Happy Levantine

Incidentally,up north in the suburbs of Andheri,Svenska Design Hotels was thinking on the same lines when they opened Miro recently. However,as opposed to Amadeus’ old-world European interiors,Miro bears a modern,designer look. Both the restaurants claim to serve authentic Spanish cuisine. The chef at Miro,however,admits that following suggestions from patrons,they have included Italian and Mediterranean items on the menu too.

Mumbai has always been known for it’s wide,experimental palate. To cater to such an audience,Mumbai restaurateurs have always had to think ahead and establish trends. Spanish food may be a relatively new entrant in the market,but Mediterranean cuisine made an appearance on the city’s cultural scape with Moshe Shek’s Moshe’s,Riyaz Amlani’s Cafe Mocha and A D Singh’s Olive Bar & Kitchen close to a decade ago. While these eateries went on to become iconic,serving a melange of Turkish,Lebanese and Spanish dishes,no one dared explore the cuisine in its entirety.

However,that was until three years ago. “Speciality restaurants became less of a risk as the Indian customer became a global citizen. But the transition towards speciality restaurants has to be slow and steady in order to allow the customers to get used to the food,” says Zubin D’Souza,chef and F&B director,Miro.

Today,Suzette,a cosy yet premium French creperie,is as popular as Maroosh,a Lebanese joint priced modestly. And then there are cupcake shops,such as Butterfly and Tart,as well as international doughnut chain Dunkin’ Donuts launching in competition to Mad Over Donuts. “Keeping within the trends,one has to break out of the clutter. Mumbai has accepted Mediterranean cuisine well over the last few years. It was a good time to go Spanish,” says Khambata.

Incidentally,both Amadeus and Miro have gone all out to ensure a complete Spanish experience for their guests. To go with the elaborate wine and spirits menus,both restaurants offer a wide range of tapas. Miro served theirs with a chickpea and aioli sauces,which were excellent when teamed with most tapas. The subtle flavours of the Chilled Spanish style berry gazpacho,a cold soup,was interesting too.

The Arabian Crab,with melt-in-the-mouth mix of seasonings,sauce and crab meat,served in a crab shell,was impressive. The flavour of the meat in the Chicken Thailets,however,imposed over the taste of the piri piri sauce. Their Spicy Chorizo Coca,a Spanish thin-crust pizza topped with sausage slices,however,sinful and the winner for the spicy chorizo. In comparison,Miro’s coca tasted like a naan,topped with minced meat and raw onion slices.

The paella,a Spanish speciality of thick rice tossed with sea food like shrimps and lobster,was our choice for the mains. The buttery rice was bursting with the flavour of fresh catch at Amadeus. Miro,again,failed in comparison,as the rice was dry and the spices made it taste closer to the Indian pilaf.

From the desserts section at the South Mumbai restaurant,we opted for the Magic Chocolate Scone with Cognac black current ice-cream. Though fulfilling to a chocolate-lover as well as one who enjoys their sweets subdued,the portion was too big for one. At Miro,the flavours were right though the soufflé itself of the Pineapple soufflé was a tad too creamy.

It’s a bit tough to compare the two restaurants as they both clearly cater to different audiences. For the younger lot,seeking a semi-formal dining experience that is also cost-effective,Miro makes for a nice option. However,for authentic Spanish fine-dining,one’s choice would clearly be Khambata’s recent enterprise.