Grits Fritters. Pics/Datta Kumbhar

The seductive notes of the saxophone and guitar combine in our head to conjure up a lovely Jazz melody as we sip a spoonful of Seafood Gumbo (Rs 350) at Café Zoe. The tangy-spicy flavours from the well-seasoned soup, laced with tender calamari rings, hit our throat, and we wonder if this is what a lazy afternoon in New Orleans, the birthplace of Jazz and Gumbo, would feel like. As we scoop the diced okra in the soup onto our spoon, chef Viraf Patel interjects our reverie. "Okra isn't used just as a vegetable but it helps thicken it. So, the dish becomes a meal in itself."