An elegant, reasonably-priced Pan-Asian restaurant comes to Bandra. Must try: the Crispy Fried wings in Thai Herbs
An elegant, reasonably-priced Pan-Asian restaurant comes to Bandra. Must try: the Crispy Fried wings in Thai Herbs
It's usually not a good sign when a restaurant spells its name differently on the same page, or offers a clever-sounding but meaningless explanation for it.
Mosate, (is it with or without the accent? Take your pick) which apparently 'is a Thai expression of The Royal Village', is perhaps the exception to the rule.
The recently launched pan-Asian restaurant has all the makings of a Bandra landmark, just as its erstwhile occupant Club IX did.
Unlike Club IX however, Mosate looks good, both from the outside and inside.
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A handkerchief-sized garden that lies just as you enter serves as the reception-cum-waiting area, and a welcoming green buffer from the buzzing Ambedkar Road.
Inside the brightly, but tastefully lit restaurant, everything is in shades of brown with a heavy accent on wood that gives a sense of elegance.
All tables are crafted from solid wood, including the large one in the semi-private dining room with flaming red sofas and purple pillows that occupies the elbow of the
L-shaped restaurant.
Along one wall, are a row of two-seater tables. But Mosate isn't trying to be a fine dining space, for the mood is distinctly casual and the pricing, reasonable.
We started with the Tom Yum Chicken (Rs 110) soup, an old-time favourite that's always an easy test of quality.
Predominantly sour, but lacking the delicate flavour of herbs, the soup was good but not
fantastic.
When we pointed out that our Vietnamese Asparagus and Crab Meat Soup (Rs 150) didn't contain any asparagus, it was replaced without a fuss.
And while the addition of copious amounts of fresh asparagus juliennes was welcome, we're not quite sure what made the soup Vietnamese and not Chinese.
Tossed in a spicy Szechwan-like sauce with crispy basil leaves, the Crispy Fried Wings with Thai Herbs (Rs 190) that followed was delicious.
For main course, we opted to mix-n-match and ordered a Prawn Thai Green Curry (Rs 290) with a portion of Steamed Rice (Rs 100), and a Kung Pao Lamb (Rs 300).
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Unlike most places that tend to use tinned coconut milk for their curries, at Mosate, it was fresh and that made a world of a difference.
Interestingly, their Kung Pao Lamb is not the usual stir-fried, cashew-laden dish that's served at most places. It served the sliced lamb in a spicy, garlic-chilli flavoured sauce.
Mosate doesn't offer a fixed dessert menu and you need to enquire with your server for daily specials.
We tried the Honey Almond pastry (Rs 125); rich and gooey. Cliched as it may sound it was a wonderfully sweet ending to what had been a thoroughly enjoyable meal.
At: Jharna Apartments, Dr Ambedkar Road, Khar (W).
Call: 26465133 / 26465134
Mosate didn't know we were there. THE GUIDE reviews anonymously and pays for meals.
