An East Indian in Bandra

You canrsquot cook East Indian food from a book recipes are family secrets heirlooms almost that move through generations Naturally dishes taste different in every household and more so as you move across different gaothans This was the case with chef Freny Fernandesrsquo newlyopened Bandra eatery Frenyrsquos which serves a fun mix of European dishes and East Indian fare with flair Walking into the space is entering Fernandesrsquo part of town and pulling up a seat for a meal inspired by the East Indian dishes shersquos grown up eating interspersed with influences from her travelsThe ambiance on the first floor and ground floorWe get straight to business and order a bowl of fugiyas Rs 250 this is right after a complementary bowl that every table receives The chef isnrsquot fooling around with this traditional fried balloon bread The eggless variant arrives piping hot fluffy and slightly on the sweeter side just the way we like it Eggless fugiyas arenrsquot as moist as the ones made with egg and many East Indians might be used to the latterBut Fernandes extends the famed bread to vegetarians And for this EI whose grandmother always prepared the bread minus the egg itrsquos a bite full of memories A contemporary twist comes in the form of a bottle masala dusting which is tasty and an intense garlicey dip on the side whose texture and pairing we do not prefer We say our goodbyes to periperi and hop on Fernandesrsquo bottle masala trend We get fries with the dusting Rs 320 that comes with a tomato jam hinting all of sweet paprika and makes for a great combo The Brazilian lemonade Rs 275 is refreshing despite the morethanusual bitterness and being unstrainedWhile we wait we soak in the busy interiors on the first floor an allday dining vibe with powder blue panelling on the walls a fabric chandelier and couch and wooden seating mismatched with lovely homely accents including doilies and family photographs We prefer the ground floor deacutecor comprising a large French door with a border of blue glazed tiles lemon tree ceiling wallpaper and a peninsula table surrounded by high chairs You also get a view of a functioning candy floss machine outside Brownie points for the retro playlist that have us grooving throughout the mealFugiyasGiving the European parts of the menu with pizzas pastas and salads a miss we try out key East Indian dishes starting with cutlet pav sliders Rs 450 a Vasaistyle potatoheavy chicken patty with tomato caramelised onions and a periperi sauce that brings a kick of heat We would prefer less of the sweet spread on the jackfruit variant of the indyal vindaloo tacos Rs 375 for the vindaloo flavours and tomato salsa to shine through It comes with purple cabbage to lift every bite with freshness and crunch There are pork and chicken variants of the taco too the overall menu has a good mix of vegan options For mains Peterrsquos mutton curry Rs 650 with potatoes gives us an earthy and thick gravy The puris fish curry Rs 620 a coconut milkbased yellow curry also called kujit is a much more fragrant version of the usually tangy and spicy curry with garlicey and gingery accentsPeterrsquos mutton curryThe highlight was the desserts from Fernandesrsquo dessert bar Moner The personal touches and memories in every dessert make the dishes sweeter Every Sunday sundae Rs 600 comes with layers of custard cream vanilla bean gelato raspberry jelly and fruit Matilda cake Rs 500 makes chocolatey goodness from the eponymous movie is a cinematic dream come true and the Fernandes Rocher Rs 600 has salty and sweet notes with chocolate mousse salted caramel and hazelnut praline and a crunchy tuile it is a muchelevated version of the popular chocolateThe desserts are a musttryFrenyrsquos holds up to the promise of a cosy dining and bar space with excellent desserts and more than a handful of gems on the menu It warrants another visit for the politest staff Monicarsquos chicken roast and fluffy fugiyasFrenyrsquosAt Waterfield Road Opposite China Gate Bandra WestTime 12 pm to 12 amCall 7770014123 Exceptional Excellent very Good Good Average Frenyrsquos didnrsquot know we were there The Guide reviews anonymously and pays for meals