Benedict Bistro and Bar needs to pay more attention to its food

When modern-American diner, It Happened in New York opened in 2016, we were charmed by its casual bar and diner. Our first meal there was a wholesome grain bowl, truffle popcorn and a tenderloin burger, part of the menu created by consulting chef Kartikeya Ratan. The drinks menu was inspired from Bar-Tender's Guide written in the 1800s by American Professor Jerry Thomas. This bar menu has been crunched to offer house specials, and the food menus gets additions across sections. Last week, we visited the new avatar, Benedict Bistro & Bar, and settle into a corner in the lounge section which retains its blue walls, and red diner sofas and white wrought-iron chairs.

We are happy to see that an amuse bouche serving of mini rainbow bagels with cream cheese has been retained. It tastes just our first taste of it (meant to remind us of Brookyln) - warm and fluffy.

We order an Old Fashion By The Hudson (Rs 500) and a West Side Smash (Rs 450). Even before we've had our first sip, a server has appeared to ask us whether we like our drinks, insisting we take a sip and comment. This is the first assault for the night and we let it pass. (if you want to remove, or say
The servers seem to be an overzealous lot, and sadly, it puts us at an unease because we were hoping for a quiet dinner, without being forced to answer how our meal more than necessary.

The drinks are decent but we miss the classic globe ice for our old-fashioned. The bourbon is spiced with nutmeg and house bitters. The latter is a gin-based drink with elderflower, basil and cucumber.

To munch, we order an Avo Tostada (Rs 200), which is basically guac on fried taco. The guacamole is tasteless, watery and needs seasoning.

We quickly move on to Kale and Mushroom Bake (Rs 250) that comes on a rye bread. Butter and cheese cloak any trace of the natural comforting taste that mushroom and kale would have lent to the dish. We are offered a tasting portion of paneer BBQ. A steak would have given a tough fight to the overpowering sauce, but here, it is a lost battle.

For mains, we order Jerk Chicken (Rs 650) which comes with a side of smoked sweet potato. The house rub with thyme and peppers is full of flavour but the chargrilled chicken is too dry and rubbery for our liking.

We leave dessert for another time.

AT: Reclamation, Chapel Road, Bandra West
TIMINGS: 9 am to 1 am
CALL: 33951696

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai, National and International news here

Download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get updates on all the latest and trending stories on the go