Maritime by San Lorenzo

Rest : Maritime by San Lorenzo

Loc : Taj Lands End, Bandra
Meal : Dinner

English restaurants have found an affinity for Bombay that American's have not. After Yauatcha and Hakkasan now we have San Lorenzo from the shores of good old England. The menu is traditional Italian but they are more popular for being a celeb hangout (although i have had lunch at their Wimbledon joint which was thankfully celeb free)  

Maritime replaces Pure, what was then one of the most expensive and pointless restaurants in Bombay. The decor surprisingly has not changed all that much and nothing to suggest that they have been ostentatious about opening after two years. 

the bread was not quite the freshest. 

Served as the insalata tricolore but its basically a caprese with an avocado. Light on taste, a little drizzle or dressing would have gone a long way. Still, the ingredients were fresh and worked well. 

fresh but boring.

everyone has a recipe for the minestrone so there really isn't the right way or the wrong way to do it. What it needs is to taste good, this one was okay at first but it got better as we dug deeper. Found some lentils in there too, which was a first for me. 

The Spaghetti Schillaci is one of their signature dishes apparently. A dish this simple, (tomato, basil chillies) has to be done perfect but again, things are on the blander side. The freshness of the ingredients wins out but there is practically nothing going on here. 

The risotto was more porcini less truffles but i dont blame em at 850 bucks you don't even get a peep at a truffle let alone a dish. A tad dry, a little wine maybe might have given it a bit of a kick. Decent but nothing spectacular. 

the disappointment of the evening was this. I bypassed the tiramisu, the highly recommended crepes for some home made gelato. Why i do this i dont know... my impulses are nearly always wrong. The gelato might have been home made in Italy but probably in January last year. Severely annoyed with this choice. 

Overall, the place is an all round disappointment. The food is underwhelming and very light on flavour. The portions are a blot on an Italian mother's kitchen. Not cheap either.

I considered the cheese platter they had on offer but the Mrs is not one to let me indulge so it was nixed. Since i was driving the port was nixed. All around, not the greatest of birthday meals. From next year onwards I'm skipping new places and sticking to old favs.

Service was quick, friendly and efficient.

Food : 6/10

Service : 8/10
Damage : 4500 without drinks