a cheery space, great DIY sandwiches, a source of steak cuts for home grills (otherwise rare to find in Bombay) and a most affable owner Vishal Mehra. 

             Photo - Mariam Mamaji

Palate

Beverages consist of non-alcoholic bottled goodies like Snapple and Lipton Iced Tea which we don’t much care for so we cut to the chase to the grub directly. Our friend’s glazed hangover got proprietor Vishal briskly sending across black coffee alongwith a plate of ham and delish goat cheeses slices to (gr)ease the pain while Mariam and I finalized our selections. Since there isn’t a kitchen as such at F&B hot food options are limited to pre-baked quiches and readymade sandwiches alongwith budget comfort food like chicken lollipops, cutlets and puffs to please the college-going crowd. Our attention is piqued by the DIY sandwiches where one can choose their bread, meat and cheese combinations and have a designer sandwich whipped up for you under five minutes. We finally selected the Chicken n Mushroom quiche which was the perfect size for a meal-for-one with a crumbly base full of the goodness of shortnening melting into hunks of chicken and fleshy mushrooms. It was herby and flaky and not maxed out on cheese unlike many other city options and just the perfect comfort food after hard night of partying. Ditto for the Salami Milano sandwich with Emmenthal slices in multigrain bread where the rich spiciness of the meat was offset by the Emmenthal’s more subdued supporting act resulting in a gorgeous duo of flavours on the palate. However the other sandwich of garlic salami with herbed Gouda cheese on whole-wheat bread was a bit of a taste collision as the meat’s flavours got hijacked by the dominatrix cheese. Note to self: garlic salami needs a delicate cheese to give it company, maybe the goat cheese? Desserts came in the form of two perfectly respectable brownies -  a gooey chocolate and a walnut version.

Chicken n Mushroom quiche                                                                                     Photo - Mariam Mamaji

Garlic salami sandwich with herbed Gouda                                                                          Photo - Mariam Mamaji

Salami Milano sandwich with Emmenthal                                                                Photo - Mariam Mamaji

While the cheese and cold cut selection is on par with Godrej Nature’s Basket (albeit with the sandwich-on-the-spot option as a classic deli should be) what really had us nodding in appreciation was the wide variety of fishes and meat available for cooking. Seafood included scallops, yellow fin tuna, grilled eel, soft-shell crab and Atlantic & black cod while the meat selection included baby-back ribs, lamb shanks, pork chops, tenderloin, rib-eye & T-bone steak cuts, raw foie gras, butterball turkey etc. they even had an interesting collection of mock-meats that any China visitor will be acquainted with; those mystery delicious morsels of soya that taste exactly like meat while being vegetarian! They have faux scallops, chicken nuggets, Beijing duck, and fragrant mutton among other varieties. While Indigo deli has sold some of this stuff around the year F&B certainly has more ready availability with a printed list and offers to home deliver on orders of Rs.1000 & above – very easily doable if say, cooking steaks for a dinner party at home.

Gooey chocolate and walnut                                                                                         Photo - Mariam Mamaji

Crowd V/s Company

Make no mistake; F&B is tiny! However they use their minimal space with intelligence, grace and lack of pretense. So there are no illusory mirrors or countertop dining, but what they do have is pop tablecloths in happy floral prints, French-inspired wooden chairs, wall shelves packed with sauces, noodles, snacks and a deli counter stuffed with fresh cheeses and meats. Our host Vishal Mehra is exactly what we always hope for, honest affable, decorous – but-not-obsequious and a genuine food lover (Vishal apparently chucked up a 22-year corporate career to bring us these delish fresh sandwiches, what a wise man!). He most accommodatingly laid out the hunks of cheese and meat on the tables for us to click away in peace as well. As we finish our lunch and get ready to leave we see myriad loyalists stroll in; some arty types borrowed from Prithvi and a gravity-defying afro that didn’t belong to Imaad Shah for starters! Apparently it’s a magnet for the nearby BBM students of neighboring colleges as well.

Photo - Mariam Mamaji

Comeback Quotient

Inveterate townies that we are we always shudder at paucity of credible choices for a quality fuss-free meal north of Bandra but F&B carries a familiar whiff of town, class, affordability and (at least as of now!) no wannabes. You bet we’ll be back!