A City in Ruins

At Esfahaan, named after the ancient city of Iran, you can start your meal with Tom Yum soup and nachos and end with Fish Begum Bahar and sizzlers. Yes, it’s that kind of place, this new multi-cuisine restaurant in Bandra. And how we wish it wasn’t. It took us 20 minutes to traverse the globe on this menu, going from what we later found to be an over-spiced China to a half-baked Italy, with a stopover at Persia, and back to India. The result? Worse than jet lag.

What: Gourmet butters, 210°c Bakery, Matru Ashish Building, Nepean Sea Road, call 65249279, Rs 30 for 750g. 

Why: The herb roulade, honey chili and roasted garlic butters at South Mumbai’s newest bakery are worth every calorie. Also bag the creamy pesto dip and Tiramisu in a glass.

When: You want to get phat.

What: Sunday Farmer’s Market, Vishnu Prasad Hall, 14th Road, Linking Road Corner, Khar (W), call 9821142700  or visit www.kavitamukhi.com, free entry.

Why: Here, certified organic farmers from all over Maharashtra will sell their crop. Also available will be cooked treats, spices, eco-friendly paper and more. Remember to bring along a shopping bag (or five).

When: You want fresh produce at (f)arm’s length. Every Sunday starting March 21.

What: Turning Tables, bpb’s underground kitchen club, to attend email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it – limited seats! Rs 500 this month.

Why: For Turning Tables III, Chef Ashutosh Nerlekar of Olio at the Novotel Mumbai goes underground with bpb. That means delish Mediterranean fare whipped up from scratch in a subscriber’s kitchen, interesting conversation and the chance to meet cool new people. Hat trick!

When: Sunday, March 7 at 8:30 pm. Entries shut March 4!

First Day First Show

As the first walk-in customers at Lemon Grass’s opening night yesterday, we could almost smell the paint drying. The menus were abbreviated and on paper instead of wood (which they plan to upgrade ASAP), a couple of the light bulbs were naked, and our plastic coasters still had tags on them (they’re from Ikea and made in Korea).

Yet, this Asian eatery seems much more sure-footed than most new restaurants. That’s probably because versions of it have toured around the city, moving from another spot in Bandra to Lower Parel before taking over the space formerly occupied by Pot Pourri on Turner Road.

We had to walk for our supper last night, when we went to try out Carter Road’s latest culinary candidate , Olivet Bleu. This lively stretch of Bandra was declared car-free until 10 pm, and pedestrians left the fringes of the road to take centre stage, watching cyclists do wheelies, listening to the sound of roller skates on tarmac and sniffing the delicious food being sold nearby. It was hard to leave this outdoor drama for a shoebox restaurant, but it had to be done.

What: Lime Date Coconut and Anjeer Amaranth health bars, Nourish Organics, available at Guardian Pharmacy at Inorbit Mall, Vashi; Muse, Kala Ghoda and GNC Live Well outlets, Rs 330 for a box of six.

Why: Bursting with unusual flavours, these bars taste far better than any other diet food we’ve found and are packed with wonder ingredients like pumpkin seeds, buck wheat, honey and raisins. Apple, date and ginger versions are available as well.

When: You want both, brawn and grains.

A plastic menu offering Mushroom Vul-Au-Vent, Corn Florentine with béchamel sauce, and three kinds of brulee (vanilla, coffee, passion fruit); Prawn Provencal served with paper napkins; a whopping lunch bill of Rs 1,000 per head scrawled on crumpled paper – these are the incongruities that characterise Noah’s, a hidden restaurant at Cumballa Hill, which serves cuisine fancy enough for an upscale restaurant (with prices to match), but offers the ambience of your neighbourhood clubhouse.

The red velvet booth with a crystal chandelier was where the DJ console stood; elegant diners have usurped space previously occupied by belligerent beer drinkers; and air once heavy with nicotine and Tom Jones’ gravelly vocals in now infused with soothing Buddha bar notes.

After a long hiatus from Bandra’s bar scene, retro-rock spot Club IX is back in a new avatar - Pan Asian restaurant Mosate, apparently named after a royal Thai village.

What: Champagne on the cheap, The Den wine bar, Shop no 3 & 4, Prabhat Kunj, 24th Road, next to Elbo Room, Bandra (W), call 26483136, cocktails for Rs 250. 

Why: The wine-steins over at brand new Den – another bpb scoop! - stock over 55 labels of vino and champagne. These are coupled with hazelnut, blue curacao, lychee and more treats to make affordable, yummy cocktails. Bpb loves: The cask-shaped tables, Chilean imports, spicy Arabiatta and alternate rock playlist.

When: You want chic for cheap: a wine-wine situation.