Indigo

Rest : Indigo
Loc : Colaba, Behind the Taj
Meal : Lunch

Indigo has been around for a while, i have been there quite a few times now and have admired their willingness to experiment. Despite the years, the ambiance of the place is still quite stellar, dining in an old Colaba bungalow is like a bit of a time warp. 

They have recently launched a Prix-Fixe and they had us over. A Prix-Fixe is a good idea but it hasn't taken off in India yet, although a few do offer it (Zia, Souk, the erstwhile Pure) but its an idea worth pursuing. The three course Prix Fixe is only available for lunch and one gets to choose from a dozen dishes each for the first two courses and six desserts.

We sat next to the lovely Miss Malini  (Twitter : @MissMalini) the conversation was entertaining and one can see why she is Queen Bee !

Indigo has always done decent cocktails, the mojito was pretty good, the frozen lemon thingy was way, way too tangy.

The Baby Beet with Horseradish Panacotta was okay, Indigo has some sort of a fetish for Beet, seen plenty of it over the years. Never been a big fan, while this wasn't too bad, it was nothing special. 

The Salad of Green Asparagus with Labneh was pretty good. Enjoyable.

Potato & Roasted Ricotta with artichokes, delicious. Dish worked pretty well. The potato was almost ravioli like, filled nicely. Good stuff.

The Grilled Portobello was stellar, just brilliant, however it was marred with the barley risotto which was completely unnecessary. No special flavour here, something slightly sweeter on flavour or perhaps going for a salty finish with cheese would have worked better. 

The Pana Cotta with Rhubarb confit & Champagne consommé was a total let down. Did not work at all. the consommé tasted like a cough syrup as one of the diners mentioned. 

The chocolate raspberry meringue tart was pretty good, very well done, the texture was a little too grainy for my liking but it was quite stunning by itself. 

Overall, the ambiance is great, the service impeccable, if a tad slow. I am not a fan of the weird shaped dishes and the very uncomfortable silver ware, makes for a weird experience. 

As for the food, while there were hits and misses, if you can pick the right ones, you can have a pretty good meal. Plenty of options for vegetarians as well.

Price wise, its a tad on the higher side(1320 with taxes) but what one would expect at Indigo. A thousand bucks ain't what it used to be. I could see myself do a working lunch here if in the area. 

ITC Hornbys Pavilion

Rest : Hornby's Pavilion
Meal : 3am snack 

Loc : ITC Grand Central, Lalbaugh 

Returning from a night out we decided to stop by the ITC for a much needed meal. The place was totally empty when we walked in, a gentleman out of uniform was doing some maintenance work.. which is bad form.

The tomato soup has usually been pretty stellar, it was on the best things they served at the late hour, however the soup was quite tangy and sweetish, certainly nowhere close to their usual high standard.

the bread basked has not changed in ages. not but not great either.

The veggie burger is actually two burgers, not too bad, come with some home style fries and some really nice relish, more relish would rock.

Overall, the service was quick and friendly however they were very noisy, kept dropping things all over the place. Dishes, silver ware... i know its late and only two people there but no reason to take things lightly.

Food : 7/10
Service : 7/10
Damage : 900

Otto Infinito

Rest : Otto Infinito
Meal : Lunch
Loc : Bandra Kurla Complex

Been trying to make it out to Otto Infinito for a few days but it never really worked out. Fortunately i as in BKC for a busy afternoon and though located close to LPQ & CPK we decided to head on down to Ottto Infinito which is a few minutes away.

Moment i got out of the car i was hit up for 30 bucks for valet parking.. come on Otto.. really? no subtler way of doing this?I just happened to have cash but i live on my credit card.. the Four Seasons pulled this on me once and I pretty much left on general principal... this time I was with people so I had to behave.

 

The space reminds one of the Bandra Indigo Deli, they share a similar color scheme. Although its nice to be in a large pillar less space. Since it was 4pm the place was empty and we were lucky they were serving lunch.

The menu as the name would suggest is Italian/Mediterranean which is di rigueur for a cafe nowadays. There is a selection of the usual, soup/salad/appetizers/sandwiches/wraps/ pasta etc. The menu is wide enough to appeal to most diners, it is playing a little safe though.. a little risk would have been interesting.

The iced tea was okay, lemon only.. tad on the sweeter side, works better if you let people choose pour their own sugar syrup.

Everyone has their own Minestrone (250) recipe, theirs is not bad at all. Quite enjoyed it, throw in a little pasta in there and we really have something hearty, nonetheless good stuff.

The Mezze dip (295) consist of roast tomato which is pretty good, the labneh which was top notch as well. The moutabal and the hummus were not bad but the harissa was downright bad. They also serve some platters and salads which look pretty interesting.

The tagine (385) isnt something you find at many places around the city, (souk, olio, amadeus) this one was not bad at all, certainly among the better ones. It was certainly the smallest of the portions i have had, the couscous was good although im not a fan of pomegranate in my food.

The Quattro Formagi (595) comprised of gorgonzola, parmesan, scarmoza and goats cheese It was thin and delicious but i saw some broccoli in there and in the words of the great Wayne Knight/Newman its a 'vile reed' and it should come with a warning.

The tiramisu  (250) was creamy and quite ordinary.

 

The cafe mocha (110) was yummy all credit to whatever machine they used.

Overall the space is nice but quite unfortunately located in BKC of all places perhaps it will catch on. The layout and ambiance is upscale and comfortable, unlike most newer places the seating is unlike a can of sardines. 

The food is not bad but there is truly nothing unique on offer, except for the tagine one can get most dishes just about anywhere. A little risk, a little imagination especially for a new place would have gone a long way. Worth a go especially if you are in the area.

Service was quick and friendly but then we were the only ones there.

Food : 7/10
Service : 8/10
Damage : 2400 for 2.