Sweet escape in Bandra

Inspired by the French phrase La vie en rose meaning for life in the pink a vibrant mural of a woman peering through rosetinted shades occupies a wall inside Perry Cross Roads new hangout Moner reflecting 25yearold chefowner Freny Fernandes treats as well as her journey from Vasai to New York and now BandraAfter toiling in the kitchens of several Michelin Star restaurants across the globe for a couple of years Fernandes is now serving up her college dream putting the spotlight on all things sweet through the bistro that turns into an exclusive dessertsonly bar post 7 pmInteriors of Moner PicsAtul KambleSeated inside the Parisianstyle cafe goldrimmed velvety chairs in hues of powderedpink and teal a long arching facade rose mood lighting et al Fernandes who was part of the team that created treats for Priyanka Chopra Jonas bridal shower in the US tells us that she feeds off the energy of guests enjoying her meals When I was interning at Noma in Copenhagen I saw that although its a Michelin Star restaurant it was approachable in the sense that chefs and customers could interact Since college I have loved looking at the faces of my friends when Id bake for them or explain my dishes to them The dessert bar allows me to plate my creations live in front of guests and be part of that joyous moment she sharesFire and IceMoner is thus divided into a bistro section where she serves fresh salads soups sandwiches etc along with petit gateaux and entremets and a bar section where she plates three and fivecourse dessert meals The idea was inspired by her former boss James Beard Awardwinning chef Ghaya Oliveira who created art on a plate Plated desserts she elaborates allow her to create that kind of art add different elements play with textures and build on flavoursMushrooms on toastThis is a dessert experience you wont get everywhere since at most places desserts are an afterthought reduced to the back of the menu Here we have options to pair desserts with tea from the Himalayas too I also plan to secure a liquor license I want desserts to occupy centre stage at the bar post 7 pm she assertsFreny FernandesAs we dig into the first dish the Italianorigin green apple and kaffir lime granite we realise why she calls it an amusebouche The minty icy granite along with the meringue kisses and microgreens refreshes our palate preparing us for richer desserts Fire and Ice that comprises a vanilla bean panna cotta macerated red fruits and a cutesy raspberry tuile breaks all our preconceived notions of a sickly sugarladen dessert menu The creamy panna cotta complements the macerated strawberry and the tuile adds a nice crunch Next up and higher on the decadence quotient is a chocolate coulant with a meltsinyourmouth chocolate and liquid caramel centre and a strong coffee ice cream What we like is that the dishes although sweet are never overpowering just what we need to breeze through a dessertonly menuPhases of the MoonThe last two dishes Phases of the Moon and Jardin du Rose sit pretty truly looking like works of art The former has a yummy crescentshaped vanilla sable with tiny fullmoonshaped dark chocolate ganache an earl Grey icecream and a berry coulis help cut through the sweetness This definitely gets a thumbsup from someone who doesnt dig chocolate The flowershaped rose and raspberry parfait of Jardin du Rose slides right off the tongue as we keep going back for the bits of pistachioflavoured mini baklavasGraniteWhile we try a few dishes from the bistro menu what sticks with us is the tangy Kokum prawns Rs 550 a hattip to the chefs Vasai origins and a pestolayered mushrooms on toast R450 Head there in the day by all means but if you like this writer agree that one of the few joys of the otherwisetrying adult life is to be able to dig into dessert for a meal without judgment let Fernandes help you raise the barAt Darvesh Royale Perry Cross Road Bandra WestTime Tuesday to Sunday 12 pm to 10 pm dessert bar post 7 pmCost Rs 1000 onwards for one plated dessert Rs 3000 onwards for threecourse meal Rs 5000 for fivecourse meal