What: Fort Bizarre, Apollo House, near Lion Gate, Fort, call 22621212/9096202020. 

Why: Armed with a beefed-up Mughlai menu and refurbished interior, Fort Bizarre (formerly Chor Bizarre) is making its second conquest of South Mumbai’s food scene. Will it succeed this time around? Look out for the bpb review!  

When: Slated to open June 1.

We never thought Indigo could give us the blues, especially on a sunny afternoon. But the new Indigo Deli at Palladium during Sunday brunch was - to put it mildly – a mess. Resentful patrons waited endlessly for tables, orders got mixed up, and members of the harried wait staff looked like they were about to burst into tears.

What: Indigo Deli, Palladium, Phoenix Mills, Lower Parel, call 24986262 to make a reservation.

Why: Lower Parel suits rejoice! This new deGustibus outpost is like the inside of a giant (4,400 square feet!) wine casket, complete with swooping wood-panelled ceilings, open kitchen and formal dining area. Helmed by Chef Rodney Kabral, the menu features new additions like salmon burgers and open-faced tuna sandwiches along with Deli staples. Watch out for the full bpb review!

When: You want to Deli-gate your meal plan. Opens today.

What: Turning Tables V with bpb and Valhalla, to attend email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it – filling up fast! Rs 1,000 per person, BYOB, plus ones strongly discouraged.

Why: bpb’s underground kitchen turns five! The party’s at a subscriber’s home, where 20 strangers will gather for interesting conversation over a delish, Spanish-accented meal by Shantanu Gupte, executive chef at Valhalla. You should come – we may even have cake!

When: June 3 at 8.30 pm.

What could have been a cozy sip and swirl spot in Bandra is instead a messy resto-bar that tries to do too many things, and barely gets one right.

The newly opened Quench is quite an eyeful: its look varies from run down wine cellar (red brick walls) to youth dive (graffiti designs) to garage pub (the bartender sits in a jeep that juts out of a wall) – all jammed into less than 500 square feet of space. Adding to the chaos is the multi-cuisine menu – Chinese, Indian, continental - with everything from Chicken Teriyaki to Chicken Tandoori. We had barely begun our meal, and we were already exhausted by the choices.

Don’t Mock(tail) Me

Quench isn’t the kind of place to serve a fancy vintage, but we had hoped for a chilled Chenin Blanc to combat the Mumbai mugginess. Alas, the bar’s wine and beer license doesn’t kick in until May 25, before which patrons will have to make do with an unimaginative selection of a mocktails - *cringe*.  Perhaps that’s why the place was almost deserted on a Saturday night. Or maybe it was that John Secada track they played. Twice.

Loaded but no Bang

We started with the Loaded Potatoes (Rs 99) baked in their skins and filled with a tasty scoop of cheese and veggies. Had we known that these would be the highlight of our meal, we would have savoured them slower and longer. Next up were bottle green spinach rolls (Rs 99), embellished with weird orange spikes and filled with cheese. These looked like something Frankenstein would eat, but tasted pleasant – don’t get them unless you’re a brave soul.

On the management’s recommendation, we went with the Chicken Steak (Rs 249) for mains, a slightly undercooked hunk of meat topped with generic barbeque sauce and redeemed only by a side of yum butter garlic mash potatoes; and an unremarkable bowl of spaghetti. We skipped dessert – banana split, sizzling brownie – not because we were full, but because our meal couldn’t handle any more mediocrity.

Note to Quench

Dress down, lose the strange 3D wall art, but keep the booze bottle light bulbs. Fine tune your menu, fuel that jeep-turned-bar and you’re good to go.

Getting there: Shop no 10, C-3, Kosamba, ONGC Colony, lane opposite Lilavati Hospital, Bandra Reclamation, call 26400511 or visit the Facebook group here, open 11 am to 1.30 am, meal for two Rs 550 (without alcohol).

At bpb, we review restaurants anonymously and pay for our own meals.

Like this story? Get similar updates on things to do/eat/buy in Mumbai in your inbox by signing up for bpb Breakfast, our daily newsletter.

Wtf! That was our first reaction when we heard that a new drinking hole named after the same three letters was opening up in Khar. But a sneak peek during last night’s launch party, and we couldn’t help but go, “omg!”

Beyond Three letters

Truth be told, Wtf!, a project by the same guys who owned Seijo and the Soul Dish, pleasantly surprised us. We went expecting an adolescent-appropriate, Red Light type space, and were greeted instead by a pastel open-air section where sewing machines replace tables and a hand cart poses as the bar.

It may have an unimaginative name, but Cool Chef, South Mumbai’s newest take-out eatery, sure features an interesting menu. Devised by Les Roches-educated, ex Leela Hotel chef Kaviraj Thadani and executed in a tiny space off Warden Road, it contains a bewildering mix of sushi and salads, burgers and bao buns.

Bao Wow!

When we visited on opening night Sunday, also available were complimentary spring rolls and chicken samosas, served with two kinds of dips. These were seriously delish, and no one seemed to mind that we had worked through almost a dozen while waiting for our order. This was packed in small oblong cartons and piled neatly into reusable cloth bags, and was still warm when we got home twenty minutes later.

We started with the above-mentioned bao buns, which the chef had instructed us to microwave before eating. Both the chicken and vegetarian versions were yum; thick, yeasty-skinned dumplings with strongly flavored centers. We also liked the chicken burgers, two adorable mini-buns that came with succulent patties, creamy condiment, onions and tomatoes. Microwave these too – they fare much better warm than cold. 

Bitter End

It was with a heavy (and slightly burnt) heart that we left the private tasting at Taco Fresco on Saturday night, which opens for business today. Ever since discovering that the Chicago-based chain was coming to Mumbai, we’d lived in a state of culinary anticipation, looking forward to guacamole and chalupas in a city with virtually no authentic Mexican restaurants. Perhaps that’s why the actual meal was such a let down.

It began on a promising note, under a whirring fan out in the open-air section, with Mexican pop art on the walls and four kinds of salsa on the table. The tortilla chips accompanying them seemed soggy and one of the salsas was tasteless, but we remained optimistic, concentrating on the better, super spicy jalapeño and seriously flavorful medium red versions, determined to love our Mexican-in-Mumbai meal.

When the Chips Are Down

What: Mexican, Italian and Asian catering by The Little Food Co., call Bhakti Mehta on 9819136441 or visit www.littlefoodco.com, starts at Rs 250 per head, minimum of eight people.

Why: One sampling of this uber-creative menu and you’ll want to plate for life. Try the green curry-filled Thai pani puri, watermelon feta salad and burrito bowl; but give the limp lettuce wraps a miss. The week-old venture also supplies waiters, bartenders and yummy dessert.

When: You’re looking for a soul mat.

Bespoke bakery Tart opens its first outpost in Bandra this week with loads of flour power on the racks. Along with its signature red velvet cupcakes (Rs 55), this tiny space showcases a range of different desserts, from fruit pies and tarts to elaborate pastries. We got the super yum pecan cheesecake swirled with cinnamon (Rs 75), and a not-so-great flourless hazelnut chocolate slice. They even threw in a free Oreo cupcake. Sweet!

Sav(our)ing our souls

The real excitement, however, lies in the unexpected line-up of savory dishes. Owner Ashiana Shroff’s expertise from her Asian restaurant Vong Wong is apparent in the Thai Curry for two (Rs 100), steamed momos, dumplings and stuffed Chinese buns – we loved the Penang Curry version - that you can take home and microwave in Ziplock bags (start at Rs 30). 

Getting there: Tart, shop no 9, opposite St Stanislaus High School, Hill Road, Bandra (W), call 65285017 or visit www.tart.co.in.

Like this story? Get similar updates on things to do/eat/buy in Mumbai in your inbox by signing up for bpb Breakfast, our daily newsletter.