Restaurant Reviews by Raul Dias in Hindustan Times, Mumbai -Part 3

London Taxi, Mumbai

http://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai-news/just-drive-past-new-restaurant-london-taxi-isn-t-worth-hailing/story-B0k933VkDDR0rbDUd6Y1JL.html

Taftoon, Mumbai

http://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai-news/grand-trunk-call-taftoon-s-food-is-from-all-over-but-retains-focus/story-zSit8P1yZFQGPO0tjW7MvN.html

Hollywood in Your Glass?

Taking India’s love for films to a whole other level are these seven cocktails—each inspired by an iconic Hollywood movie. Each distilling the glamour, wonder and magic of the world of cinema in every drop  

By Raul Dias

Vesper Martini (inspired by Casino Royale, 1967)
This one’s for the James Bond loyalist who likes it, to use the much-bandied about one liner, “shaken, not stirred!” An amalgamation of gin, vodka and the Lillet Blanc brand of French vermouth, garnished with not one, not two, but three olives, Estella’s take on the dirty martini is the perfect ultra-dry drink for a pleasant November evening in Mumbai. “Every man somewhere secretly wants to be James Bond with fast cars, lovely ladies and a life full of passion and adventure. The Vesper Martini is James Bond’s poison as seen in the film Casino Royale. Other than being a huge fan of this classic legendary character, I am personally enamoured by his swag and just had to make room for a clean, mean martini on our cocktail menu. Estella dedicates this to the man himself and of course to his fans,” says Nixon D’Souza, Bar and Beverage Head, Estella.
At Nichani Kutir, Juhu Tara Road, Juhu
Call 7999998232/7999998212
Cost Rs 650

Sherlock in a Pickle (inspired by Sherlock Holmes, 2009 and 2011)
​A sour and savoury cocktail, served with a lot of crushed ice, this blood-red cocktail available at London Taxi pays homage to the murder mystery-saturated Sherlock Holmes books and movies. Tea-infused vodka and gherkin brine is the base for this cocktail, as Sherlock was often found either with a cup of tea or a glass of wine (thus the beetroot wine reduction) in his hands. “While curating the London Taxi cocktail menu, the concept was very clear: to draw inspiration from some of the iconic elements of UK pop culture. Sherlock Holmes is the most popular literary character and very, very British and so the ingredients used in this cocktail have been inspired from his story,” explains, Ami Shroff, Head Mixologist, London Taxi.
At London Taxi, Kamala Mills, A-Wing, Trade World, Lower Parel
Call 9029990454
Cost Rs 700

Willy Wonka (inspired by Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, 2005)
Here’s another cocktail that’s thoroughly inspired by not just an iconic literary character, but also by the film based on that same wacky character—Willy Wonka! This seemingly innocuous blend of whiskey, creme de cacao, dark chocolate, may seem like child’s play, but it packs a mighty punch. “Given the quirkiness of Willy Wonka, and the way they portray chocolate and candy in the movie; this cocktail adds a little tipsy twist to the way we consume chocolate. The idea behind this cocktail was to not only make us feel good with our all-time favourite indulgence—chocolate—but also add a little buzz. The oak-y hint from the whiskey and the creme de cacao helps change the whole composition,” says Pranav Mody, Mixologist, The Sassy Spoon.
At The Sassy Spoon, Ground Floor, Express Towers, Nariman Point
Call 9920003500
Cost Rs 399

Smokin Cosmo (inspired by Sex and the City, 2008 and 2010)
Though we hate to give our cocktails a gender stereotype, this blushing hot pink drink is one for the ladies, just like the fabulous SATC quartet! Go puff, puff on this drink that’s a mix of vodka, Cointreau and lemon juice, all served up in a glass smoking pipe. For, as the name suggests, the Smoking Cosmo is supposed to give the drinker the feeling of smoking a pipe whilst sipping on a classic Cosmopolitan. It gives the traditional Cosmo a fun, quirky twist, making it that much more pleasurable. “To be perfectly honest, the cocktail wasn’t made keeping any specific film in mind. A Cosmo is a classic drink made popular by films like Sex and the City. At Joss, we’ve taken the already sassy drink up a notch and given it our own spin,” says Chef Farrokh Khambata, Proprietor, Joss.
At Joss, Ground Floor, Savoy Chambers, Linking Road, Santacruz (w)
Call 26617771/2
Cost Rs 495

Hawaiian (inspired by Blue Crush, 2002)
The azure waters of Hawaii as depicted in the 2002 surfer flick Blue Crush are the inspiration behind this Tiki-style cocktail that’s a deceptively potent one. It’s also deceptive as the colour is a sunset orange and not a deep blue one would expect. “A Hawaiian cocktail is the ultimate pool-side drink one could wish for. This one’s inspired by the movie Blue Crush which was shot in Hawaii. This cocktail is a perfect balance of vodka, pineapple juice, cardamom and Red Bull, just like how the character of Anne Marie balances her life’s challenges while training for the Hawaii surf event,” says Darren Alvares, Mixologist, Bar Bar.
At Bar Bar, First Floor, Phoenix Marketcity, Kurla
Call 61801501
Cost Rs 225 for 250ml and Rs 399 for 500ml

Moulin Rouge (inspired by Moulin Rouge, 2001)
Baz Luhrmann’s magnum opus Moulin Rouge was a larger-than-life extravaganza that many likened to a Bollywood production thanks to its songs, drama and elaborate sets. This eponymous cocktail seeks to capture the sizzling, passion-filled chemistry that Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor shared in the film with its spicy vodka, cinnamon, basil, passionfruit and apple-infused tea parts. “I was inspired by the Moulin Rouge which involves cabaret, a dance form high on music, song, recitation and drama, which I personally think fits in with a place like The Daily Bar and Kitchen,” says Rohit Hegde, Head Mixologist, The Daily Bar and Kitchen.
At The Daily Bar and Kitchen, Ground Floor Behind Shoppers Stop, SV Road, Bandra (w)
Call 9920446633
Cost Rs 400

Churchill Downs (inspired by Secretariat, 2010)
There’s certainly no horsing around this cocktail that’s named after a legendary horse racing track as featured in the 2010 movie Secretariat. Made from a host of ingredients like the banana dominated Dutch liqueur Pisang Ambon, Stolichnaya vodka, charred lemon, wheatgrass, homemade mint and ginger balm syrup, this lurid green cocktail tastes better than it looks! “We recently celebrated one year in the F&B industry and celebrated it over a Kentucky Derby Brunch setting with derby hats, decor and a special set menu around the same theme. The cocktail Churchill Downs is named after the main historic race track at the Kentucky Derby and the cocktail is dedicated to the American thoroughbred racehorse named Secretariat depicted in the movie of the same name,” says the developer of this cocktail, Chef Siddharth Kashyap, The Boston Butt.
At The Boston Butt, 1st floor Rampart Row, Kalaghoda, Fort,
Call 9892447669
Cost Rs 699

(An edited version of this article appeared in the 13th November 2017 issue of the evening edition of Mid-Day newspaper, India)

Out of the Blue!

Imparting a brilliant blue hue to everything it comes in contact with, the butterfly pea flower from. Thailand finds a firm place for itself on the menus of restaurants and bars across the city

By Raul Dias

While chemistry might not have been everybody’s cup of tea in school (it certainly wasn’t ours), it’s sure proving to be everybody’s ‘cup of cocktail’ these days. Quite literally! Enter the brilliantly blue hued butterfly pea flower from Thailand with its amazing chameleon-like colour changing properties, turning purple when it comes in contact with lime juice.
“This unique flower with its colour changing property makes it the perfect addition to a good-looking drink without using any artificial colour,” says Ami Shroff, mixologist at London Taxi, one of the recent places that have cottoned onto this trend that we’re seeing gaining popularity over the last six months or so.
To get a little geeky on you, this flower of the clitoria ternatea plant when steeped in water has been a perennial favourite herbal tea in many South Asian countries and particularly Thailand for centuries where it is known as nam dok anchan. It’s also renowned for its health benefits taking care of everything from conjunctivitis to enhancing memory and brain power.
“Our mixologists focus heavily on local ingredients from Southeast Asia”, says Tanai Shirali -Director Operations Bellona Hospitality, the guys behind the popular Shizusan Shophouse & Bar and avid users of the butterfly pea flower. “It isn’t sweet and syrupy and has an earthier woody taste like the regular green tea. However, most people like their cocktails a little sweet so the addition on the citrusy lime not only changes the colour but when mixed with palm sugar gives the cocktail the required sweet note.”
At the newly opened Nara Thai restaurant, the flower features prominently on the both the food and drinks menus. “The butterfly pea flower is a very neutral ingredient as it doesn’t have any strong flavour of its own and doesn’t influence the flavour profile of the drink or dish. It imparts a different colour depending on the citrus level of the dish/drink. One can experiment with the colours at the same time make sure that the flavour doesn’t get affected”, says Karyna Bajaj Executive Director KA Hospitality, the group that has got Nara Thai to India.

Here’s a glimpse at the many ways the flower finds itself ‘adorning’ drinks and dishes across Mumbai:

Butterfly Pea Sour
A refreshing iteration of a classic Peruvian pisco sour, this cocktail at the just opened Nara Thai pushes the creative envelope a whole lot further. Made just like a standard pisco sour, with pisco, lime juice and sugar syrup, this one is enhanced with a tea made with butter fly pea flowers and is anointed with the obligatory cloud of foamed egg white and a dried butterfly pea flower as a garnish.
At Nara Thai, Ground Floor, Raheja Towers, BKC
Call 61378080
Cost Rs 600

Hattori Hanzo
The cocktail menu at Shizusan Shophouse & Bar focuses on classic cocktails with an Asian twist using lesser-used ingredients like oolong tea, and, in this case, butterfly pea flowers. A mélange of tequila, butterfly pea flower tea, lime the cocktail is named after the warrior/monk Hattori Hanzo. When made with precision, the drink changes colour and is an apt toast to celebrate Hattori Hanzo’s dual life.
At Shizusan, Skyzone, Highstreet Phoenix, Lower Parel
Call 7045004138
Cost Rs 575

Blue Chamomile G&T
Another riff on a tired and tested cocktail—this time the G&T—is the blue chamomile G&T at the brand new restobar London Taxi. Here, the gin is infused with dried butterfly pea flowers and chamomile and kept very simple with the addition of lime juice and tonic water.
At London Taxi, Kamala Mills, A-Wing, Trade World, Lower Parel
Call 9029990454
Cost Rs 725

Not Just in Drinks...

Khao Phad Samunprai (Butterfly Pea Flower Rice)
Never mind its tongue-twister of a name, this super novel rice preparation is proof that the use of the
butterfly pea flower needn’t be limited to drinks only! At first luridly blue, this rice that’s made with short grain Thai rice, kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass and white soy sauce, takes on a shocking purple hue when one squeezes a bit of lime juice over it.
At Nara Thai, Ground Floor, Raheja Towers, BKC
Call 61378080
Cost Rs 250

(An edited version of this article appeared in the 11th September 2017 issue of the evening edition of Mid-Day newspaper, India)