Restaurants

Cyrus Todiwala’s upmarket restaurant is a colourful spectacle, with bold Bollywood hues and artfully draped swathes of fabric. Proximity to the City makes it a popular venue for business groups, who visit for smoky grills, pan-Indian curries and Parsi specialities. Todiwala celebrates his own Parsi heritage with dishes that can still be traced back to Persian roots. Expect sweet-sour flavours, mild spicing, and fruity notes in meat curries. High points included mashed potato patties encasing a filling of garlicky minced beef – a good match with cinnamon-infused tomato sauce. Patra ni machi (whole pomfret, slathered with herby coconut chutney, and steamed in a banana leaf) was unwrapped at the table; its refreshing lemony notes spiked with hits of chilli made for a delicious dish. Good news over: we were less than impressed with the spicing in some classic masalas; they lacked distinctive character and needed to be pepped up with bolder flavours. Chicken curry and its foundation of pounded nuts, poppy seeds, and red chillies, was underwhelming and mundane. We’ve had marvellous meals here – let’s hope our recent experience was a temporary glitch and normal service will soon be resumed.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2008