Mumbai food: A private dinner with complete strangers

Blueberry cheese with microgreensAccording to a State Transport Ministry report Mumbai has 86 lakh private cars and 164 lakh public vehicles As we make our way to lsquoThe Love Fools Dinner Labrsquo all of these it seems have been squeezed into Bandrarsquos narrow lanes Thus what seems like a gentle WhatsApp reminder from the chef when wersquore cruising down the WorliBandra sea link mdash ldquoWe will start the first course at 830 sharprdquo mdash becomes a deadline that looms large as we merge into the Bandra traffic Our anxiety does not abate as we draw closer for stopping a car on Pali Naka at rush hour is heartstopping mdash your best option is to hitch a ride on a passing aircraft and parachute onto the roof of Pereira House aim for the shadowy patch across the road from Pali Village CafeCreme BruleeThe venue for this curated eightcourse meal that aims to capture the culinary spirit of at least four continents is a quiet apartment dimly lit and practically bare A table for four sits at the centre of the room and the adjoining area holds a larger community table the veins on its wooden surface visible in the candle light An exposed brick wall lends the place a rustic charm mdash an odd setting for a finedining experience and more like a meeting place for members of a secret societyChocolate rolls with lemonchocolate icecreamIn fact the very concept of a community table seems at odds with the notion of lsquofine diningrsquo the preserve of the elite Besides when yoursquore paying top dollar for haute cuisine 3000 per head there is typically an underlying expectation of privacy Chef Sarita Pereira shatters that notion with her lsquodinner labrsquo turning the concept of fine dining into a social experiment of sortsAt our table are two German tourists a marketing professional a food blogger a student an ad man and his wife a gentleman from Boston and another young couple Hair neatly tucked into a black bandana the charming chef introduces her concept and explains that a central theme threads through every course ldquoTodayrsquos theme is Citrusrdquo she says as we sip on a glass of orange infused water She disappears into the kitchen while we introduce ourselves in the awkward silence until someone turns the music onThe first course arrives mdash a lemony sorbet around which is poured a prawninfused bisque mdash and itrsquos received like a star on the red carpet The dish is delicious but just a teaser of a portion really Wine is poured for those who opted for the wine pairing 1600 to 2400 depending on the selection the sorbet thaws and gradually the buzz of conversation begins to drown out the thumping of my heart Dining with strangers is not as hard as I thought it would beThe second course seems like a reward for our courage Itrsquos a chiffonlight blueberryinfused cheese that sits on a cashew nut bar served with a salad of microgreens pine nuts and berries Itrsquos a delicious cornucopia of flavours that play off each other and itrsquos presented like a work of art By the time the next course mdash pinesoaked goat cheese bundled in a ribbon of zucchini with a drizzling of orange oregano sauce oh and a single prawn mdash is brought out wersquove discovered that one of the tourists is actually a marketing professional who has lived in Mumbai for over eight years and knows all its little secrets mdash that Hillary got at least one vote from India via email and that for women motorcyclists Mumbai traffic sometimes parts like the Red Sea did for MosesSommelier Gargi Kothari pipes in with oenofacts She seems well versed in the subject and assures the gentleman from Boston that some wines do boast the aroma of pencil shavings No his old boss at a wine shop in Boston wasnrsquot pulling his legThe chef makes another appearance mdash she does this before each course mdash to explain whatrsquos coming next ldquoIndian salmon wrapped in pandan leaf served with a pandaninfused shotrdquo The coinsized piece of fish is dominated by the aromatic flavour of the SoutheastAsian herb and the accompanying shot topped with espuma is a pleasant if rather spicy accompaniment Not all the dishes impress though The Spanish Coca has treaclesweet caramelised onions served over cubes of brown bread that are a touch too dry and a portion of lamb served on a red lettuce leaf has too much fat less meat However the only filling dish the lemon and caper butter risotto is absolutely divineDesserts are a mixed bag A chocolatetopped spiced roll isnrsquot crispy enough and a cube of cheesecake does little to excite But a ldquoFrench vanilla white chocolate green lemon zest custardrdquo sadly without the caramelised sugar on top is a pleasant end to the mealWe also enjoy the creamy lemony dark chocolate ice cream and are glad to learn that Chef Pereira will be marketing her artisanal ice creams soon Also exciting is the fact that one can sign up for Trial Tuesdays 600 to 1200 where you can help the chef by providing your feedback on new recipes For food this good one doesnrsquot mind being a lab ratFor details httpthelovefoolscom