Mia Cucina, on the double

Bandra's cosy Italian restaurant is ready with its second outlet, in a bigger, bolder avatar, at Seven Bungalows. And this one comes with a fully stocked bar

When Sanjay Kotian, chef and owner of Mia Cucina, Bandra's favourite Italian joint, realised he had clients trudging all the way from Andheri to his eatery, he decided to make life a bit easier for them. He moved closer.
The eatery opened doors in 2007 in a 900 sq feet space with just 44 covers.


he familiar, cosy interiors of Mia Cucina's Bandra address.
The new outlet will be bigger and better.

Serving a delectable spread of traditional Italian food paired with the best of wines, it quickly earned a fan following despite the tiny interiors. It's new Andheri brother, though, has bigger stuff in store --"planning began about five months back. This will be bigger, with 2,000 sq feet and 82 covers. There's a full bar as well, serving wine, beer and other alcohol. The interiors will be a lot bolder; you'll see why!" adds Sanjay, refusing to divulge any more details.

Donning two hats
Armed with over 15 years of experience in the food industry and having trained as a chef in the US, Sanjay is clear that he wants to retain Mia Cucina's signature menu at its new address. "Right now, the core menu stays intact. My philosophy is to improve the basics rather than reinvent the wheel".

His mantras are simple - maintain quality control and use good equipment (Mia Cucina's kitchen tools are imported, we were told), The man has his pulse on getting it right, the practical way. He's roped in some of his original staff from the Bandra kitchen to oversee the Seven Bungalows branch. "One of my most seasoned chefs, Ketan Mane will handle the day-to-day operations," he adds.

Kitchen confidential
"I came down to Mumbai from the US to set up a restaurant business. It's a far more exciting experience to implement these ideas in this vibrant city," says Sanjay who refuses to go the chain restaurant way.

He likes sticking to the "personalised neighbourhood feel." "South Mumbai is another location I'd like to explore, but in time." Prod him on whether his kitchen will whip up a surprise or two, and he says, "Look out for our Christmas menu; we are excited about it."

Mia Cucina's second outlet opens on November 20.
AT Jewel Mahal Shopping Centre, JP Road, Versova, Andheri (W).