Designer Rohit Bal's restaurant, Veda, is high on bling and opulent decor. If only the fare from the kitchen was as meticulously put together we'd have a winner on our hands
Designer Rohit Bal's restaurant, Veda, is high on bling and opulent decor. If only the fare from the kitchen was as meticulously put together we'd have a winner on our hands
A remixed version of Aye Dil-E-Nadan plays on in the background and we won't be surprised if a group of dancers break into cabaret-mujra when a Midival Punditz-number comes on. Trust Delhi's bad a** designer Rohit Bal to dress up his restaurant Veda as if it were making a ramp debut. Fortunately, Mumbai has Bollywood for an eyesore. It's tough to overcome the feeling of having walked onto the sets of a Sanjay Leela Bhansali film.u00a0 
Take your pick: blood-red versus Goth chandeliers, large mirrors with ornate frames, a bar that could be mistaken for a gold Christmas tree, a sea of silver lotuses with a peacock as the centrepiece and a gold couch in the loo. It's been a long wait to book that fine dark wood table engraved with mother-of-pearl at Veda, considering that the launch date was pushed back twice.
Once you choose between the velvet throne and a less opulent chair, you realise that the menu titled 'preview menu' has few items ufffd maybe 25 or less. The bar isn't open yet, but will be, starting this week, we're promised, so we settled for the overpriced mocktails (Rs 450 for two). The Virgin Caipiroska (a lemon fizz on crushed ice and mint), fares only marginally better than the bitter-sweet Cranberry Surprise (Cranberry juice and soda), both of which came recommended.
The Lamb Sheekh Kebabs (Rs 425) weren't the delicately-flavoured succulent rolls of meat that we expected. They were chewy blobs with a pronounced flavour of ginger. Masala murder. Unless sourcing good paneer is as difficult as finding service staff in the city, Veda is better off striking Pudina Paneer off their menu. Doesn't Punjabi cuisine pride itself on silky melt-in-the-mouth paneer? To the restaurant's credit, the Achari Paneer, which was spiced just right, scored slightly higher than the Pudina Paneer (a platter of both for Rs 375), which is odd since both were tossed up in the same kitchen.
Speaking of service staff, Veda has some of the best. The order was always double-checked, we didn't have to look around to catch someone's eye to be served and our glasses and plates were never empty. While this could be because not more than three tables were full when we walked in, we've seen some of the best restaurants in the city fall short because of their shoddy, inattentive service.
For the main course, the waiter recommended Onion Parmesan Kulcha (Rs 175). This was cooked to perfection even though the underside looked menacing. The cheese subdued any pungency that the onion may have added and pared with the creamy Dal Veda (Rs 375), the restaurant's version of Dal Makhni, the kulcha was filling.
We could, of course, bet our last buck on the Dal Makhni served at Urban Tadka and Moti Mahal. The tangy, not-too-spicy gravy in the Veda Aloo (Rs 425) was a hit although we wish we were warned about the raisins and paneer stuffing.
It reminded us of Diwali mithai excesses and it was billed as Dum Aloo Banarasi. That explains the sweet touch. The Butter Chicken too came in a sweet gravy. Overall, this is not the best Indian food we've tasted in the city, making the trip to Veda an expensive experience. If you're planning to drop in, we'll forgive you if you keep the sunglasses on. Even at night.
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At Veda, S8, Palladium, Phoenix Mill Compound, 462, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel. Call 24900055
Veda didn't know we were there. The Guide reviews anonymously and pays for its meals.
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