There's a new restaurant at Mahalaxmi Racecourse; here's all you need to know

Mahalaxmi Racecourse offers the solace of foliage to compensate for the traffic leading to it This time we are here for Soraia mdash a new 200seater modern IndoEuropean restaurant by restaurateurs Afsana Verma Amit Verma along with Dhaval Udeshi the force behind Scarlett House and Gigi It replaces oldtimer NeelTote on the Turf at the Royal Western India Turf ClubFor its new innings Gauri Khan lends her vision with her take on a secret European garden set in Mumbairsquos green lung ldquoIrsquove played with the abundant natural light foliage and space to create a magical restaurant where the indoors seamlessly flows to the al fresco In the daytime the light creates a peaceful and relaxed vibe while in the evenings warm chandeliers create reflections depth and texture Raw textures of natural wood and white stone create a great backdrop for the greenery and lush fabrics usedrdquo Khan shares about the design philosophySitafal Tres Leches and Lotus Stem PinsaIn the al fresco a flowy water fountain greets us as it stands surrounded by elegantly lit tables A glass house in the far corner beckons for an intimate meal Inside the wood and white stone offers an inviting ambiance centred around an Omakase cocktail bar Tufted leather sofas lend a cosy setting under the familiar raintreeinspired pillars retained from the earlier avatar The team defines the food and bar programme as lsquoNeo botanicalrsquo Chef Hitesh Shanbhag elaborates that the concept shapes the modern IndianEuropean culinary language relying on nature for harmonious direction The food menu is divided into First Flush Seed Light Fire Earth and Air using roots leaves grains and proteins to serve seasonal flavours from coastlines and landsViews of the 200seater in Mahalaxmi PicsAtul KambleShanbhag gives us a sweet welcome with Tomato Halwa Rs 220 laden with raisins adding a tangy palate burst with Watermelon Guacamole Rs 225 on a puri from the First Flush section The flavours are maintained light in the evening Seeds offer a Warm Brie Hive Rs 750 is a take on baklava mdash sweet apples in a phylo pastry oozing with brie a lightly spiced chilli nut crunch of granola finishes the biteLight unfurls Shanbhagrsquos craft with Black Noir Rs 950 a liver parfait with black truffle with an inhouse whiskey butter We slather on housemade milk bread brioche Fire takes a tandoori and fiery turn with Chicken Olea Rs 650 Succulent marinated pieces of meat are lifted with a juicy bell pepperolive tapenade with a dunk into green garlic aioliFay Barretto prepares a beverageLotus Stem Pinsa Rs 1050 a Romanstyle flatbread has a green chutney base topped with slivers of lotus stem Crispy fluff of Malabar spinach moss packs in the crunch Gucchi Silk Rs 750 is a standout creamy galouti served on morels sheets From the Earth we get Churpi and Kandhari Badam Agnolotti Rs 1100 pasta filled with almonds Bland on the palate it misses bringing in a core flavour to tie the dish togetherOmakase cocktail barThe food is complemented by beverage director Fay Barrettorsquos knack for complex cocktails that had him scouting for ingredients to represent mountains coasts forests desserts Barretto who goes by the pronouns himthey has the pantry full of pine needles fresh from Himachal Choru spice mix Kashmiri garlic Lomba medicinal herb from the North East Michinga Leaves and Lasoda glueberry or Indian cherryFrom left Plateaus Smoke Beneath the SnowcapFrom the mountains is Smoke Beneath the Snowcap Rs 1100 a tequilamezcal highball that has the woodiness of mountain pines The spirit is infused with brown butter gucchi mushroom carbonated into a lavender chives and dried apricot pickle consommeacute with acids This comes with a Pahadi raita sitting on a gondhoraj leaf Too much is going on in the drink for us to catch upHitesh Shanbhag and Gauri Khan File picNimesh DaveOne that comes together beautifully is Where the Forest Breathes Smoke Rs 1100 with robust Pandi curry flavours of Coorg Rs 1100 Notes of the spice mix Kodagu tomato curry and wild lemon are held together in a fatwashed whiskey A piece of kithul roti sits on the glass rim as a bite along Plateaus Rs 1100 explores the limits of a hot toddy with dark rum millet wort tamarind water Guntur tincture toasted millet and madras curry milk making it a warm pickSunlight on Open Fields PICS COURTESYSORAIAFrom the Plains Sunlight on Open Fields Rs 1100 is a ginforward drink with iced apple ferment sugarcane juice pigeon pea orgeat and glueberry preserve We relish the savoury finishing notes of amaranth Barettorsquos cocktails demand attention to ingredients and techniques For cocktail nerds it is a class in complexityIn the mains the Jackfruit Berry Pulao Rs 750 is straight from an Irani restaurant menu itrsquos juicy laden with zereshk berries and meaty jackfruit For dessert Shanbhag takes inspiration for Tres Leches Rs 850 from the Sitafal MilkShake at Haji Ali Juice Centre The threeway milk dessert a rare feat to find a good version in the city is rich like a basundi with a milksoaked cake centre Cocoa amp Sin Rs 730 on the other hand satiates our craving for dark chocolate with a sorbet sea salt olive tapenade and dark chocolate cacao leather At Royal Western India Turf Club Mahalakshmi RacecourseTime 12 noon to 4 pm and 7 pm to 1 am First week dinner seating only at 7 pmCall 9004938000 9004883000