Located on the third floor of an old building on Chowpatty with no lift and partially lit by a neon signboard, The Terrace has its niggles. But the view of the sea and the bar manager from Goa aren't part of it
Located on the third floor of an old building on Chowpatty with no lift and partially lit by a neon signboard, The Terrace has its niggles. But the view of the sea and the bar manager from Goa aren't part of it
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The Terraceu00a0
At: 3rd floor, Ikxia Lounge, Chowpatty, Marine Drive
Call: 9820420471
Cuisine: Finger food
Verdict: Decent
From the terrace, the crowd on Chowpatty looked like a colourful swirl
bordering a dark grey sea, and the turquoise sky gleamed reassuringly.u00a0
What would drag a non-vegetarian to a restaurant that serves vegetarian finger food?
We admit, that question was topmost in our minds as we drove down to the new place on Chowpatty located on the terrace of Ikxia Lounge, called, well, The Terrace.
We also wondered whether the vegetarians loved their food well enough to be drawn to a roof-top restaurant during the monsoon.
On reaching and climbing three narrow flights of stairs (first flight all lit up, second and third ufffd grope or use the railings; there is no lift) we blundered into a smallish space with three wooden gazebos, three tables under canopies, a 'VIP lounge' tucked away in one corner under a low roof and five bar stools along one end of the wooden railing running along the length of the terrace.
And then, we saw the sea. From up above the terrace that high, the crowd on Chowpatty looked like a colourful swirl bordering a dark grey sea, and the turquoise sky gleamed reassuringly.
From the other corner of the restaurant, Britto, the bar manager's booming voice rang out, asking if we'd like a drink.
Sipping on a chilled and deliciously thick Watermelon Caprioska (Rs 495) with thin lemon slices swimming in the marsh, we sighed and knew we had found our answer.
As Britto wiped his glasses clean and plunged into the freezer to dig up another fresh fruit that would serve as the flavour for our next drink, he spoke of his long association with his bar partner (who's on a pilgrimage at present) and how they've got each other's back. "He makes drinks better than I do," said Britto graciously, as the Green Apple Martini in his hand glinted back at us.
And then, pointing at the kitchen where co-owner Moin Ahmad was putting the last minute garnishing on the Spinach and Mozzarella Wrap, he shook his head and said, "We always had an understanding that if Moin were to ever open a restaurant, I'd manage his bar. So here I am. How is it?"
We smacked our lips at the Martini and eyed the Mango on the cutting board. "Next up is the Mango Martini ufffd it's sour, sweet and strong."
We turned our back on Britto with some difficulty and made our way to the food on the table.
Opened barely two weeks ago, The Terrace had a good weekend run before the rains hit the city ufffd "The Met Department predicted it would be a week late, but it came a week early instead," said co-owner Shriraj Bhukhanwala, ruefully ufffd due to which the place had to shut down. It will reopen on the weekend with a plastic roof that Bhukanwala promises will keep out most of the water and hopefully, not too much of the view.
Sipping on the Mango Martini ufffd if Bond ever goes desi, this should be his drink ufffd we tried the Galouti Keb
abs, prepared with rajma and saffron water.
The food is sourced from the supplier who stacks up the shelves of all the Baristas and Cafe Coffee Days in the city (didn't notice it was the same food, did you), but the menu, Bhukhanwala hastens to assure us, is customised to suit the discerning vegetarian taste buds of his clientele.
So the kebabs reach the table after they've been smoked over a charcoal grill, and the Tomato and Black Olive Bruschetta (Rs 275) is powdered over with flakes of Parmesan cheese.
We found the bruschetta particularly appetising, as the flavour of basil was neatly offset by the crunchy olives and the final twang of cheese. A plate contained eight pieces, and after polishing it off ufffd with a little help from Bhukhanwala ufffd we were ready for the next finger food, the Potato Grits with Sichuan sauce (Rs 185). Now, we're not fans of boiled potato, unless it's sweet potato soaked in lime, but we could picture this dish going well with a Martini, which it did.
Our only gripe is that it was cold, but that didn't stop us for reaching out for bits of the sauce left on the plate with the corner of our forks.
The Galouti Kebabs (Rs 245) too could have done with more time over the charcoal grill, but the flavourful saffron taste offered us a glimpse of the world of vegetarians, and we realised that it isn't as bad as we'd imagined it to be.
The Terrace might just turn out to be the hangout place of choice for those who want a good drink, are feeling peckish, but are hungry for a view of the Arabian sea on a cloudy night. The tacky neon signboard that lights up part of the terrace isn't as bad as you think it would be ufffd it's tacky enough to turn kitschy. But be warned, they have a DJ console, and we don't know their music preference yet.
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