Kunal Vijaykar visits Poush

Poush appears to be a very popular restaurant and has more reviews than any other restaurant on Burrp. I have always wanted to go there but I’m not too sure where it is. Anyways Kunal Vijaykar vists the Kashmiri restaurant on his show – The Foodie

 

 

Busaba turns 8!

Moving next door, Busaba celebrated it’s 8th anniversary recently. Nikhil’s Chib’r journey to become a restauranteur is pretty interesting and I would love to do a post on it sometime soon.

Miss Malini’s blog has done a pretty good job covering the event.
Image Source – http://www.bollywoodmantra.com/picture/busaba-lounge-s-8th-anniversary-bash-12/

Busybee reviews Indigo

I don’t really read much but have read and enjoyed some of Behram ‘Busybee’ Contractor’s articles. My uncle bought a book featuring a collection of his articles that I picked up one day and read through. I recently came across his website and was delighted to find that he also wrote a column on Eating out in Mumbai. Interestingly the only articles written by Busybee that are om his website and can be accessed for free are his articles on eating out in Mumbai. I would like to feature some of these articles here starting off with one of my favourite restaurants in Mumbai – Indigo. I know I’m a bit of a fanboy, but I can’t help it.

Indigo: Bombay’s first gourmet restaurant.

Rahul Akerkar’s Indigo, on Mandalik Road, off Colaba Causeway and behind the Taj, is Bombay’s first gourmet restaurant. I mean, outside the restaurants within the five-star hotels, they don’t count. For instance, there is a potato crusted rawas that is at once crisp and buttery. It is a nice big chunk of rawas, and it is packed top and bottom with grated potatoes. It is pan-sautéed, the potato becoming crusty on the outside, but at the same time acting as a heat shield for the rawas inside, keeping the meat moist and flaky. The contrast is tremendous, you crunch into the potato and meet the yielding meat inside. And it is accompanied (it is a plated meal) with two vegetables and an unusual sauce. The first vegetable is a puree of ginger and carrot, the second is spinach fried very crisp. You can pick it in your hand and crumble it between fingers. So there is a balance between the vegetables also, a puree & a crunch. And finally the sauce, the executive chef calls it ‘kairi curry’. It is a recipe from his grandmother, a mango curry, he has extracted the flavour from it and created a sauce. The dish costs Rs. 260 and it is one of the entrees at the Indigo, a restaurant that has opened more than a month now and if you have not dined there yet you are not living to eat. Sorry.

The executive chef is Rahul Akerkar himself. He is also the proprietor, the inspiration, the idea behind the restaurant. Some time back, I had the opportunity to list the city’s best restaurants, I had put Under The Over at Kemp’s Corner as my No. 1, also started by Akerkar.

The present restaurant replaces Vintage, a Hyderabad food place. Akerkar has redone the insides completely, from top to bottom, or dining room to kitchen. It is designed on clean, contemporary lines, an ambience of restrained elegance. The walls are bare, the table linen plain, the upholstery in the lounge done with suit fabric, the only decoration sprigs of fresh lilies. There are separate areas, a long bar, a lounge, two dining rooms, downstairs and upstairs. There are no rules, you can eat anywhere you like. There is piped music, a mixture of jazz, some African, some Latin, electic music, no disco or heavy rock, but it is not a stuffy place, overbearing or formal. It is nearest to a bistro that you find in the French countryside, the waiters wear white shirts, dark trousers, ties tucked in, long aprons. The cooks wear bandanas on their heads. They have all been trained by Akerkar. First, you have to untrain them of what they learnt, then train them in new methods, he says.

The food. Yes,that’s the main event. The menu is limited, a minimum a la carte menu, appetizers, entrees, desserts. Like all great restaurateurs, Akerkar believes in a small menu that can be changed frequently. But still, there are many flavours, tastes, textures. Basically, the food is European, and the techniques and workings of the kitchen are classic European (50 litres of stock reduced to a ladle of demi glace), but the expression is contemporary. Flavours infused with a little bit of Indianisation. I shall move directly to the appetizers:

A cold carrot and orange soup, Rs. 80. Not many Indians care for cold soups, but for the Indian climate it is appropriate. And a lobster bisque, traditional, no magic in this, except perhaps that it has floating in it bits of crisp okras. Rs. 150. You want to skip the soup, try the mushroom flan. It is a combination of mushrooms, button, black, morel, oyster, sautéed with herbs and a rough puree made of them. This is then mixed in the cooking cement of eggs and cream, put in the oven, and baked so that it firms up and becomes a flan. Served with a lemon mushroom sauce. Rs. 120. Also a gnochi, potato and flour dumplings, with chives added to them, done in a white wine cream, with leeks and saffron. And a fresh tangy roasted lobster salad, with tomatoes, black beans and greens in balsamic vinaigrette. More interesting is the ‘raviolo’. It has been explained to me that raviolo is the mother of ravioli. The latter, as you know, is sealed packets of pasta, but in raviolo you don’t seal the pasta, they are sheets of pasta, you put one at the base of the dish and one at the top, and fill the space between with prawns and roasted pumpkin, and have it with a roasted pumpkin, and have it with a roasted tomato pesto. The tomatoes are roasted in an oven and this is an innovation, they are in place of sun-dried tomatoes that you get at Italian restaurants. Try them. I am told the oven roasted are better than sun dried, not that I agree. The raviolo is Rs. 160, the lobster salad Rs. 180, excellent for the price.

Finally, my favourite, the grilled cinnamon quail. The quail must be the most tender bird of all, the meat picks off the bones with great ease and even the bones can be chewed. In the wild, it is a protected bird, but you are allowed to buy them at quail farms. At Indigo, it is flash flame grilled, very quickly, and it is treated with cinnamon powder, giving the meat a peculiar flavour. The dish comes with a pickled carrot pomegranate and leek salad. So there is the cinnamon-treated meat, rather sweet, and the tart, somewhat tart. After that, have a shorbet, mango and green chilli, or lichee and ginger. Now that peaches are coming in the market, Akerkar is trying another shorbet, of peaches and plums.

Akerkar says he is not trying to change people’s food habits, he is just truing to introduce new tastes. And he is adapting Western food to Indian tastes. For Indian tasted, the food does not have to be spicy, but it must be strongly flavoured. That accepted, at the restaurant they are cutting no corners, everything has to be authentic. If the right ingredients are not available, remove the item from the menu. Basically, everything is cooked in olive oil, and there is a generous use of olives, capers, things are cooked in wines, sauces are prepared overnight. Take a stock of 20 kilos of bones, reduce to two litres of demi glace, add wine, port wine, put on a plate and it coats the plate, glazed like thin honey.

If you are going to the restaurant tonight, I suggest for the entree you have the black pepper crusted tuna. Rs. 260. The meat is taken exclusively from the loin of the tuna, the fillay mignon, the thick muscle above the central bone. The fillay is covered with fresh crushed pepper & sautéed, & served with what they call a capotana, a Mediterrean combination of egg plant, celery, caramelized onions, roasted red peppers in red wine. A warm salady capotana. With white beans & oregano topped with a warm dressing of coriander red wine vinagrette. The chef will cook the tuna for you medium rare to rare, do not instruct him otherwise. The inside has to be underdone, pink, like having a medium rare stake. This is how tuna should be eaten, not overcooked & dry.

There are grilled tiger prawns, with beetroot couscous, pak chori & lobster butter, Rs. 525, but this is usual, do not waste your evening on it. Instead, if you like lamb, go for the braised & stuffed leg of lamb. It’s a baby lamb, the leg deboned & stuffed with mint & basil, then braised. It is served with baked rice, aromatic with dill & peanuts, & root vegetables. There’s a prune chutney that comes with it, to provide the occasional sweet-sour taste to the lamb. There are two chicken dishes, one grilled, with a mushroom ragout, plusw corn and spinach, the other crisp roasted, with lemon put under the skin of the bird.

A dish already popular is a tortellini made with gram flour (besan atta), with roasted pumpkin and pine nut, and a cream of oven roasted tomato. Or you can order a huge vegetable platter, with an assortment of baked, sautéed, roasted and marinated vegetables, with plantain chips, mung dal pancakes, and three sauces to dip them in: Thai style peanut base, a Latin sauce made from capers and parsley, and a sweet red chilli sauce.

Desserts include a warm banana-walnut-chocolate strudel, a caramelised apple tart, also warm, fruit cheese cakes, etc.

I have referred only to the dinner menu. Lunch service has just started. I have not experienced it, but I am told it is different, lighter, more salady, different prices. For dinner, it is advisable to book in advance, if you don’t want to wait in the bar, especially at weekends. Get on the phone for tonight, call: 285 6316, 202 3592.

Source – http://www.busybeeforever.com/viewarticle.asp?filename=eatingout921200411724.xml&section=eatingout

I’m assuming this is one of the first reviews Indigo got and I’m glad to see that Indigo was just as good then as it is now. Another thing that I really find interesting is what occupied Indigo before it became what it is today. I was of the impression that Rahul Akerkar and his wife converted an old bungalow into the restaurant but I guess another restaurateur had already done that. Also the difference in pricing is pretty amazing.

Olive Bar & Kitchen

This summer I finally visited Olive’s property at the racecourse. I had been to their Bandra branch long ago but this was my first visit to the race course branch. A lot of people talk about how Olive is one of the best restaurants in Mumbai and some even rate it as good as Indigo. Rahul Akerkar’s Tote on the Turf is now open in the same area that is being developed to house a number of restaurants.

Olive is located on one end of the race course parking lot and if you aren’t familiar with the restaurant, the lack of signs might just make it quite difficult to get there. The driveway however is pretty impressive and due to the fact that the entrance is not on a road, you get enough time to get out of your car.I made sure to make a reservation as I knew that it got pretty busy on the weekends. I got there on time but was made to wait for a good 30 minutes before being given a table. The hostess guided us to the bar area which was really crowded and there wasn’t enough bar stools or counter area for us to hang out. Another thing I didn’t appreciate was how the bar was not properly seperated from the rest of the restaurant which made it really awkward to wait for your table. Also waiting at the bar in a way forces you to buy a drink or two. A better idea would be if  the restaurant had a separate waiting area or enough space where you don’t feel like you’re making someone else  stand and wait even more awkwardly than you. Another thing that bothered me was the loud house music playing in restaurant. I guess it’s OK for the bar area but the bar and the outdoor seating area were the same and the music was a bit too much while eating. As you can tell I was already a bit pissed off with the wait. I would understand being made to wait if I didn’t have a reservation but being made to wait after a booking is a bit ridiculous. After we were finally seated and handed the menu, I tried asking one of the waiters for a recommendation.  The waiter tried to help me out but the loud music made it a little difficult for me to hear him. Also I could tell that he was a bit stressed and couldn’t talk comfortably. I was there on a Saturday which I imagine is one of the busiest nights of the week and so I’m willing to accept a bit of a slip in service but it was my first time at Olive and I really needed some help. They had a wood fired oven and so I decided to order a pizza as I imagined it would be something they made well. Although I was sitting in the outer dining area I did manage to have a look at the inside section as well and wasn’t too impressed to be perfectly honest. The outside section is a lot better and had been enclosed and airconditioned. One thing I really liked about the inside is the view of the stables. You can look at the horses in the stable next door which I thought was kind of a cool thing to watch when you’re eating. I hate to be so anal about this, but the window had blue tint over it which would have been fine in the day, but makes the horses look really blue at night when the tubelights are on in the stable. The food took some time to get there which again I was willing to forgive considering how busy it was. However the three orders got to the table at different times. My pizza got there first and by the time the other two orders were completed, I had finished my pizza.  The pizza was OK and even if it would have been great I probably wouldn’t have been able to enjoy it because of the atmosphere. When the time came to order desert, we decided to head to Indigo Deli instead so I can’t really comment on their deserts.

On the upside however Olive did seem like a nice place to go to if food isn’t a priority. I somehow got the feeling that it was more of a place to spot people and be spotted, something that a lot of the people there seemed pretty comfortable with. I guess if that’s the kind of person you are, you’re going to really enjoy Olive. Olive describes itself as a rustic hideaway where good food, laughter, culture and conversation come together in a Mediterranean melting pot. A place where beautiful people meet to enjoy life’s simple journey. Although I’m not too sure about the simple part, the last line really summarizes Olive for me – more of a place to meet if you are a beautiful person than a place to enjoy a good meal.

EDIT – My mother and aunt who had been here earlier liked the place a lot more than we did and so maybe we were just there on a bad night.

http://www.olivebarandkitchen.com/

Mad Over Donuts – Now in Colaba

Mad over Donuts opened up their 5th outlet in Mumbai recently right next to Theobrama on Colaba Causeway. Here’s wishing Chef Kishi Arora best of luck with this new branch. I haven’t eaten at Mad over Donuts but have heard a lot of positive reviews about them.

New restaurants in Hiranandani Gardens, Powai

Chilli’s and The Great Kabab Factory are opening up opposite Papa John’s in Powai. Chilli’s is part of the American restaurant chain and is owned by the same company that operates Papa John’s and The Great Kabab Factory in India. Three properties on the same road…Not too shabby eh?

http://www.expresshospitality.com/20080930/market20.shtml

How much does Chef Hemant Oberoi make?

93 lakhs a year according to Mumbai Mirror. That translates to about 7.75 lakhs a month after working for the Taj since 1974.

http://www.worldhum.com/travel-blog/item/mumbais-man-in-the-kitchen-39090201/

CIA Chefs in India

I really want to attend the Culinary Institute of America and have been snooping around to see what chefs from India are doing with their CIA degrees. Pretty impressive I must say.

Chef Kishi Arora – Mad over Donuts

Chef Nachiket Shetye – East

Chef Manu Chandra – Olive Beach

Chef Sujith Gangadharan – The Solitaire

Chef Keyur Chandorkar – Indigo

Chef Ajinkya Soundankar – Indigo

-If anyone knows of any other CIA chefs in India let me know so that I can add them to the list.

Mall Food – RCity Mall

The newly half opened mall near Powai – RCity Mall has a couple of places to eat that I’m pretty sure I wont want to eat in. Anyways here’s a list if its your kind of thing

1. Urban Tudka

2. Rajdhani

3. Subway

4. Tibb’s Frankie

Yellow Chilli

Sanjeev Kapoor’s Yellow Chilli has opened up in Hiranandani Gardens above Mainland China. I’ve heard that Yellow Chilli is fairly average. They only have a buffet and is priced pretty well at about 300 rupees. Doesn’t really sound like the kind of restaurant I would want to go to but I’m sure there are a tonne of people who will love it. Does anyone know what restaurant Sanjeev Kapoor has worked in? His website didn’t really bring anything up other than Yellow Chilli. I guess Khana Khazana is what really made him famous.

Tote on the Turf

Rahul Akerkar is coming up with a new restaurant called Tote. Tote will be near Olive’s race course property and will be slightly more upmarket than Indigo. I have been waiting for Tote to open for a long time and it keeps getting delayed for one reason or another. Knowing Rahul Akerkar however, one can be assured that it will be worth the wait. I keep bugging the staff at Indigo for updates on Tote and I always get the ‘opening next month’ line.

Businesstoday did a pretty comprehensive writeup on Tote. The gist of it is -

1. Tote was a building at the race course where punters would set up bets during races and Akerkar decided to keep the name.

2. 25,000 square feet

3. Meal for two should cost about 4000 with a drink

4. Seperate bar, banquet facility and a dining section thats further divided into formal, veranda, outdoor and lounge.

A little snooping around and help from a friend(thanks Nupoor!)  brought me to architect Kapil Gupta’s website for some WIP pictures. Looks pretty branchy to me.

Good Luck Rahul Akerkar!

Henry Tham closed down?

I drove past Henry Tham the other day and was surprised to find it closed. The Henry Tham board was off revealing the previous name of the restaurant. I was of the impression that they were doing pretty well and can only assume that they’re rennovating or sometihng.

EDIT – Jack & Jones and Only opened up a store where Henry Tham once was.

Chefs in India

I was reading about Chef’s in India and realized that there really wasn’t any comprehensive list of Chefs. I’m not sure how much of this information is true so if you know of any changes please let me know.

Chef Rahul Akerkar – Indigo/Indigo Delicatessen/Indigo Cafe/Tote on the Turf

Chef Massimiliano Orlati (Max) – Olive

Chef Manu Chandra – Olive Beach

Chef Vicky Ratnani – Aurus

Chef Hemant Oberoi – Wasabi/Chef’s Studio/Zodiac Grill

Chef Nelson Wang – China Garden

Chef Arindram Bahel – Rodas

Chef Ritu Dalmia – Diva

Chef Sanjeev Kapoor – Yellow Chilli

Chef Moshe Shek – Cafe Moshe/Moshe’s

Chef Imtiyaz Qureshi – Dum Puk

Chef Brainard Colaco – Mocha

Chef Gresham Fernandes – Salt Wate Cafe

Bistro Grill Express

Delivery in Powai has always been either Pizza or Butterchicken and ever since Pizzeria closed down neither has been very good. Bistro Grill Express brings a whole new cuisine to Hiranadani that has been subjected to the same kind of restaurants for far too long. Ofcourse Kareems (Marooush?) also makes Shawarma but the combination of their mediocre service and poor hygiene makes you think twice before giving them a call. Bistro Grill Express offers much better service and much better food. So far I have only tried their shawarma and Chicken Fathayer and have been pretty impressed. The shwarma is pretty standard and is served with a garlic sauce and pickled beetroot that I love. The Fathayer is something I haven’t tried before. Fathayer is minced chicken stuffed into a pocket of dough and baked. I was pretty satisfied and it went great with the garlic sauce that I love. They also serve pizzas with arabic flavoured toppings which is something I would like to try. Delivery times range from twenty to forty minutes and the staff is reasonably polite. I ate at the restaurant once and I’d say its probably a better idea to order home. The restaurant itself is split level so you do feel a little claustrophobic because of the headroom and lack of windows. They had also turned the air conditioning off until we went in which made it uncomfortable until it was finally time to leave. Stick to delivery and you should be fine. As you can tell I am reasonable satisfied with Bistro Grill Express and hope that they are able to survive in Powai where so many places open and close overnight.

Aromas

Aromas joins the hugely successful Cafe Coffee Day and Cafe Mocha to become the fourth coffee shop in Powai. CCD gets a little too crowded and though the food and deserts at Mocha are much better than CCD, the shady crowd often puts you off. Cafe Columbia opened up sometime last year but they had a horrible location and their food was probably the worst of the three. Aromas opened up recently in Hiranandani. Aromas is part of an Australian coffee chain and have entered the Indian market with their Hiranandani outlet. I have been to Aromas twice so far and have not really been that impressed. I ordered a slice of cake that was dry, and maybe a little stale too. A lot of things on the menu weren’t available when I went there which was atleast a good month after they had opened. They serve wine but haven’t started serving beer yet (although its on the menu). I had a mint shake as well which wasn’t strong enough and seemed a little diluted to me. Overall the food was pretty disappointing, perhaps average at best. They also serve breakfast which is something I would like to try. Their location opposite D-Mart can get a bit crowded especially during rush hour though I must admit that I enjoyed watching the chaotic traffic while relaxing inside. They have outdoor seating as well which is nice when the weather is good The interiors are pretty good and its a lot better done up than CCD. However it is more expensive than CCD so I guess that it’s balanced. Service was OK. They messed up my friend’s order and he had to wait a good ten minutes after we got our food. The staff is fairly polite so I guess that its not that bad. Overall I guess this is a pretty nice place to hangout if food isn’t really on the top of your list.