House of Lloyd & Cecconi's at Soho House

April has been a month of eating dangerously. We have done the unthinkable. We ate at, if my memory serves me, 6 new places in Mumbai. By new, I mean places we have never been to. Very adventurous on our part. Out of character. The restaurants were:

Farzi Café at Phoenix Mills – A light lunch. Very disappointing. Very well presented food, but missing everything by a mile. Not recommended.

Miss T replacing Busaba in Colaba – The food had Oriental flavours but beyond that rubbish. Don’t go.

Nara Thai at BKC – Part of the Kishore Bajaj empire. Very good. Very lively. Fully recommended.

Soda Bottle Openerwalla at BKC – A wonderful replication of Irani restaurants, honestly. No complaints with the food. Fully recommended.

If this was not enough, our friends Mr. and Mrs. AA whom you would recall from Yauatcha and bars in Bandra, called and we decided to meet. Mr. and Mrs. AA are like Captain Cook, they are always out to discover new places. So, we placed ourselves in their reliable hands.

What a wonderful decision made by Mr. and Mrs. AA. Drinks at Cecconi’s at Soho House Juhu followed by dinner at House of Lloyd across the road. I was delighted. My quest for good Goan food would continue, House of Lloyd is a restaurant specializing in Goan food.

Cecconi’s was a most pleasant experience. The Bar is on the ground floor and from the airconditioned section you lead out to an al fresco area by the beach. Hot sticky sea breeze tried to cool us. A few beers were ordered and some G&T. Sitting out was nice though, not very pleasant. My beer bottle was wet with condensation and the beer got warm pretty soon. I arrested the temperature rise by wrapping my napkin around the bottle. I do recommend the bar at Soho House. The drinks were quite expensive, or so I thought. A bottle of Kingfisher was Rs 300 ++. Not outrageous but stiff. A large Gin, Tanqueray was Rs 750++.

House of Lloyd is a branch of the original which is in Goa. This is located in a sort of illegal/encroached open area, one level up by an external staircase, in Hotel Royal Garden. To me it seemed that the entire open area which sprawls on three sides, was encroached. There in an airconditioned section, which I would think is the only legal portion. Anyway, all this should not concern us. We were here for the Goan food washed down with some alcohol.

The menu is large, and, covers most of the Christian Goan food. Not much to offer from the Hindu side, but I am not complaining. We ordered a large number of starters. A comment or two on some of the food. The Tongue Roast was exceptional, really good. You really must eat this. The Anant Gadho Ros Omlettes – described on the menu as “Famous Goan street food with eggs chicken and gravy” was (a) not accurately described and (b) a disappointment. Basically, omlettes or even hard cooked eggs are served with a Chicken Gravy. That is what I thought we would get. What turned up was an Omlette Sandwich with gravy serving the purpose of butter. The Pomfret Caldeen was excellent too.  

Above: The excellent Roast Tongue

Above: Mis-described and disappointing Anant Gadho Ros Omlette

Above: Good Pomfret Caldeen

The menu had a rather strange section. It consisted of Pork Chops and Steaks barbequed. This is served ‘Conti’ style with mashed potato and grilled veg. Much like Club food. A pork chop was ordered. Decent but I can’t understand why it’s on the menu.

Above: Pork Chop. Where did this come from?

Some of the other food we ate is below.

Above: Agassaim Sausage Chilli Fry. Good.

 Above: Pork Sorpotel. Good, with a decent amount of Pork Liver.

Above: Goan Red Rice

Above: Good Goan Poi

Above: Dessert - The classic Bebinca. 

There was one problem. Without exception, the food came out warm, not garam. Eating warm as opposed to hot food is a big disappointment. This was a serious complaint.

The other problem was the staff. Absolutely clueless, obviously cheap labour. You know the cliché, pay peanuts get monkeys. This restaurant staff emitomised the cliché. They knew nothing about the menu, they ran around like headless chickens. For some inexplicable reason, they placed a carafe of clear liquid on the table. HRH the Queen of Kutch thinking it was the Tonic, poured the contents into her glass of Gin. Nope, it was water. Then the palaver of returning the Gin. The waiter was shattered, probably he would get blasted. This madness of getting a carafe of water with every order of Gin and Vodka continued thru the evening.

All in all, it was a most pleasant evening, thanks to Mr. and Mrs. AA scintillating company and the wide-ranging topics of conversation. Do I recommend House of Lloyd? Most certainly, but with a caveat. Take the food home and heat it. You will have a much better experience. Remember, curry based food, most of which this was, reheats perfectly.  

O Pedro - Goan Bar & Restaurant

You can read a more recent review here.

I have a school classmates WhatsApp group, which is rather active. One topic that was being discussed was Goan restaurants in Mumbai. At one end of the spectrum you have the cheap, cheerful and humble lot comprising of Martins near the old Strand Cinema off Colaba Causeway, Gables next to it and Snowflakes at Princess Street. Then you have the recently opened House of Lloyd at Juhu Tara Road which is more upmarket and the big daddy and big bucks Goan restaurant - O Pedro at BKC. Inspired by this exchange of messages Goan food became top of mind.

One Saturday afternoon when we were in ‘town’ we stopped off for lunch at Gables. A decent lunch, a Sorpotel for HRH the Queen of Kutch and a Choriz Chilly Fry for me. The Sorpotel had enough liver to remain authentic though it needed a dash of Vinegar. Easily fixable. The Choriz was fine. Frankly, you would be better off doing a take away from Gables as the place is not exactly the Ritz.

Above: Pork Sorpotel

Above: Goa Sausage [Choriz] Chili Fry

A few days later, I had a brainwave. We are members of the MCA Recreation Centre at BKC, so, why not have a drink or three at that bar and then walk a few meters to O Pedro? This seemed like a good plan, a call was made to reserve a table at O Pedro for 9.15 pm. Nope, they did not reserve tables at that hour, just early at 8 pm and late at 10.30 pm. Frankly, it makes sense. We were told that if we had to wait for a table we could wait by the bar, and if we liked we could eat at the bar as food was served there too. No problem.

After our share of intoxicants at the MCA Spin Bar, at about 9.15 pm we walked to O Pedro. While walking we passed a very comatose Hemant Oberoi [the restaurant not the man], then Butterfly High which was packed to the rafters, then a rather empty and morose Gateway Tap Room to reach the very lively O Pedro. There were no tables vacant. Our choice was the bar and a few empty high tables around the bar. The high table was our choice. From our perch we could observe the goings on.

A very casual vibe prevailed. The décor was to replicate the look of a Goan house. I did think the potted plants looked rather out of place and made the room look unkempt. A large bar with a glass back looking into the kitchen. The views of the kitchen were shielded by the bottles of alcohol placed on the back of the bar. Nice touch.

The tables had no table cloths or tablemats, miniscule cloth napkins and ordinary stainless cutlery was given. Since we are not children we know what we drink, the long descriptive cocktail lists were un-necessary. A Talisker, ice, water on the side for HRH the Queen of Kutch and a “Thanda gaar beer, deshi please” for me.

At this point our order was taken by the charming Niketa. She was a delight with her ever ready smile, cynical observations and infectious enthusiasm. She asked us if we were allergic to anything to which my reply was that I was a Jain, Niketa after a moment of horror realized I was pulling her leg. She recommended the Red Snapper Ceviche, which I was promised had no raw onions. This dish was an absolute knockout. It was fabulous. The cooking liquid – normally called Tigers Milk or Leche De Tigre comprises of Lime Juice Chilli and Cilantro – was made milder with the addition of Coconut Milk. The Cilantro took the form of an Oil. While the sauce and fish were, as I said fabulous, for texture they had added some very crunchy “boondi” made with Tempura batter. This made the dish even better. Wow, what a start.

Above: Red Snapper Ceviche

Another two dishes require special mention. The first is the humble Poee. This is a whole wheat bread with bran typical of Goa. It is delicious, but unavailable in Mumbai despite having a large Goan population. This was served at O Pedro, fresh and hot. Excellent.

Above: Poee

The other very well cooked dish was the Prawn Balchao that we had ordered. This is a Portuguese Goan dish, almost pickle like, tart and spicy. While the recipe was good, the skill with which the prawns were cooked was most impressive. The prawns were not overcooked to MRF Tyres at all. Well done.

Above: Prawn Balchao

Above: Choriz Chilli Fry Taco with potato Salli

We had also ordered Pork Sorpotel with a Sanna which is a fermented rice cake, much like an Idli, eaten in Goa and Mangalore. Sanas are available in some shops in Bandra. The Sorpotel was decent, much better than the one we had from Gables just a few days earlier.    

Above: Pork Sorpotel

 Above: Sanna

We also got a free dish. Beef brochette [skewers] alternating with Pork fat. This was a clever way of adding moistness to the otherwise dry Beef. Also, a clever way of using Pork fat. The dish costs very little, but giving it “free” to diners ensures goodwill. A nice gesture, honestly.

 Above: Beef Brochettes with Pork Fat

For dessert we ordered a single Pasteis De Nata the classic Portuguese Custard Tart. This was priced at a rather shocking Rs 125/- for a single piece. A bit excessive I thought. Mind you it was thoroughly decent, with a creamy custard and crisp pastry.

Above: Pasteis De Nata

I must say that we thoroughly enjoyed our evening. The food ranged from excellent to above average. No dud dishes. A very nice lively atmosphere and a charming hostess, Niketa. There was a lot of food that we would have ordered if only we had larger appetites or more eaters. The food included a lot of Hindu Goan vegetarian dishes as well as many more delicious sounding meat dishes.

We would certainly be going back soon to have another meal at O Pedro. Fully recommended.

We paid Rs 1,980/- for all the food excluding booze, tax and service charge. I though good value.   

   

"Conti" food. A great meal at the ITC in Mumbai.

This post, sort of, continues on the unimpressive food we got in Australia. I had compared the “Conti” food in Australia with the food served in Clubs in Mumbai as well as at Indigo Deli and the Smokehouse Deli type of restaurants. Some of you may wonder what I meant by “Conti” food, and how it exists in India. This post is also about a wonderful “Conti” meal made for us in Mumbai a few days ago.

“Conti” food in India is normally a mélange of Italian with a few American dishes thrown in. Pizza, Pasta in various forms, burgers and sandwiches. Chicken and occasionally fish and more rarely Pork form the non vegetarian component. Potato features heavily with cheese, and, “English” vegetables – Broccoli, Carrot, French Beans, Lettuces – form the garnish. The food is often cooked with or served with a sauce which has a main flavor, chili.  Habanero, Harissa, Jalapeno, Bhut Jholakia, Arabiata and so on are adjectives used. I can tell you what “Conti” food is not. In other words, “Conti” food does not have Oriental ingredients nor does it have the North Indian influence of onion browned with ginger and garlic, tomato and then the trinity of Turmeric, Coriander and Cumin powders. So, while there are no North Indian influences, “Conti” food is often spicy. This is our notion of “Conti” food.

Finding a simple Roast Chicken with golden crisp skin served with creamy Mashed Potato some vegetables and a Pan Jus is extremely rare. The simple Fish and Chips a classic, even rarer considering we have 3000 km coastline. You may just find these dishes on the menu of a 24 hour Coffee Shop in a 5 Star Hotel.

What may be surprising to you is that in reality “Conti” food is very much alive and well, and, cooked very competently, in India. But you cannot eat it unless you fly internationally on Business or First Class. Yes, dear readers, our flight kitchens prepare for the airlines some very good classic “Conti” food. Take virtually any flight from India travelling west and you will always have an excellent “Conti” dish on offer. This is obviously demanded by International airlines. Do you know the further irony? Our flight kitchens are more often than not, owned by our 5 Star hotel chains. Yes folks, the Taj Flight Kitchen, Oberoi Flight Kitchen, Skygourmet [which is run in collaboration with the Narang Group who have the Ambassador hotel] and surprise surprise, Chefair Flight Catering, Mumbai a division of Hotel Corporation of India Ltd a wholly owned subsidiary of Air India!!

So, you have a situation where there are more than enough chefs who can make international standard “Conti” food, but not serve it to us. Our 5 Star Hotels who have the skills, find “Conti” food un workable in their outlets.

An Indian Chef in London, a friend of ours, who had years of experience in India, the Gulf and finally in the UK told us that Indian Chefs were the best in the world. There were like chameleons, they were flexi and could be taught anything. You had Indian chefs making myriad cuisines effortlessly. The same was not generally true of Orientals and French trained Chefs, these chaps are far less flexible and generally stick to cooking what they are trained in. In light of this observation, I can understand why Indian Chefs are so adept at “Conti” food. Ocean Cruise lines have a large complement of Indian chefs for precisely this reason. They are adaptable and can replicate. Flight kitchens are staffed with Indian chefs turning out thousands of portions of good “Conti” food every day.  

As regular readers know, we are really fond of “Conti” food, in its true sense. We get virtually none in Mumbai.

A few days ago, on a Friday after a tough week, all we wanted was to be served a drink in a calm sophisticated bar and to finish the evening with some “Conti” food. We scoured online menus of the Shamiana at the Bombay Taj, the Cellini at the Grand Hyatt and the Peshwa Pavilion at the ITC Grand Maratha. Everything was just Burgers, Pizza and Club Sandwiches. Somehow, the Peshwa Pavilion seemed to be slightly more interesting. Knowing that the bar at the ITC Grand Maratha is good we called in and told our friends there that we would pop by.

Boy were we in for a huge and most pleasant surprise. Chef Taranjit told Chef Anshul that we were coming for dinner and Chef Anshul decided to make us a “specially curated 4 course dinner.” Just by way of background, Taranjit is the King of Kebabs and runs Peshawri. Anshul is a vastly experienced “Conti” food chef. He has worked in the UK for years and was part of the great Raymond Blanc group. He knows what he is doing. It was a wonderful and thoughtful gesture to make us the meal. All spontaneous, well, with a couple of hours’ notice. It was the second time Chef Anshul has cooked for us, and it was fantastic. Like flight kitchens food, this food and the Chef’s talents remain hidden. Pity.

First up was a Jerusalem Artichoke Soup. This was garnished with Enoki Mushroom. Very nice smooth soup. Jerusalem Artichoke is a very humble vegetable, we know it as ‘Arbi’, the normally mud coated sad looking root. This was quite magically transformed to this delicious soup.

Lasagna which was vegetarian was the next course. The filling was mixed mushroom, not quite a Duxelle but very mushroomy. Lashings of a good rich Bechamel topped with Buerre Noisette [burnt butter] with Hazelnuts and Pine Nuts to provide texture. A spear of Asparagus added colour, sautéed Boletus Mushroom and Parmesan shavings finished the dish. 

A palate cleanser followed. A Fruit Soup with a Sorbet and some Fruit. A lovely deep red colour and without doubt the best palate cleanser we have had in a long time. Very well balanced, without the sweet overpowering the sour, which is often the case.  Looks as pretty as a picture.

The fish course was next. Extremely well cooked fish, moist and flaky with crisp skin. This was international standard cooking. A smooth creamy Mash Potato, Burnt Onion and Mushroom as garnish. Skillful cooking indeed.

The dessert was a comforting Sticky Toffee Pudding. A moist sponge with the Caramel, Date Sauce topped with ice cream. A fitting end to a very satisfying meal.

The effort taken by Chef Anshul to make and serve the meal was enormous. If you look at the photos you will notice that each dish has been served in a different plate. The colours chosen to complement the food. Good clean presentation. The attention to detail. We were really gob smacked. And, you know what? Not a single chilli or bit of spice in the food. And, you know what, it was delicious! Honestly, we could have been anywhere in Western Europe. The food was that good as was the presentation. If there is one minor complaint, it would be that 3 dishes contained some form of Mushroom. But that is unfair. Anshul cooked all this with no real notice. Obviously he had severe constraints.

I find it very hard to understand why we Indians are so bloody close minded about our food. Mumbai is probably the most conservative with its food. Jainism, vegetarianism and, lately, mumbo jumbo diets enslaving diners. Food has to be spicy and ‘chat pata’ or else it does not work. Entire cuisines are disappearing from our restaurants and this is sad.

In a post I had written about Hemant Oberoi, I had written about the schizophrenic meal. The restaurant was running empty. We were told that that they would be serving ‘twisted India’. Well, now they do. Even a great Chef like Hemant Oberoi whom I had written about  cannot serve and sustain a “Conti” food restaurant.

I feel so sorry for the future of “Conti” food in Mumbai.