White Owl

My friend, fellow diner and frequent punching bag Nikhil Merchant (@nikhil_merchant) has taken his skills out to the restaurant world. In collaboration with Chef Kshama of The White Owl, a special new menu has been created and they were kind enough to invite a bunch of us over to check out his creations. 

the first thing out were the poached eggs on garlic toast with mushrooms on a murette sauce, a fairly classic French dish this one, was tremendous. I love poached eggs to begin with, the sauce was perfect but the mushrooms were just stunning. Should have had more. 

the Asian style mango salad with julienned veggies and a hint of chilli, was a spot on summery salad. 

pumpkin gnocchi casserole, im not a fan of pumpkin, while the dish tasted okay, my pumpkin prejudice does not allow to offer a better take. 

the bleu cheese quiche was a tad low on the bleu but tasted okay as quiches go. 

Overall, i thought the food was pretty inventive, not your usual safe generic fare. 

Having dined at Nik's a few times, i reckon he should do more of these and feel free to experiment. and if you ever get invited over to his place for a meal, insist on the sizzler. 

Geoffreys

Everyone has a fav bar or place to drink up, ours is Geoffreys at the Marine Plaza on Marine Drive. The place is built like a traditional English pub except for the music (though its usually good but too loud)


There is plenty of atmosphere and the place has its regulars, you will it gets a lot of the after work crowd but not to the extent where it is a corporate bar.

The coolest things about Geoffreys is tha they offer the best snacks in the country. Peanuts are ok but the chips and FIERY salsa go down so well with the drinks. You can go through 3-4 bowls in an evening and then it gives you trouble the next day but its a treat.
The service can be slow sometimes but it is never problematic, over the weekend or during sporty season it gets fairly well packed. Been going there since it opened and its never disappointed. They have a decent food menu as well, not much for vegetarians unfortunately but the Paneer Tikka is great.

Geoffreys
Marine Plaza Hotel,
Marine Drive

Quay - A new nightspot

Name : Quay
Location : Above Fine Dine, Chowpatty

Recently i got a chance to party at the Quay which is a new nightspot in town, located above Fine Dine bang on Chowpatty. Wife and I with one of the managing partners Sumit Singhania and his wife Vandana
Overall the the place isn't very large, they can accommodate about 60 people, so it is a cozy little joint. The place itself is quite new and it hasn't hit the news yet, as the management is waiting until the end of the monsoon to begin its PR assault on the people to get the crowds rolling in time for party season this year.

turn the beat around!!!

The place itself is quite classy in its decoration, with ample and variety of seating form bar stools and tables to hammocks and couches. With enough space for one who wants to shake a leg.

DJ Amit was in the house playing some really cool electronic and house which you don't get to hear much in this town. It seems they are going for the niche crowd that wants to listen to some very cool music and hang out with friends.

DJ Amit & his lovely wife Prachi

Another special thing about Quay is that the food is pretty good, they have some nice appetizers to go for with your drinks (reasonably priced Teq + Red Bull at 275, Gin n Tonic at 220)the wait staff is slightly slow but polite and friendly.

Quay has the potential of becoming a niche, player with an upper end crowd, interested in house, a good bite to eat and a little tipple.

The management is new and they have some good plans to make the place popular right before party season starts. Some great nights, new additions are on the anvil.

Bars, Clubs & Lounges - S.Bombay

A low down on the places i like and frequent.

Geoffreys
Is this quaint but lively pub that plays some loud music and serves a mean pint. The crowd is a mix of older distinguished folk, yuppies and expats. They serve chips and salsa which is the best free munchy in the history of free munchies. They also do a really really good paneer tikka. Drinks to get are a mean Mojito a decent bloody mary. Any night out involves a stop over at Geoffrey's either at the beginning or at the end, after all it is our local.

Salt Water Grill
Although a halfway decent yet inconsistent restaurant, SWG makes a great place to just sit down and sip some Shiraz. It has one of the best views money cant buy. Equal parts open sea, concrete jungle and city lights. The ambiance towards sun set is terrific and has all the makings of a magical evening.

Dome
This rooftop bar at the Intercontinental is without a doubt the best located bar in the city bar none. The view is worth a million bucks as is ably supported by the minimalist decor. There is ample seating with comfortable couches for groups and small tables for two-somes. The drinks are on the expensive side, the snacks are weak, the dessert is on the money however. A must visit.

Indigo
One of the best restaurants in the city is also one of the better bars. The entire set up is more or less part of the 'scene' that aside, its a great place to plonk down and catch up with friends. The drinks are actually 'not' on the disgustingly expensive side, even though the restaurant is one of the more expensive ones in the city.



Opium Den
Opium Den, is located in the Oberoi Hilton and is actually not one of the more popular bars around. You may actually end up here on a Sat night and find the place less than half full. This isnt all bad (especially when you are trying to set up a group of 20 on a busy night) It is an extremely comfortable place and can be a boon when you want to be out but not around noise.

Wink
Wink is the minimalist bar that replaced the Library Bar at the Taj President. Its a very well designed dimly lit place, with comfy couches and cosy tables. They play some very cool Buddha bar music and serve sushi and some satay. Overall its a very chilled out place though unnecessarily loud at times.
Henry Tham
Henry Tham is another very popular hangout located in Colaba opp the Indigo Deli. It is also a restaurant but more popular as an evening out than just plain eating. The crowd is usually younger and it gets packed very quickly.