He Said She Said: Andheri's newest fine dine addition

The buzzing suburb of Andheri will soon be adding a fine dining option to its packed array of eating joints. He Said She Said, popularly known as HS3, has decided to tap in the flurry of excitement as it opens its "Indigo-like space," in Harshvardhan Samor, the owner's words. With Michelin star chef Melvin D'Souza on board, the menu looks certainly promising. There is emphatic focus on French cuisine, D'Souza gave way into Italian to appeal to the area of Andheri.

The interiors are inspired by French villages. Pics/Pradeep Dhivar

"I joined two months ago, and was working under chef Raymond Blanc (UK) before that. So, I know French cuisine very well. However, here I have been told as Andheri diners like Italian a lot and vegetarian options are also big, I have included them in the menu," explains chef D'Souza. An avid believer of molecular cooking, the chef has devised several unique dishes to look forward to. From Pea Pancake Poached egg with béarnaise sauce (Rs 285), Fresh Avocado Salad (Rs 315), Stuffed Chicken Wings (Rs 275), Goat Cheese Parcel (Rs 325), Beetroot Tart (Rs 345) and Aubergine Lasagna (Rs 365), things definitely lean towards the experimental side.

The Pea Pancakes are a unique recipe, courtesy Chef Melvin D'Souza

"In the Cheese Parcel, I have added a bit of tomato chutney (the Indian way) which is slightly spicy. I have also included spices like coriander, fennel, cumin and vinegar to make the dishes taste slightly different," says D'Souza. The stellar dish, however, is Slow Cooked Mutton Leg Steak with Mash (sic) priced at R495. Explaining why mutton leg is his off-beat choice, he says that originally he wanted to make lamb chops but they are expensively priced at R3,500/kg. Yet the lamb here is slowly cooked for seven hours and would only need a spoon to dig in. Likewise, with the Home Smoke Beef Steak (R515), he says.

The Cheese Parcel is supposed to be heavenly with an Indian twist

Beef steak lovers are in for a surprise as he marinates the protein for 12 hours before putting it in the oven along with wooden chips that ensure a smokey flavour. "That can't be served rare," he makes clear but reasons that there are two kinds of beef steaks for people who like their meat from rare to well-done. Although, the desserts are amiss as of now from the kitchen, but despair not, for his friend, Basilico pastry chef, Abdul Ansari, will be whipping up goodies. "You can expect a fine dining option here but it will be pocket friendly as dishes will be mostly costing Rs 150 to Rs 600," asserts Samor. With interiors inspired by French villages, sun-downer parties on Sundays and free wine on brunches, one would just like to fork in without giving two hoots about who says what.