How Big A Foodie Are You?

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Apicius, Atirek, Baklava, Chef Gomes, dream, foodie, Italian, Mediterranean, Mezze, Mumbai, nail ring, Ravioli, restaurant, twilight bazaar, yard glass

How big a foodie are you?

For most foodies, this question challenges their foodieness, tests their very existence as foodies, and gets reactions that range from scratching their heads to a hurried rant to an incredulous ‘You’re joking, right?’

I am not here to tell you the answer – you have to figure this one out all by yourself But when looking for examples of people passionate about food, a few stood out amongst all those I have met on the Eaten Path and I’m going to talk about one such person and his pet food project here.

He’s called Atirek, which means surplus or abundance. And what he has in abundance is a passion for all kinds of food, a desire to experiment with taste and a will to follow his foodie heart into creating a place that pampers the taste buds of fellow foodies. So off he went to a B-school abroad to hone his young ambitions and smart ideas and came back to Mumbai to launch his dream restaurant, Apicius.

Sounds like Greek and Latin? It is… well, almost!

Apicius is an ancient text on gourmet food and luxurious living from around the 4^th century AD, considered the first cookbook ever! So all those who thought cooking was invented by Cordon Bleu, think again! This bible of cooking existed long, long ago, and was compiled by a roly-poly Roman guy, who loved his food and all good things in life, and yes, probably looked a lot like one of the gourmand Romans depicted in the Asterix comics!

But the Apicius here in Mumbai is neither ancient, nor a caricature. It’s a sprawling restaurant and lounge nesting atop a high-rise in the busiest entertainment hub of Mumbai. With its soft colours and graceful chandeliers, this place offers a sober, classy comfort unlike most other flashy and loud eateries in the neighbourhood. Between Atirek’s wild foodie adventures and Chef Gomes’ vast culinary experiences at reputed city restaurants, they have put together a Mediterranean menu with an Italian slant, and somehow managed to keep the prices nice and low!

Of the various dishes on the menu, some items made an impression with their portion size, while others stood out for their clever flavor infusions. The Mezze Platter is definitely one to try, with Fresh Pita bread served with heaps of Tabbouleh, Mutabal, Labneh, Hummous and a handful of Falafals. The Pizza options here may be limited, but the Pasta options are quite varied and fulfill pretty much every pasta whim in terms of shape, sauce, flavours and add-ons. But the one that really stands out is the Spinach and Ricotta Ravioli in a Walnut Mascarpone Sauce – fresh, creamy, and beautifully balanced, this one’s a winner! For entrees, the Pork Fillet in Sage and Mushroom, and the Porcini Risotto are nice but can do with a bit more punch. 

For dessert, the Baklava is a revelation – delicate, flaky, rich and stuffed with nuts, it demands seconds… a rare achievement considering I don’t even LIKE Baklava!  

For those interested more in guzzle than munch, the pub here is one of the few places in the country that serves up your favourite cocktails in Vegas-style yard glasses. Apart from making the fun linger on through the night, these really tall and colourful glasses are really cool things to be seen or clicked with! Speaking of fun, on the day we dined there, a Twilight Bazaar was set up where you could find quaint stuff like Nail Rings (yes, you wear it around your nail, not finger, who would have thought??) and foldaway sunglasses and chubby laughing Buddhas and aromatic soaps that look like delicious puddings…  even a mysterious tarot reader! Very entertaining!

This, then, is the story of Atirek  - a foodie who dreamed of satiating the insatiable appetites of food-lovers, at a place of his own. With no hospitality or culinary expertise, going through many months of very hard work and many hours of really tough negotiations (gathering ALL 52 permits for a new restaurant in Mumbai is no joke!), he has fought terrible odds to launch his dream project and is now running it successfully, in a cut-throat city like Mumbai.

So…. What would YOU do make your foodie dream come true?

Otto Infinito – a delightful slice of the Mediterranean, right here in the city!

Tags

Chef Azad, Cypriot Mixed Grain Salad, lemon, Limoncello, Mediterranean, Otto Infinito, Rock Salt Fish, Sorbet, turnaround

There is something inexplicably soothing about a business district after office-hours on a weekday. The lifts have stopped their annoying, ceaseless pings, the coughing printers have settled into a cosy silence, and the chairs have stopped their dizzy swiveling. The last occupants have left for the day, absently flicking off the lights on their way out, racing to catch the lift door, leaving a hushed, restful, and strangely comforting lacuna behind them…

It was at the end of one such very busy weekday that we found ourselves seated in a softly-lit, open dining area, surrounded by the steel and glass high-rises of the BKC business district zooming up towards the sky around us, collectively sighing in contentment as we settled into a leisurely journey of the culinary delights at Otto Infinito.

A fairly new addition to the Mumbai dining scene, this Mediterranean baby with its offering of hand-picked dishes from France, Italy, Lebanon, Tunisia, Spain, Greece, Turkey and Morocco  – the 8 Mediterranean countries and its infinite culinary options that it represents – has had its teething problems since its birth 6 months ago. But a turnaround was always on the cards, given its pedigree (the successful team behind popular gourmet restaurants Yauatcha and Hakkasan) and presence in a nouveau business district teeming with a captive, yuppie audience. And turnaround they did, guided by the iron hands of Chef Azad, who also picked out a unique and aptly representative menu.

When the same tough Chef stepped up to our table with a friendly smile to ask our preferences, little did we know that a brief exchange on Mediterranean favourites would turn into a ‘3-hour-short’ stimulating conversation on the great chefs of the country and abroad, world cuisines and specialties, the new wave of molecular gastronomy, to city eateries and their wayward journeys, challenges of sourcing gourmet ingredients locally and even the role of Bollywood music in food! The Chef recommended a whole huge selection from the menu, and we joined in with gusto.

The Hot Potato Cold Potato Soup, lightly flavoured with black truffle oil, came and went quickly, as did the Crunchy Harissa Prawns and the surprisingly juicy Tahina Chicken skewers. When the deliciously crunchy and refreshing Cypriot Mixed Grain Salad arrived next, the conversation immediately shifted gear to our mutual favourite, George Calombaris of Masterchef Australia, and how the Aussies can’t get enough of this signature dish at his iconic Greek restaurant Helenic Republic in Melbourne (as George had smilingly confided to me right after my win at the Masterchef Cook-off in Mumbai!)

And then it was time for some supper theatre! The Rock Salt Fish arrived in a large pan straight from the oven, the whole foot-long fish crusted in a brick-like coating of coarse salt. Our server, with a flair for performance, chipped lightly away at the hard crust while chatting constantly, and revealed the soft, delicately-flavoured fish underneath, which landed on our plates briefly before melting on our tongues completely! The Kofte Tagine, served in the traditional cone-shaped earthenware pot, and the Moroccan Spare Ribs, with a lightly spiced side of couscous, were very nicely done. A lot to eat? You bet! But good food is seldom wasted, so we licked our plates clean of every last morsel before collapsing back on our comfortable chairs to breathe.

But wait, there was more! Chef Azad refused to let us go without giving us a taste of his dessert selection and insisted we take a walk around the kitchen to make some tummy space for the next round of debauchery. So we walked straight into a bee-hive of activity, with blazing ovens and sputtering pans and dishes getting dolled up on the pass and waiters whizzing them away.  And yet, with all the flurry of activity, it was a surprisingly clean and organized space, sporting scrubbed steel surfaces, a giant pastry dough sheeter and fancy ovens with delicious dishes happily bubbling away inside.

Back at the serenity of our al fresco table, the desserts laid out ceremoniously looked so inviting – a Limoncello Sorbet, a Baked Cheesecake and a Belgian Chocolate Cake. The cheesecake was a tad dry. The Chocolate Cake collapsed wickedly into a rich gooey mess as our server poured caramel sauce on it, and it was entirely up to us how much of the mess we wanted to clean up with our spoons, forks and finally fingers. But the Sorbet was a revelation!

A perfect foil for an elaborate meal, it was weightless, tangy-sweet, fresh as rain, and served in a whole large Sorrento Lemon shell to remind you of its natural, piquant goodness. Sheer brilliance!

Throughout the evening, Teddy was suspiciously well-behaved, minding his Ps and Qs, contributing much more than his usual monosyllables between mouthfuls towards the food-centric conversation at the table. And then the inevitable happened! While casually licking off the last drop of sauce from the collapsed Chocolate Cake, he quietly placed an order for 2 MORE Limoncello Sorbets, without batting an eyelid, just for himself!!! And then, to the Chef’s obvious glee, promptly finished them up within seconds, all by himself! Hmpf!

Plate-Licker’s Wisdom: I love turnaround stories, don’t you? Especially if they’re this good! So I’m planning to turn around and go back to Otto Infinito, and it’s true and honest Mediterranean offerings – maybe this time for their elaborate 10-course tasting menu, if I can beat the queues

Brewpub in Mumbai? Deer Me!

Tags

ale, Beer, Ben Johnson, Greg Kroitzsh, microbrewery, Mumbai, nightlife, pub

This one’s a short piece, simply because there are a few zillion things waiting to be written about and I don’t want to deprive you all of the exciting stuff that’s brewing…

And speaking of brewing, just did a quick stop-by (read 2 hours!) at Barking Deer, Mumbai’s brand new beer bar and all-day restaurant that’s soon going to see a lot of action. Why? Because its a great looking place with good food and beer! Not enough? Get this! In a few short weeks, it is going to be Mumbai’s first micro brewery, sloshing out mugfuls of foaming craft beer to the ale-lovers of the city!

The warm, woody interiors of Barking Deer, Mumbai’s first brewpub.

The unassuming entrance to Barking Deer is right behind Blue Frog, Lower Parel, almost hidden behind a large events calender standee. But once you push open the pub door, the antler-like corner beams, and copper brewing vats gleaming wickedly behind the expansive bar, transport you to a large, happy, hunting lodge. As you pull up outback chairs and settle alongside the rough-hewn tables, you can almost hear the horses neighing and hounds barking in the background!!

Despite being ready for more than a year, it has only managed to open a month or so ago, thanks to the usual woes of entrepreneurial food ventures in the city. (Here’s a caustic take on the whole situation – a board-game called ‘R.I.P Mumbai Nightlife’ in Mumbai Boss, devised in sheer frustration during the maximum city’s ‘darkest’ nightlife phase!). Someone in our group even joked about how the authorities were probably trying to figure out if microbrewing was the same as brewing illicit ‘Desi’ or ‘country’ liquor Alright Bangaloreans – Chaitu, maybe Arvind and Reshmi, too? – we hear you! You may be far ahead in brewing craft beers, but by what time do you have to drink up your fancy ales and leave the bar? 11 pm, did you say?? We heart you!

Continuing on the bright side of things here in Mumbai, this pub is now open, has a good selection of imported and Indian beers along with interesting menu options of food cooked with beer, and even a few beer-based cocktails that will cool your summer afternoons down nicely!

Cheers to brewmaster Ben Johnson and towering dynamo Greg Kroitzsh, the Bostonian managing partner of owning company Seven Islands Craft Brewery, who stuck to it despite odds and fought hard to give us this good-looking watering hole. May the beer be with you!

Plate-licker’s Wisdom : Teddy, who likes the concept of beer-drinking more than beer itself, had this to say… ‘Ale is well that ends well!’