Review - Veranda, Bandra

Food: 5/5
VFM: 4/5
Ambience: 5/5
Service: 5/5
Veg friendly: 5/5

This place is pure elegance. It managed to change the associations of North Indian cuisine in my head. Not very many places can pull off such deliciousness with panache, but Veranda does it. And how!

Pro tip: Make sure you have a full tummy before reading this, or you're going to get hungry. Very hungry.

This was what greeted us on entry. Isn't it beautiful?

This is a little home decor store called 'Cocoon'. Isn't that just so cozy? These knick knacks as well as the paintings there are for sale. Paintings like the one pictured below. Isn't it breathtaking?

As I reached my table, this is what I saw:

Every table had people's names written on it on a tiny blackboard. Isn't that so thoughtful? 

Then, we met Chef Monish Rohra, who had very kindly invited us and specially curated a menu for us! We were really excited to see what was in store. The restaurant is barely a couple weeks old, and yet I noticed that each table had names written on the little blackboards. I think it says a lot about how quickly the word spreads about a hot new place in town. And that just raised my expectations more. Add to that the beautiful ambience and my obsession with pretty lights.

Chef Rohra took us through each course, and explained each dish to us personally. That level of commitment is really impressive. Without further ado, on to the food! 

This beauty here is the Dravidian mini idlis. Piping hot, ghee soaked, gun powder coated, topped with pumpkin puree and microgreens. To be washed down with a test tube shot of chilled Aam Panna. In an actual chem lab test tube! I absolutely loved this one, in terms of presentation taste, the medley of flavors - everything. Perfect.

It is an Amuse Bouche, which is basically a bite-sized hors d'œuvre, served at the chef's discretion. This is complimentary to all patrons, but you can also order off the menu if you'd like. I know I will.

Next up, roasted Pumpkin Soup, called Kin Su. Because pumpKIN SoUp. I loved the naming. That was made of pumpkin, which was roasted before it turned into this delicious soup. With sour cream on top, and chives. Served with a little tray of blue cheese croutons. Those croutons were to die for. And the soup! So hearty and appetizing. 

Fancy a closer look?

Next up, our drinks.  As we were teetotalers, we got mocktails. Tamarind Virgin Mary, Watermelon and Basil Mojito, and the Classic Mojito. The Tamarind Virgin Mary with that impeccable salt rim was just awesome. The Classic Mojito was pretty good too. 

But my favorite was the Watermelon and Basil Mojito. It tasted like Watermelon fruit roll ups, which is just the best thing ever! I finished it way too quickly.

Now, for the salad. A standout dish. 

Beetroot with hung curd inside. A bed of quinoa, and arugula leaves topped with citrus malta and a honey mustard sauce. Feta cheese spread all around. And those little dots you see? That's carrot gel and beetroot gel, made with agar agar. Who knew beetroot was so delectable?

Now for the dish I had heard wonders about. People have been raving about this dish. This is a deconstructed version of the ever popular and much loved dahi bhalle. It consists of two main parts - the baked yogurt, and the fritters, ie, the dahi and bhalla. The baked yogurt is infused with tamarind gel and a pomegranate reduction. The fritters are made of urad dal, soaked in yogurt and topped with potato slivers. All on a bed of mint chutney. Chef Rohra suggested we take some yogurt and bhalla in each bite to get the full flavor of the dish. My God, every mouthful was an absolute delight. It was even better than what I was anticipating, and my expectations were already sky high for this dish.

I must say, Chef Monish as well as his brother Rahul were super attentive, and we had a great time, not just because of the food, but also because they were just that sweet and hospitable.

Next, the Palak Bhindi pakora, topped with chutney, tamarind sauce, and yogurt. Also, tomatoes. I love tomatoes. I swear, these were the most delectable pakoras I've ever had. 

Soft yet crisp, with the optimal amount of topping in every bite. I could not find a single flaw in this dish. Actually, I have not been able to find a single flaw in a single dish so far.

Next up, Paneer Trilogy. From left to right, it is tulsi, zaffrani, and malai. The zaffrani one has a little pipette stuck in it, which contains spicy makhani. Topped with micro greens, this was absolute melt-in-your-mouth. Impeccable quality.

Next up, Sabz Galouti. 
The red one - beetroot topped with sundried tomatoes. I'm telling you, this place makes beetroot awesome.
Dark green - Spinach galouti topped with mango chutney. 
I don't know how to describe that color (grey? brown? brown-grey? ) but it was a mushroom galouti, tooped with Shimji mushrooms.

I'm not even a mushroom fan, but I know galouti is traditionally super melt-in-your-mouth soft, so I couldn't resist trying it. They were all great, but my favorite was the beetroot one.

By this time, we were quite full, and we told Chef Rohra as much. We requested a really small portion of the main course that he had lined up. But as you can see, it was still a lot! On the left is the mouthwatering baingan bharta, and on the right is their special version of the dal makhani. Served with kulchas. 

Both the sabzis were great, and I do love both of them. It's difficult to choose, but at Veranda, I preferred the baingan bharta. It was so flavorful and optimally spiced. As was the dal makhni. Ah, I can't choose. Here, you can see the sun-dried tomatoes kulcha. Keeping in line with their innovative take on traditional dishes!

And now, *drumroll*, time for dessert!

As Chef's brother Rahul said; however full we are, we can always make space for dessert!

This is the gulkand choco bar. It looks like ice cream, it's served like ice cream, but is it ice cream? No! It's chocolate coated mousse, with a hint of gulkand, topped with slivers of almonds and coated fennel seeds. This one was yummy, with just the right amount of gulkand. Any more, and it would have overpowered the mousse, hence it was a perfect balance.

Next, last, and the opposite of least; the white chocolate soufflé. Served with chocolate ice cream, both topped with almond slivers, with a side of caramelized 'chikki'. This was one of those beautifully inviting dishes, reminiscent of a cozy bakery/dessert parlour.

But, take a bite, and what's that? White chocolate oozing out! I have no idea how I controlled myself enough to take a picture of that beautiful beautiful deliciousness, but I did. You're welcome.

That brings me to the end of a supremely satisfying meal, and Mr. Rahul very kindly let me check out the kitchen. As a pleasant coincidence, I ended up at Mr Dayashankar's work-space, and I got to see him make the beautiful soufflé that I had just devoured.

The kitchen is spacious, neat, tidy, and all the chefs inside looked really happy to be doing their job, even at 11 pm.

That's a mark of a good place, and of course there would not be any disappointing meals there.

A big thank you to Chef Rohra for inviting me to Veranda. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

*This review was on invite, and the meal on the house. However, all views are unbiased.

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