Fix a date with Audrey Tautou

Photographs of the French actress are splashed all over the newest cafe ristorante in Bandra, which promises good food, coffee and the right ambience

Cocoa
At: Hill Road, Bandra (W)
Call: 61322222
Cuisine: Continental
Verdict: Quite pleasant

Mexican Mix Salad Pic/Prathik Panchamia

Audrey Tautou is perhaps the unofficial brand ambassador for Cocoa, the cafe ristorante at the private club C'est La Vie. The French actress, who you might remember as Amelie from the French film of the same name, or Sophie Neveu from The Da Vinci Code features on the large collage of sepia-toned pictures as well as on coasters. Dreamy images of the seemingly shy but mischievous Tautou prodded us into a long conversation about the young actress' prowess. Thankfully, the food and service didn't hinder the discussion.

It's rare for the ambience of a restaurant to spark off a tete- -tete that lasts through the evening. Plus, the Sylvie Vartan-esque French ditties set the mood for mid-conversation deliberation. If only the couch and chairs were a tad more comfortable, we'd give them full marks for a perfect ambience. Nevertheless, it gained brownie points for the smiling and helpful waiters and prompt service.

Since it is a cafe ristorante, Cocoa serves soups, salads, sandwiches as well as mains and all-day breakfast.
Weu00a0 opted for the chilled Guava Spice Soup (Rs 195) and the light Mexican Mix Salad (Rs 255). The soup, which arrived in a sweet-n-sour salt-rimmed roli-poli glass, went superbly with the tangy and crunchy salad.

For the mains, we called for a Fillet Mignon (Rs 435) and, from the sandwich menu, a Crunchy Cottage Cheese Burger (Rs 315). Despite the waiter reconfirming how we preferred our beef steak (well done) the meat was chewy and negotiating it without a steak knife was a near-impossible task. The mashed potatoes with the steak were sinfully creamy. Yet, not enough compensation.

Finally, we called for a Banoffee Pie (Rs 250) with a Cappuccino (Rs 65) and Cafe Mocha (Rs 75). The Banoffee Pie was yum but the Mocha had no trace of chocolate! Our complaint was noted and we were given a generous 15 per cent discount on the final bill. Our waiter promised us loads of chocolate in our Mocha the next
time.