Olivet Bleu, the restaurant that gets its name after a cheese and the sea it faces, is in too much of a hurry to prove itself
Olivet Bleu, the restaurant that gets its name after a cheese and the sea it faces, is in too much of a hurry to prove itself
It's been just over six weeks since Olivet Bleu opened its doors to jaded Carter Road palates, and already there are rumblings to introduce more "healthy options" on the menu.
The "signature cuisine" restaurant plans to open for breakfast, early next month. Compelled to stab a fork into a French Fry, and put an end to all that presumed carbohydrate bashing, we were distracted by the orange of the fake autumn leaves bursting from an overhead projection to our left.
In case you are vegetarian, don't look to the menu to alert you to options. The green font is merely an element of design, and not a helpful indicator of minus-meat dishes. In fact, you're better off sparing yourself the bother of leafing through the menu at all, given how limited your options are. Request the staff for a recommendation, instead.
We skipped the Greens and More section that advertised sprouts, pickled tuna and slices of roast chicken breast, and went straight for the Mains.
Prices range between Rs 150 and Rs 300 for main course dishes. Our order for Fish Fingers (Rs 190), arrived in golden-fried skins made of egg white and breadcrumbs. The fish was fresh and carried a nice tangy flavour that complemented the creamy garlic dip well.
The Paneer Steak Sizzler (Rs 250) was served with a perfectly grilled hunk of juicy cottage cheese. Our only problem was with the brilliant green spinach sauce that was generously poured over it.
We weren't the only ones displeased as we stared at the plump paneer patty sulking amidst sizzling rivulets of green. After much poking and prodding with a fork we sought comfort in the crisp French fries and "exotic" veggies served as accompaniments.
At 400 sq ft, this is a compact restaurant, so the fact that they've managed to squeeze four tables that seat four people each, and also have a VIP section for their "celeb" clientele, is commendable.
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But once you discover that it's not all that much fun to continually bump elbows with fellow diners, you might feel less charitable towards the management.
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They also don't have a washroom, so you'll have to settle for dipping your hands in a bowl of warm water and a sliver of lime, as they do in other less posh parts of the restaurant world.
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Our suggestion? Order take-out. You'll be spared the torture of having the management spritz air freshener while you wait for your meal and the embarrassment of having them furiously clean your plastic tablemat between courses. Because, at Olivet Bleu they do some good food. Particularly for non-vegetarians.u00a0
At: Olivet Bleu, near Oceanic Building, Carter Road, Bandra (W). Call 64461777
Olivet Bleu didn't know we were there. The GUIDE reviews anonymously and pays for meals
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