Stopping short of splendid

Food OriginalAmbience RitzyService Out of stepCost HighVerdict 24Itrsquos just as well that Alex Sanchez works evenings only His Americaninspired Italian bistro bar on Nagindas Master Road sits like a lone luminous bauble on a dark Christmas tree the cheekbyjowl lawyer offices and stationaryXerox centres who are his neighbours having called it a night If restaurants are about stories this is a good address to have picked Formerly called Medows Street after the Governor of Bombay General Sir William Medows who lived in a corner house it boasts of the cityrsquos only Armenian churchSpinach and ricotta cappelettiIts current name acknowledges the contribution of lawyer and Gandhian Nagindas T Master who as head of the Boycott Committee was instrumental in the success of the Civil Disobedience Movement His connect with the people was powerful enough for the British to have released him from confinement following the 1944 Bombay Docks explosion to help with rehabilitation workInside Sanchez celebrates shared spaces A community table with high chairs brings together strangers as do the parapets in the flutedglass window coves perfect for placing a glass and exchanging words in twos The high ceiling supported by timber rafters painted Prussian blue offers vertical relief even if down below itrsquos a buzzy Saturday nightAmericano spritzThe bar is the vortex of energy its many creations making up whatrsquos one of the cityrsquos most robust cocktail menus Darren Crawford yoursquove done well We like that Sanchez is grateful for the opportunity Mumbai offered a 26yearold from San Francisco when he joined Colabarsquos The Table evident in the tribute he pays to the cityrsquos neighbourhoods Worli bird is a muddle of tequila Lapsang suchong tea and passion fruit liqueur The Kejriwal pizza not the man in Delhi but Willingdon Club regular Devi Prasad Kejriwal is inspired by gymkhanastyle eggs on toast and uses fior di latte fresh mozzarrella softcooked egg and green chilliThe Gateway tonic R775 is a fresh ginlemon mix with a hit of ginger that makes this just the glass to order deeper into summer Americano spritz gives a nod to Campari in a drink thatrsquos crisp Sadhu sour incorporates egg white but shows no trace or whiff Bee sting although initially appearing too lemony settles the pepper sprinkle lifting it Night owl R750 is a play on the Old fashioned with a hint of sweet that doesnrsquot take away from its standing as the eveningender Jungle Book is a tropical saccharine mix of rum and pineapple that would be more at home on a Goan beach SkipThe cocktail snacks segment ranges from the barelythere Warm spiced almonds tossed in smoked paprika rosemary to the slightly filling Love Letters mdash wafer crisp tubes encasing avocado Itrsquos a fun pop of textures even if a little too partial to the garlic in the creme fraiche The sea bass crudo from the shared plates comes beaten down to a sheet carpacciostyle topped with meyer lemon pine and capers R700 The spinach and ricotta cappeletti is standout mdash buttery with a touch of sage The sausage and fennel pizza R750 goes from all right to novel in our heads as the triangles are ploughed through between conversation The texture of the sausage mdash more seekh kebab than processed meat mdash gives it bite and we like the clean dough base although there are three dips to dunk the bread edges intoThe warm almond olive oil cake with cinnamon gelato looks prettier than it tastes And so itrsquos the Raspberries and cream R475 that we hail as showstopper of the night Its mild cold sweetness and tartness locks swords wonderfully with a steaming cortadoSanchez surfaces from the kitchen past midnight his right arm in a cast the last order for the day long delivered The space is still brimful with more guests standing around with glasses than seated at the tables heads bobbing but courtly to the music Itrsquos not every day we realise that a restaurant in this city inspires you to dress upWe like the idea of the 1030 pm seating with the barrsquos engine having revved up since the first orders went out at seven But it gives you exactly an hour to browse an extensive menu and order all your eats Including dessert Just like so many finedine addresses that now prefer to split the evening in two But here the steward suggests we order mains with the small bites checks twice about ldquoany morerdquo food orders thrice about the desserts ldquowaiting at the kitchen counterrdquo and twice about the billBalance is a fundamental law of the universe Sanchez should know He picked a mobile ceiling installation inspired by Alexander Calder with metal plates that tilt to the wind as his restaurantrsquos piece de resistanceTime 7 pm to 1 am dinner onlyAt 121123 Radha Bhavan Nagindas Master Road Kala Ghoda FortCall 2264770044 EXCEPTIONAL 34 EXCELLENT 24 VERY GOOD 14 GOOD 054 AVERAGE Americano didnt know we were there The Guide reviews anonymously and pays for mealsCatch up on all the latest 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