Tone on the Turf, the swanky award-winning Mahalaxmi racecourse bar and banquet pad that boasted of an imaginative international menu, downs shutters to lend a platform to what the Akerkars call "forgotten cuisines of India"
Tone on the Turf, the swanky award-winning Mahalaxmi racecourse bar and banquet pad that boasted of an imaginative international menu, downs shutters to lend a platform to what the Akerkars call "forgotten cuisines of India"
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It may be goodbye tagliatelle, and hello tadka at one of Mumbai's edgiest bar and banquet lounges. Tote on the Turf, the spiffy Mahalaxmi racecourse restaurant has been closed since May this year. Despite offering 25,000 square feet of luxurious space in upscale Worli, hosting a rash of Page 3 events and winning awards for interior design and food, Tote has downed shutters. 
Sources claim, the venture by the deGustibus Hospitality brain trust of Malini and Rahul Akerkar, will be back in a new avatar ufffd serving Indian cuisine. Malini Akerkar clarifies, "It is not a re-invention. It's a complete cuisine change to complement what we have been doing at Moveable Feast banquets (the catering division) for the last two years."
While those in the know talk in whispers of the challenge that restaurateurs who back imaginative restaurant concepts face in Mumbai, Akerkar denies the change is because the original concept of offering international cuisine flopped.
"No, that's not the reason. What we want to do is give a platform to our Indian food, which was loved by our patrons. By Indian, I don't mean Punjabi or South Indian. I'd loosely describe it as forgotten cuisines of India. We will have dishes that are unusual and rarely found on restaurant menus."
One half of the couple behind some of Mumbai's most successful restaurants, including fine dining Colaba eatery Indigo, Akerkar says about the two-month closure, "We were closed because we were renovating, somewhat. The kitchen was redone to accommodate Indian cuisine."
Will a new avatar mean a new name? "The new restaurant will have a name that incorporates the 'Tote on the Turf' identity, but with a twist. We will open this month."
Tote's bar menu was imaginative, while dinner and lunch offered eclectic European and Asian inspired dishes, with an American grill section as bonus.
Inspired by the rain trees that surrounded the Mahalaxmi racecourse where it was housed, Tote's design by Serie Architects, won it the Best Bar Design Award last year at the Restaurant and Bar Design Awards in London. Earlier this year, it won the Best New Restaurant award at Wallpaper Design Awards set up by London's revered design and style magazine.
Riyaz Amlani, managing director, Impressario Handmade Restaurants, and the man behind popular eateries including Bandra's Salt Water Caf ufffd, says "Indian food continues to remain the most popular cuisine, followed by Chinese and finally, Italian. That doesn't mean you don't push the envelope, though. Rahul (Akerkar) has led the way and broken new ground. On the food scene, you are bound to have hits and misses. But, we are now an international city, so we cannot afford to be un-international with the food we offer."
The claim that Indian food rarely misses the success button, isn't one Sanjay Vazirani is willing to back. Owner of Foodlink, the firm that once ran Mini Turf Club at the racecourse, says, "Global cuisine is in demand now. People are experimenting with all sorts of food, and it is possible to sustain a restaurant with it. Foodlink has just launched Bungalow 9 in Bandra. We serve a variety of cuisine, except Indian, and the responseu00a0 has been great."
Meanwhile, Tote on the Turf's new image will mean another transformation for the gastronomic landscape at Mahalaxmi. Recently, Mini Turf Club that was open to the club's members and their guests, was renamed Hooves. The racecourse also houses AD Singh's Olive. With adjoining Parel and mill areas undergoing a knee-jerk transformation into upscale hubs, the racecourse with its ample space has turned into a sought after location for food and beverage establishments.
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