The chef came at our table, put down a dish and declared “Dal Chawal Arancini.” We looked at the plate and tried to figure where the dal and chawal were, because clearly, the dish that was in front us — resembled a kofta on a bed of tomato salsa and was topped with a thin rolled papad — looked far from the familiar fare. But when the fork had had its way, we discovered a warm ball of delicious dal chawal inside the panko-covered crust. The Dal Chawal Arancini, Achar-Papad-Chutney (Rs 450) was meant to impress with its flavour and presentation. And that’s where Masala Library scores extra brownie points.

The Dal Chawal Arancini is a work of molecular gastronomy.Pics/Atul Kamble

Jiggs Kalra’s fine-dine restaurant at Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC), which opened its doors to the public in October last year, recently added some new dishes to their summer menu. While a number of items from the original menu still remain, Masala Library has added a lot of molecular gastronomy in its preparation. We tried the Hottest Spare Ribs in the World Bhoot Jolakia (Rs 645). We braced ourselves for the chilli to hit us but the spare ribs didn’t really live up to the ‘hottest’ moniker. Instead, what we tasted were spare ribs that were tangy and tasty — we finished it at one go.