PALI BHAVAN, PALI HILL

There has certainly been a lot of hype surrounding this restaurant, touted on the street as 'the ultimate in Indian fine dining'. Waiting was necessary to gain a table, although done only briefly albeit in a pleasant environment.

The owners have put much thought into the theme and decor of the place, with old pictures of Rajasthani maharajahs adorning the walls, timeless wooden shutters and elegant chandeliers. The effect is breathtaking, with just the right amount of old-world charm.

I was pleased to see a variety of lamb options on the menu, such as seekh and boti kebab. However I wanted something to really sink my teeth into, so ordered the dum ki nali (lamb shanks).

Surprisingly, it lacked impact; the result of a combination of not enough meat pieces (three shanks are not enough to satisfy one person, let alone two) and the miniscule amount of meat on the bone.

It would have definitely been more satisfying on both tastebuds and wallet had non-local meat been used, or more substantial local mutton sourced. I had to virtually pry the meat off the bone, a warning sign for a dish where the meat is supposed to simply fall off after hours of slow cooking.

The naan was rather small by usual standards. However I was pleased by the willingness of the waiter to cater to my demand of customising it slightly upon ordering (I had requested a garlic cheese naan).

Service in general, was excellent considering the large number of people inside.

The chicken tikka was moist, juicy and a good-sized portion. True to its flaming orange colour, it positively squealed with delight when I bit into it. There was even no need to use the lemon for any added flavour; it packed an authentic, tidy punch.

The galouti kebab was interesting - delicately textured and buttery-rich as required, yet placed on a hard dough base which was for me, difficult and chewy to eat.
Probably the intended effect was to marry the softness of the kebab with the firmness of the dough, however I ended up scraping the meat off and discarding the base.

I was not able to sample enough on the menu to make a well-informed judgement on the overall quality of food, however what I tasted was quite acceptable. I rate food at 8/10 and ambience 9.5/10.

Pali Bhavan is located at 10 Adarsh Nagar, Pali Nakka, Bandra West, Mumbai.

Photo credits: tripadvisor.in, privilegecard.in

THE TABLE, COLABA

Upon entering this establishment I was greeted by a former fellow Kingfisher model who, spurred by a love of food, has taken to hosting the restaurant.

She informed us that The Table had that very day taken away the award for 'India's Best Restaurant'. Not really one to be seduced by media hype, I smiled politely and nodded.

Initially discouraged by the tapas-style menu (I prefer to commit to single, large meals)
I gingerly ordered the grilled calamari with chilli-almond pesto, fregola, confit tomato and black olive. My experience with dining in India is that calamari is rarely served grilled, so if you see it, hold on for dear life.

When it arrived, I judged the dish by its cover - small, chopped up bits of calamari hardly discernable to the eye. I was instantly irritated by the 'dumbing down' of the dish; do these people think calamari can't be broken down by teeth? Where's the fun if it's already been mashed up for us?

Grumbling, I took a bite. My tastebuds all of a sudden started singing hymns of praise - the delicateness of the squid coupled with the bite of the pesto and sweetness of the tomato resulted in what can only be described as a taste-gasm. Give me more!

The yellowfin tuna tataki with avocado, tomato gelée and sesame vinagrette was amazingly fresh (something you learn not to take for granted with Japanese in Mumbai) not to mention light with a perfect balance of flavours.

Avocado and raw fish are two companions which should never be separated and The Table seems to understand that. It would have been nice however, to have been offered wooden chopsticks to preserve the taste and authenticity of the dish.

When I was advised to try the lamb mini-burgers, I scoffed. How good can sliders be? And why would a fine dining establishment bother serving them? Again I was mistaken. These little guys were treated just like steak, cooked to instructed perfection at medium and not a second overdone. The balance of tzaziki perfectly ironed out the spice of the lamb, leaving a clean after-taste.

Expecting a spectacular finale, I was underwhelmed by the 'large plate' of roasted rawas with spinach. After the perfect composition of the previous three dishes, it seemed large and clumsy; definitely not a dish which could warrant more than a few bites.

The Dom Perignon on hand was not chilled to perfection as one would expect, which was a sore disappointment.

Overall it was a mostly positive mixed bag, with three out of four of the dishes being a 9.5/10, with the sorry roasted rawas a 6.5/10.

While the downstairs decor of the restaurant was acceptable, the ambience of the upstairs floor failed to make an impact with its lack of charm and uniqueness.

The Table is located in the Kalapesi Trust Building, Apollo Bunder Marg, Colaba, Mumbai.

Photo credits: thetable.in, mumbaiboss.com