Rest : Olive
Meal : Sunday Brunch
Loc : Pali Hill, Bandra (West)
I have not been one for Sunday brunches, not for me is the expansive spread, the limitless alcohol and the copious consumption. Sunday for me is preferably something light, something interesting and no alcohol. Of late i have even given up serious lunching on Sunday afternoons, instead i prefer catching a flick and then heading to a bookstore.
This Sunday however turned out to be different. A few of my mates from college and the wives decided to get together to spend the afternoon feasting. The initial plan was to head to Indigo, however since a few were coming in from the suburbs we decided upon Olive in Bandra
I have never been very fond of Olive, they have always been a part of the party and social scene and been less about the food. Leaning towards form rather than function. Yet, here we were.
Things began very quickly with a severely watered down Mojito. Absolutely unimpressive. Stick to the caipiroska
The bloody mary was up next, impressive, i wish they had added the ice before to chill it nicely, it was jalapeno infused giving it the additional bite.
the shiraz was dry, not my fav wine in the world this one.
The daquiri was like a fresh lime soda on steroids..
The white gold was white wine, apple juice and apples. Not bad, although not my thing, the girls loved it.
After drinking like sailors on shore leave, we got together to scramble out to the food, which was laid out inviting and attractive.
the spread is expansive but not excessive. Mediterranean with some mezze. There are salads (caprese, cous cous, peppers) all pretty good. On the money.
The Asparagus was average but the Dips (hummus, tzatziki, harissa)were splendid.
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The mushrooms were average as was the terrine
the pita chips were way too crunchy, not fun to dip.
the paella was distressingly like a risotto, not bad but nothing spectacular either.
The Arabbiata was average, not great flavour no great taste.
The grill section had paneer (cottage cheese) mushrooms and potato. Possibly the most fun thing of all, really enjoyed the soft, tasty paneer, the spicy mushroom and the buttery potato.
The pizza was surprisingly bad, as attractive as it looked, thin, crispy, inviting, the sauce had absolutely no flavour, completely sour and tasteless.
The dessert counter was fairly expansive, the tiramisu was nice, the rum n raisin on sticks was decent too. I really liked my chocolate covered strawberries.
Overall, the ambiance was fun and youthful, the space was packed and its advisable to get a table if going out for Sunday brunch.
The food unfortunately was below par in almost every respect. Quite shocking that they got their pasta and pizza wrong which should be essentially second nature to them. They have a few hits but the entire meal was littered by misses.
While we had a fantastic time, due to the company and in no small part the booze, I have never regretted not being a regular patron of Olive, they have never tried to prove me wrong.
Food : 5/10
Service : 6/10
Damage : 1500 + taxes per person inclusive of cocktails.
Olive Bar & Grill
Pali Hill Tourist Hotel, 14 Union Park, Khar (W), Mumbai
Phone: 26058228
The restaurant has a classy indoor section where no one was seated. Everyone chose the dimly lit but very attractive outdoors section as did we. The water is in the distance but the January air is just about perfect to sit outdoors and feel no discomfort.
Although the name is Italian and the menu is Italian heavy, it traverses all corners of the Mediterranean. Pasta, mezze & tagine are on the menu as well as some very interesting side dishes.
i prefer diet coke but you take what you can get..
The meal starts of with their bread service which is probably the best of any place. Warm pita and foccacia served wih a side of olive n pest, tomato and tahina. We went through possibly three servings, excellent stuff. Set some high expectations for the rest of the meal..
We chose the cold mezze, Tzatziki which is a garlic and yoghurt based dip, fresh feta cheese and dolmades, which are stuffed vine leaves. Initially i wanted the feta cheese salad, unfortunately our server (more on him later) could not tell us what was in it. Well, he said everything was in it but couldnt elaborate further.
The dolmades were just horribly icky tasting, Mabruk does them really well, these felt a little disgusting and paan (betel)like.
While they have an extensive pasta menu, we decided to skip the pasta and go for the pizza. They have a wood burning oven and it was not a difficult choice. The traditional margeritha was thin and perfect, a must have whilst here.
The vegetable tagine was also on the menu and since we were intent on trying the unusual, we went for it. Ive had tagine before, quite a few places, its usually a veggie heavy broth with a kick. Unfortunately this one was just heavy handed with lumpy vegetables, no great taste or nothing. Very Disapppointing. Moshe does a far superior version.
It was also served with an apology for couscous. I mean look at it, why even bother throwing it out there?
So we ordered more, fortunately the portion this time was a lot more appropriate.Res : Tote
Meal : -
Loc : Race Course, Mahalaxmi
Tote is a pretty decent restaurant with a superlative ambiance. Having been there twice for dinner, i really wanted to try out their humongous bar.
Located on the mezzanine, the bar is nearly 40 feet long and has a row of comfy couches opposite it. There is another level above. It is safely one of the largest bars in the city if not the country.
We were there on a weeknight and the dining space was pretty packed, however the bar was not so full. We got in around 10.30, there was a trickle of people into the space as the night wore on (teens, adults, celebs) but the space never got quite packed.
I got a regular bloody mary, versus the Tote Mary which is with a dash of Balsam… i like my cocktails classic. The Sangria is the same formula developed at Indigo Deli. While i do enjoy it, its ultimately all about using cheap wine, sweetening it and serving it to gullible folk (in Spain anyway)
Now, Tote has a tremendous bar food menu, probably some of the best seen yet. The herbed goat cheese looked so desperately inviting but the wife nixed the idea due to the extra calories, which i very obviously dont need anymore.
Instead we chose the falafal, sundried tomato chips with a blackbean hummus. That is pretty much as awesome as it sounds. I cant wait to go back just to try the rest of the foods menu. They also offer a selection of olives as munchies, nothing special that, except they had these fried cloves of garlic in there. Talk about using your imagination and elevating a simple bowl of olives to another plane...
Overall: The ambiance is great, the crowd is decent and the service slowish. Pricing wise, its a well priced bar, especially when compared to places like Wink & Aer. Considering the recent price increase at Geoffreys and the stale ambiance, Tote is my new local !
Food : 9/10
Service : 7/10
Damage : For 2 drinks, a mocktail and a snack 2500
Tote
Mahalaxmi Racecourse,
Opposite Gate No. 4 & 5,
Phone: 61577777
The menu is not limited nor is it expansive, somewhere comfortably in the middle, a small selection of soups, plenty of appetizers/salads/entrees, they also offer red, green, yellow and massaman pak for curries. The wine list unfortunately is hopeless and overpriced, especially if you are going by glass.
The ambiance is brilliant, Thai Pavilion underwent a major redesign around two years ago, designed by Noriyoshi Muramatsu of Super Potato fame. It was money well spent, you are surrounded by a potent mix of glass, wood and wine bottles which all comes together in minimalist form. The chairs could have been closer together.
beware of the hot sauce.. trust me and stay the hell away from it
after a lot of painful handwringing and analysis i chose a diet coke over an overpriced glass of wine or a mojito.
Mine was off the charts, coconut base with veggies and , a rich, thick broth with an intense taste, exactly what i expected.
Green beans with bean curd in a garlic infused sauce, the dish was pretty much incredible. Sweet, spicy with a distinct flavour, highly recommended. Paired with the most delicate pad thai noodles i have ever had.
For dessert we had the platter. which served a chocolate macaroon with a lemon grass aftertaste, very good but i could have done without the aftertaste. There was pumpkin with something which was just sick. Another which had rose petals inside it and tasted like a liquid pan. The stand out was a simple and perfectly executed creme brulee.
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