Gateway
GASTRO TRAVELLER
NOT REALLY INDIAN
A Unique Homecoming Address Maker Maxity, North Avenue 2, Bandra Kurla Complex, Mumbai Reservations (022) 3000 5040 Timings 12 noon to midnight Meal for two `5,000 (with alcohol)
T
he food is clearly the invincible star at N.R.I. (Not Really Indian), the latest entrant to Mumbai’s foodscape. N.R.I. is the perfect, edgy spin to diaspora food. Carefully crafted and served in zero-fuss interiors. There are Victorian lamp posts, and seating that easily pulls a leaf out of the squat space at railway stations in the 1920s. The overall assembly sends you down the sepia-toned lane, setting the
MOLECULE
Food In The Time Of War Address SCO 53, 4th floor, Sector 29, Gurgaon Reservations (0) 88266 77705 Timings 12 noon to midnight Meal for two `2,000 (with alcohol)
A
dolf Hitler is definitely not the first name that crops up in our head, when we think of food. But this new brewery and restaurant in Gurgaon’s bustling Leisure Valley makes the rather unusual connection; in fact, their menu even features an entire section called Hitler’s Army Will Walk By Your Table. Perhaps not what one would expect on a fun Sunday evening, but an intriguing concept, nevertheless. The décor here is themed on World War II—the German and American war, to be specific—so you’ll find bunker-style interiors, sunken leather couches, waiters dressed in camouflage and a war memorabilia-like menu. There’s also an ‘air’ bar on the terrace with sweeping views of the area. Walking into the spacious main bar is like entering an eerie war-torn chemistry lab; the walls are heavy with atoms and chemical bonds, and the food here is a heady journey into a brave new world of molecular gastronomy where liquid nitrogen
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mood for a relaxed meal. Savour the superb selection borrowed from Kochhar’s iconic Benares restaurant at Mayfair in London. The Mumbai Martini from the wellstocked bar sets the tone for the evening with its perfectly stirred sour-ish kadi patta concoction. Easily the signature cocktail. Try the kumquat-infused Durban Cooler for its citrusy punch. Pind da Hummus comes
a close second with spices rolled with chickpea paste, teamed with fried dal wadas. The Dal Makhni (from the India Waale section) nails the flavours in the slowly cooked overnight, creamy lentil creation. The Chicken Liver Masala on toast hits bull’s-eye. Bunny Chow Mutton arrives as a fresh, plump, soft bun with a yummy mutton belly, packed with slivered capsicum, carrots, bits of roasted papad and banana chips. A meritworthy recreation from the Indian kitchens in South Africa.
The piece de resistance on the menu is the offal dish, Ti Cari D Agneau. The spicily stroked innards simply melt on the tongue; a feat facilitated by soaking them overnight in milk. Tuck into the dish with the rather khasta Buss Up Shut Roti. Nothing sums up the experience at the restaurant better than the milk chocolate and passion fruit cake with aam papad. N.R.I. is a winsome concept, with its compact menu celebrating Indian food in its global diversity. —Shilpi Madan
PRIZE PLATE Dalim Shakarkandi, sweet potato with blobs of imli chutney, with ruby pomegranate and crunchy moong dal strewn all over, intermingling with the flavour of fresh coriander. Crowned with starshaped yogurt foam.
flirts with local spices to create delectable spheres and foams. We kicked off the evening with a warm apple cider and a refreshing cucumber and basil lemonade spiked with vodka. The Ghee Roast Soya Keema is big on presentation; while we didn’t care much for the mini Malabar parathas on the hanger (they’d become cold and dry in seconds), the horse-radish salad in a cute little pressure cooker was a nice touch. The Quattro Formaggi Kulcha with aam papad chutney is a stroke of genius, one of those rare fusion experiments that delivers. We didn’t get a chance to try some of their much talked-about Molecular Winter Berry Salad, Re De-constructed Tokri Chaat or the Teppanyaki-style Imitation of Rasmalai, but gorged instead on the Gulab Jamun Carpaccio Cheesecake and Rasgulla Tiramisu with rum caviars and coffee foam. With enough drama and oodles of flavour to boot, this newbie has the potential to become a go-to spot for afterwork party scenes. —Harini Sriram
PRIZE PLATE The uber-light air-bread stuffed with four types of cheese, topped with peri peri chicken and green chilli caviar is a perfect way to begin your meal.
THE OPEN BOX
Funky Town Address 4th fl oor, Halcyon Complex, St Mark’s Road, Bengaluru—560001 Reservations (080) 41290055 Timings Noon to 11.30 pm; open until 1 am on Fridays and Saturdays Meal for two `2,000 (with alcohol)
E
ven though it’s located on the busy St Mark’s Road, The Open Box, perched on a fourth-floor terrace, shuts out the noise and chaos. A sprawling space, it is divided into many sections done up with spunky colours and design elements. The funkiness is carried over to the menu as well, in terms of names of the dishes and cocktails. The bar menu has a lot going for it, but the cocktails are our top pick. With interesting names such as Science Project, Cuban Goli, PRIZE PLATE Genie in a Bottle and Drip The food is really good but Me Tight, these drinks caught the cocktails slightly tip the balance. Drip Me Tight our attention. The food menu is served in a drip-style too continues with the wacky contraption and Science theme; some of them are Project comes in lab blatantly tongue-in-cheek, but equipment and the drink fun nevertheless. Bring Back changes colour. my Maggi to Me is a delightful mix of soup and noodles that you can slurp on, the refreshing Phirangi Pani is chilled avocado soup in pani puri, Hummosa is crispy smashed samosa, hummus and tabbouleh and actually tastes quite good, Meri Cheese Teri Chilli is a mirchi bhaaji stuffed with cheese, Samurai Bacon Wrap has a juicy prawn in the middle, and the Vegetarian Manchurian Pizza has spicy, cheesy, generous morsels on thin crust pizza. Dishes like Daal Lasagne, Happy Ending Biryani (Thai curry biryani) and Lamb Rendang Spaghetti take fusion food to a whole new level. A crazy meal like this can only be rounded off with an equally decadent and fun dessert, like the baked cheese cake and creamy ice-cream infused with paan. —Anita Rao Kashi FEBRUARY 2016
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