Giving us a whole other perspective to the oft-abused term ‘fusion food’, this two-month-old Tardeo restaurant steps up the game with some well-imagined Indo-Western fare.
By Raul Dias
“Confusion” is a word that almost always crops up when we’re contemplating the term ‘fusion food’. This, thanks to scores of restaurants—both in Mumbai and around the country—we’ve visited over the years that seem to lose the plot so criminally when it comes to the very tricky coupling of two different cuisines. A skill that is a lost art at most places, sadly. We’d almost begun to get a tad despondent and desperate to find an eatery that would help us get back on to that ‘fusion’ bandwagon.
A few days ago, we almost struck foodie Valhalla when we chanced upon One Step Up that sits perched on the busy Tardeo main road. Done up with bold accents—hints of which show up in the colourful crockery, comfortable teal-hued sofas and the ambient, bright green (faux) foliage—the three-levelled restaurant, with its large bay windows and swooping indoor staircase, is perfect for a leisurely lunch.
We started off with the cheesy goodness of the super innovative pav bhaji fondue (Rs 329) that came to our table just like a real fondue should—in a ceramic pot, sitting atop a small tea light lit burner, with a side of crunchy buttered croutons in lieu of the traditional laadi pav. The generously-filled quartet of Chettinad chicken quesadillas (Rs 329) had a piquant hit to them that was tempered down by the accompanying bowl of sour cream.
Redolent with the spicy taste of cinnamon and cloves along with the cooling trio of apple, cranberry and passion fruit juices, our fire n angel mocktail (Rs 260) was perfectly made. As was the peach ice tea (Rs 200) where the taste of the fruit shone through the refreshing libation that was very evidently made in-house and not bottled as we had imagined.
To shake things up a bit, for one of our mains, we opted for the grilled fish with lemon butter (Rs 349). This was one of the restaurant’s few non-fusion dishes on the menu. Although we found ourselves staring down at four generous filets of the ubiquitous, boring old basa, the way the fish was cooked elevated it. A flavourful garlic sauce, creamy mash and a medley of sautéed veggies made it a winner. Passing the risotto test with its creamy arborio rice, the almost neon green coloured saagwala chicken risotto (Rs 349) was delicate and vibrant at the same time, with the leafy saag flavour shining through.
At the behest of our very enthusiastic server, we gave the guava chili panacotta (Rs 249) a go for dessert. And we weren’t disappointed. With a wobbly jiggle and a fiery chili finish to it, the creamy, guava-rich Indo-Italian concoction ticked all the boxes, while showing us that there is some hope for the future of fusion food in Mumbai, after all!
AT: One Step Up, Shop no 1A/1B/1C, C wing, Dadarkar Compound, opp. Film Center, Tardeo.
TIME: 12 pm to 1.30 am
CALL: 9619083952
(An edited version of this review appeared in the 9th July 2019 issue of the Mid-Day newspaper, India on page 20 https://www.mid-day.com/articles/two-steps-ahead/21310176)
By Raul Dias
“Confusion” is a word that almost always crops up when we’re contemplating the term ‘fusion food’. This, thanks to scores of restaurants—both in Mumbai and around the country—we’ve visited over the years that seem to lose the plot so criminally when it comes to the very tricky coupling of two different cuisines. A skill that is a lost art at most places, sadly. We’d almost begun to get a tad despondent and desperate to find an eatery that would help us get back on to that ‘fusion’ bandwagon.
A few days ago, we almost struck foodie Valhalla when we chanced upon One Step Up that sits perched on the busy Tardeo main road. Done up with bold accents—hints of which show up in the colourful crockery, comfortable teal-hued sofas and the ambient, bright green (faux) foliage—the three-levelled restaurant, with its large bay windows and swooping indoor staircase, is perfect for a leisurely lunch.
We started off with the cheesy goodness of the super innovative pav bhaji fondue (Rs 329) that came to our table just like a real fondue should—in a ceramic pot, sitting atop a small tea light lit burner, with a side of crunchy buttered croutons in lieu of the traditional laadi pav. The generously-filled quartet of Chettinad chicken quesadillas (Rs 329) had a piquant hit to them that was tempered down by the accompanying bowl of sour cream.
Redolent with the spicy taste of cinnamon and cloves along with the cooling trio of apple, cranberry and passion fruit juices, our fire n angel mocktail (Rs 260) was perfectly made. As was the peach ice tea (Rs 200) where the taste of the fruit shone through the refreshing libation that was very evidently made in-house and not bottled as we had imagined.
To shake things up a bit, for one of our mains, we opted for the grilled fish with lemon butter (Rs 349). This was one of the restaurant’s few non-fusion dishes on the menu. Although we found ourselves staring down at four generous filets of the ubiquitous, boring old basa, the way the fish was cooked elevated it. A flavourful garlic sauce, creamy mash and a medley of sautéed veggies made it a winner. Passing the risotto test with its creamy arborio rice, the almost neon green coloured saagwala chicken risotto (Rs 349) was delicate and vibrant at the same time, with the leafy saag flavour shining through.
At the behest of our very enthusiastic server, we gave the guava chili panacotta (Rs 249) a go for dessert. And we weren’t disappointed. With a wobbly jiggle and a fiery chili finish to it, the creamy, guava-rich Indo-Italian concoction ticked all the boxes, while showing us that there is some hope for the future of fusion food in Mumbai, after all!
AT: One Step Up, Shop no 1A/1B/1C, C wing, Dadarkar Compound, opp. Film Center, Tardeo.
TIME: 12 pm to 1.30 am
CALL: 9619083952
(An edited version of this review appeared in the 9th July 2019 issue of the Mid-Day newspaper, India on page 20 https://www.mid-day.com/articles/two-steps-ahead/21310176)
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