26 June,2011 07:06 AM IST | | Anjana Vaswani
Recalling her pregnancy idiosyncrasies from 18 years ago, a friend recently told us about how she was once so overwhelmed by this unmanageable craving for a dish from the menu at Under the Over, Rahul Akerkar's first restaurant, that she actually convinced her husband to wake up and drive her there. The kitchen had already closed and the staff was busy packing up, but she implored the chef, who, she recalls, "...was such a sweetheart. He took one look at my tummy and went back into the kitchen to prepare the dish."
The Chilean Sea Bass is laid out over a pool of curry whose recipe is
inspired by Chef Rahul Akerkar's grandmother's Maharashtrian drumstick
stew Shengachi Aamti
Delicious memories that stay with you forever -- that's what Akerkar routinely whips up. So, it's no surprise that while no one really remembers the numerous restaurants that occupied the Colaba venue before Indigo opened its doors there, even the most direction-challenged taxi driver recognises the landmark that, 12 years ago, educated this city's residents about how incredibly beautiful a dining experience could actually be.
The restaurant has retained its faithful clientele, even with an almost unchanged menu. But with new restaurants now offering a variety of comparable fare, Akerkar, it seems, has finally decided to get those oven mitts back on and step into the ring. From what we tasted, it seems he brought his A game too.
Eager to sample the new stuff, we refrained from ordering the Lobster Bisque (Rs 515), one of our old favourites, and even sulked when our companion decided to order it anyway. But when it arrived, we immediately noticed this wasn't the same old dish. The single piece of lobster that the server usually poured the golden bisque over was now blended with chopped chives, whipped mascarpone and capers in a recipe that completely overshadows the old one.
Fortunately, the delightfully fruity Stimson Estate Chardonnay (2006) the server kept pouring into our glass (Rs 790 a glass) somewhat managed to dilute our frustration with our decision. That our order of Seared Canadian Scallops with light and slightly sweetish Wasabi Cream (Rs 815, pictured below) was even more impressive helped too. For our main course, we enjoyed a succulent breast of duck braised in Shaoxing, Mirin and Soy (Rs 1,245) which came with a beautifully smooth and succinctly seasoned cauliflower mash and a generous serving of sweetish creamed spinach. We also sampled the roasted Chilean Sea Bass (Rs 1,995), a scrumptiously soft and sweet meat that was laid out over a pool of curry whose recipe's inspired is by that of Akerkar's grandmother's Maharashtrian drumstick and marrow stew Shengachi Aamti.
And while we also loved the punch of the passion-fruit curd brulee half of one dessert (Rs 545), its green tea couscous base is perhaps reserved for those with a very sophisticated palate. The Belgian chocolate marquise served with a spicy strawberry coulis (Rs 545), on the other hand, was an absolutely phenomenal combination of flavours and the two teensy bars of soft, sticky torrone that accompanied the dish were a bonus treat we absolutely fell in love with.
At: Indigo is located at 4 Mandalik Road, off Colaba Causeway, Colaba
Call: 66368981
