Crystal chandelier, spicy notes and a bittersweet ending at this new Pan-Asian eatery.
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.
Eager Beaver
Just four days old, Mosate is eager to please and manages to do so on most counts. Thankfully, it doesn’t fall into the Chinese silk-red-lantern trap (but the beige and brown interiors aren’t exactly remarkable either). The drinks are a steal (a peg of Glenfiddich for Rs 250), and the food, well-priced (a prawn appetiser costs Rs 250) and flavourful.
Mosate’s Compositions
We began our meal with chilled beers and margheritas, along with our (endearingly nervous) waiter’s recommendation of Prawn Chilli Wine with spring onions (Rs 250), vibrant with sweet and spicy notes, which we loved. Fiery Tom Yum soup and a sizzling mound of bright red cottage cheese and spicy cabbage are great picks as well. The spinach, cheese and burnt garlic momos with their gummy, rubbery exterior, however, are better on paper than on plate.
Main and Able
For mains, the menu offers choices from Korea, Thailand, China, Japan and beyond. We got the Nasi Goreng (Rs 145) and chicken in black bean sauce (Rs 240) – both exceedingly tasty. They even threw in Thai crispy veggies on the house, because we were early bird diners. At Rs 220, the Khowsuey too, is a good deal.
Dessert Cart
For dessert, a tray holding perfect squares of blueberry cheese cake, Irish whisky slice with biscuit base, gooey chocolate pie and Mikado cake was brought to our table. After much debate, we opted for the last option – a slice of surprisingly light chocolate fudge served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Tasty, but the regret of not ordering the blueberry cheesecake lingered bitter on our palates. Perhaps next time.
The misses during our meal were minor: take for instance, the Indian classical music that played for the first ten minutes of our dinner. Total misfit! Or the incongruous Mexican salsa dip that was served (in addition to a yummy oriental one) with the momos. But at these prices, we weren’t about to nitpick.
Presenting the Past
At the end of our dinner, we felt no need to dig nostalgically into Mosate’s history. Satisfied, satiated, we’re happy right here, right now we concluded, allowing Tom Jones’ Sex Bomb to fade away into the past.
Getting there: Mosate, Jharna Apts, Dr Ambedkar Road, next to Barbeque Nation, Khar (W), call 26465133/34.
The Secret Scouters review all restaurants anonymously and pay for their own meals.
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