Jain dining goes fine?

You can tell the malaise of indifference has seeped so completely into the fabric of a city when you see stains of it show up in its restaurants. Because if money can't buy you love or, at any rate, attention to detail then, these must really be hard times.



Quattro is the latest in a long list of restaurant hopefuls waiting to dazzle diners with its New-York-red-meets-black-fantastique interiors. The 'ristorante' offers a mix of vegetarian Mexican and Italian cuisine. We chose to focus on the Italian part of their menu, which we did by ordering the intriguing Stuffed Penne (Rs 195).

You know you're well and truly down the path to self-destruction when the idea of a carbohydrate stuffed with protein (a combination of cheeses, including ricotta), and then crumb-fried evokes excitement. Think deep-fried cheeseburger. Or Nigella Lawson.

There's a reason fantasy is deemed better than reality. And this starter could be why. The penne was the closest to eating chewy saw dust that we hope to ever get. The Mushroom Risotto (Rs 325) was better, as we were gently bludgeoned into a state of bliss with cheese and cream, and refined carbs with welcome bits of chewy porcini, shitake and button mushrooms thrown in. The Quattro Formaggio Pizza (Rs 295) had a thin, almost wafer-thin crust and a combination of mozzarella, blue cheese, cheddar and parmesan, minus tomato sauce. Nice, but forgettable..u00a0

Bye, bye love
The Mumbai diner, we've been informed in the past, loves chocolate, which is why we were less surprised to find almost two pages of dessert options dedicated to the rumoured aphrodisiac. Keen to get into the head of this fabled Mumbai diner, we dove into the Chocolate Dunkers (Rs 190), cigars of Belgian chocolate, wrapped in filo pastry, baked, drizzled with caramel, and served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Gag! Even the 20-minute wait did little for it, in terms of lowering expectations.

It's been just under a month since Quattro opened, so it might be fair to make allowance for teething troubles. We're afraid, though, that restaurant reviews are rarely exercises in compassion, especially since we, like other diners, pay for our meals. None of the dishes were served with serving spoons, and they didn't replace the cutlery, placing our used fork back in our main plate. The service is slow and when you are attended to, you feel sorry for the person taking your order, because he's clearly out of his league. Of course it's a cruel world. But then again, isn't that what we're paying for!

At 7, Janta Industrial Estate, opposite Phoenix Mills, Lower Parel.
Call 67496444
Quattro didn't know we were there. The Guideu00a0reviews anonymously and pays for meals.