mid-day takes a B-town food trail across Mumbai to find out what catches the gastronomic fancy of discerning tinsel townies like Sushmita Sen, Arjun Rampal, Sonam Kapoor and Tiger Shroff
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Even as most of our filmi folk swear by their fitness regime and diet foods, once in a while, they do like to step out and indulge. But meeting their high standards doesn't come easy. Known to be sticklers for quality, they don't settle for anything less than the best. And once they find a favourite, they mostly keep coming back. So, what does it take to make the cut?
Arjun Rampal
Tuna Tartare and Chicken V8 at Korner House
"Arjun Rampal likes his protein, but when he's not shooting the next morning, he eats without inhibition," says chef Vicky Ratnani about his loyal celebrity patron at The Korner House, Khar. Rampal, we are told, drops by twice a week when he's not busy. "Usually, he prefers to sit in the alfresco section. Sometimes, he also holds his work meetings here," adds Ratnani.
Sana Shaikh and Sanya Malhotra
While Rampal loves seafood and meat, his favourite here remains the tuna tartare — a fresh sashimi-based tuna with spring onions topped with quail egg. Another favourite is the New Zealand lamb chops. Of late, the Dangal girls, Fatima Sana Shaikh and Sanya Malhotra too, have been visiting. "They like the farm to table market salad, that comes with the red snapper of the day and the chicken V8."
Zayed Khan
Ikarami Salmon at Joss
The staff at Joss is rather fond of Zayed Khan, who drops by almost once every month for his fill of the Ikarami Salmon. "He is very genial and interacts with most of our staff," says chef Marzbaan Amroliwala.
Khan's favourite here is the salmon loin which is thinly sliced and served with garlic, chives and kalamansi soy dressing. "It is a combination of mild spices and sour notes from the lime and kalamansi," says Amroliwala. The actor, we are told, mostly drops by for dinner and prefers a corner table.
Sonam Kapoor
Tandoori Crab at Gajalee
The Kapoors, including Sonam, have long been patrons of Gajalee's Vile Parle outlet. In fact, the actress has been relishing the Tandoori Crab here since she was little. Even now, she makes it a point to drop by as often as she can, sometimes with family, on other occasions with friends. This dish is cooked in Gajalee's "secret masalas".
Tandoori Crab
Santosh Singh, who has been managing the outlet for 18 years, says, "The tandoori style goes well with her healthy food choices. We marinate the crabmeat in the spices, add curd and then cook it in a clay oven. Crab meat being sweet, marries well with the masalas. We marinate it three times, in three steps while cooking, so that the masalas seep right through."
Sushmita Sen
Quinoa Salad at 145
Ever since the Kala Ghoda restobar kicked off its journey two years ago, Sushmita Sen has been a regular. Her favourite bite? "The Quinoa Salad. Chef Amol Patil tells us that Sen is quite the stickler when it comes to eating healthy. "She likes to know what goes into the preparation, what ingredients are used, how it's prepared, etc. She's interested in the process," says Patil, adding that they take extra care while preparing her order.
Quinoa Salad. Pic/Bipin kokate
"We need to maintain the texture and oil balance to the T. At times, we incorporate her suggestions with regard to the seasoning," he adds. Speaking of the recipe, Patil says, "We use steamed quinoa for this salad with lemon and pepper dressing. We do a mixture of fried onions, pomegranate and thinly cut spinach leaves, tossed in lemon vinaigrette." Sen likes to drop by late evenings with her bunch of girlfriends, we are told.
Ayan Mukherjee
Whiskey Tart at
The Sassy Spoon When chefs, Irfan Pabaney and Rachel Goenka were experimenting with the chocolate tart, they were caught between brandy and whiskey as the choice of tempering.
"We finally went with whiskey because it blended well with the Belgian chocolate," says Pabaney. Director Ayan Mukherjee will certainly be happy with their decision, considering he's an ardent fan of the tart. "I remember him telling me that he loved it. I'm guessing he's a whiskey drinker or he has tasted the whiskey centered chocolates at some point of time," says the chef.
Pabaney feels that the trick of getting the tart right lies in the ratio of whiskey to chocolate. While the tart is pre-made, the whiskey-infused-chocolate is poured into it later. "It's rich and decadent. You'll love it if you love your whiskey."
Kiran Rao
Avocado Tartine at La Folie
Regulars at La Folie, especially during breakfast hours, have time and again spotted Kiran Rao enjoying some me-time at the outdoor section of the Bandra eatery. What brings her by, often, is the Avocado Tartine, made of avocados that travel all the way from New Zealand. We hear the astute filmmaker is no less quality conscious when it comes to her food. And, of course, "healthy" is the watchword. This tartine follows a unique recipe and presentation.
Sanjana Patel
Speaking of the recipe, owner Sanjana Patel says, "The bread we use is freshly baked every morning, from sour dough. We use a sweet basil pesto made from basil that grows in our vertical garden.
Avocado Tartine. Pic/Nimesh dave
These avocados are half avocadoes which we import from New Zealand. They are slightly bigger in size. We use a slight salt and pepper seasoning on it and serve it with a Tabasco and tomato jelly, that we call the irreversible jelly. It's jelly that doesn't melt. And for garnish on the plate, we use a base of red pepper and tomato hummus, and top it up with sprouts." We hear the staff doesn't even need to formally take Rao's order for this one. The moment she walks in, the prep begins.
Bipasha Basu and Karan Singh Grover
Bhuna Gosht Tacos and stir fry veggies at ZooBar
At Vile Parle's ZooBar, it's usually the health conscious patron who opts for the stir fried vegetables. While it might not be the most popular dish there, it certainly has a popular patron in Bipasha Basu. "Considering Bipasha is very particular about what she eats, she usually opts for this dish, where we toss English vegetables in olive oil and garlic sauce and serve it with garlic bread," says owner Nishant Joshi. Bipasha is usually accompanied by her husband, Karan Singh Grover. "They had once attended our Karaoke Night where Karan sang the song, Radioactive by Imagine Dragons. They are a free-spirited couple and often indulge in the activities conducted at the restaurant," he says, adding that the couple prefers the high table and stool at the restaurant. Gauhar Khan, who also drops by for a bite once every two months, digs the Bhuna Ghost Tacos.
"It takes six hours to prepare this because the meat is first marinated and then served in crispy taco shells, topped with caramelised onions and fresh coriander." It's worth the effort because the bhuna ghosht tacos are their hot selling item with around 70 plates being ordered everyday.
Aditya kapur
Beetroot salad, Veranda
A couple of weeks ago, chef Monish Rohra of Veranda was pleasantly surprised when actor Aditya Roy Kapur complimented him for the beetroot salad. "He was there with a couple of friends. After the meal, he made it a point to tell me that he loved the salad. It's not one of the things that usually fetches you a compliment," he laughs.
Beetroot salad
But for Rohra, the salad is a labour of love. "It's a gorgeous looking one, presented on an oak platter. The base is of quinoa, lime and salt. On one side, you have acquella leaves and on the other, you have the beetroot sliced in a way that it's hollow in the centre. We fill this with hung curd and then use honey mustard dressing for the salad," he says. Rohra adds that Kapur liked the dish so much that he dropped in again. "This time, however, there was no table available, but he was happy to wait at
the bar."
Tiger Shroff
Lamb dumplings and Shitake Mushroom Bao at Su Casa
Bandra Reclamation's swish eatery may not be very old but Tiger Shroff appears to have already made it a favourite. One of the most health-conscious actors in the industry, Shroff junior likes to indulge in the lamb dumplings and the shitake mushroom bao.
Mushroom Bao. Pic/Nimesh Dave
While the dumplings comprise steamed cabbage and spiced lamb mince in tzatziki sauce, the baos are pocketed with shitake mushroom, sautéed broccoli, tossed in Hoisin sauce. What is interesting is the way the actor eats it. "He separates the bao from the filling and feasts on the latter, while the baos are relegated to the side of the plate," says chef Dev Rawat.
Lamb dumplings. Pic/Nimesh Dave
Shroff drops by every fortnight. "He usually comes alone, prefers to sit in the indoor section, quietly enjoys his meal and leaves in less than an hour. His orders are pretty fixed too," Rawat adds.
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