We were invited by Mr. And Mrs. Bagvala
[names changed to protect their identities] to dinner at The Table, a Fine Dining
restaurant at the Gateway of India. I must start by saying it was a fantastic
meal, the food was top notch and more than that the food was really innovative.
It was not the usual quasi Italian quasi Mexican quasi Oriental cheese and
carbohydrate laden food that passes as Continental food in today’s restaurants.
This was really new food. I will go so far as to say that this was the finest `Continental’
food I have had in India in the last 10 years. It was imaginative, well cooked,
excellently presented in custom made serving dishes and above all, tasted
excellent.
For those in the know, Alex Sanchez who was
the Chef at The Table has since departed. I do not know if this is correct. The
restaurant describes its cuisine as `ingredient
driven, focusing on simplicity and purity of flavour, a philosophy inherited
from Chef Alex Sanchez’s native San Francisco’. This is a two level
restaurant done up in wood with a lot of wrought iron, pleasant to the eye with
a bright red rather macabre painting at the top of the stairs. I was rather
surprised that the restaurant was only at 50% or less capacity though it was a
Wednesday night. By contrast Indigo Deli located just 25 meters away was packed
to the rafters.
Soon after seating we were handed the menu as
well as the wine list which I glanced at. I was not drinking as I was driving.
The Wines themselves were not very many with what looked to me like a 33%
Indian wine selection and the remaining global. Not impressive but not
something to sneeze at. I know for a fact that the ITC Grand Maratha has a much
larger selection, anyway, that is not the point. A bottle of Bodega Norton Malbec
which sells at the ITC Grand Maratha for Rs 4,000/- was available
here at Rs. 3,500/-. Is that expensive? A bottle of Santa
Rita 120 Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile which we drink at home costs Rs. 1,300/-
at Shah Wines while it was being sold at Rs. 2,900/-. A decent price to pay at
a restaurant.
A most decent bread basket |
Mrs. Bagvala took charge and ordered
starters for the table. She is a reasonable regular at the restaurant and was
familiar with what was what. A most popular dish is Zucchini Spaghetti with
Almonds and Parmesan. This is served warm with a Balsamic dressing. Mrs.
Bagvala warned the waiter that she would not accept a soggy dish. I must say
that the waiter’s promise of not serving a soggy dish was met. The dish was
excellent. The Zucchini was cut into strands to resemble Spaghetti and probably
sautéed. Parmesan was grated at the table. Really top class and something I
have never had before. It was polished off in seconds.
The next starter she ordered was described on
the menu as Boneless Chicken “Wings” with a Ginger Glaze. Total knock-out of a
dish. This was a genuine creation, something I have not seen ever before. From
what I could figure out Chicken Skin and stripped meat from the wings was
probably pressed into a sort of cake and then cooked in an oven. Cubes were cut
dressed with the Glaze and served. Fantastic dish. I am glad Mrs. Bagvala took charge.
The Chicken `Wings' |
The Burger with Blue Cheese |
Grouper Roasted in Japanese Aromatics with Spring Onion Fondue and Spinach |
A few days after the meal I have written
about in the previous paragraphs, we once again dined at the Table. In light of
the excellent food we had eaten we ordered exactly the same things again.
However, we had some additional people we were dining with. Senior Mrs
Stonethrower ordered a Korean Barbeque Beef on a Kimchi Pancake with Scallions, Mung Bean Sprouts
and a Horseradish Cream. We all had a forkful to taste. This was a really good
dish.
There was a Red Snapper also on the menu. This was served with Curried Quinoa, Fresh Fennel Slices and some sort of Broth. I am afraid I cannot recall what the dish was exactly. But this dish too was pronounced as really good.
The Red Snapper without the broth and then with the broth poured on. |
As I have said earlier, a really good meal, really good food and food that genuinely excited us. I regret the fact that I have not eaten at the Table before. I plan to remedy that and eat there a few times. Mind you it is pricey, the burgers cost Rs. 1,200/- plus plus but they are really good.
Go there soon. I recommend it. The Table is
far superior to Indigo and certainly better than Indigo Deli. I do not think
there a better restaurant serving `Continental’ food in Mumbai.