In an area governed by art, eateries from Kalaghoda should be nothing less than quaint habitats for creative souls. On the contrary, This one square kilometer patch of Kalaghoda features some of the most chirpy and versatile spaces. From rustic Ayub's to the grandeur facade of Cheval and from expats packed Nutcracker to this exhibition room like white brick wall and ebony wood snuggery named 'Kalaghoda Cafe'.

Its rectangular area carves out space for five tables squished closely together and another additional table at the mezzanine. Keeping up with the spirit of the neighborhood there is pretentious display of paintings on the exposed walls. Due to the space constraint, securing a table at lunchtime means a minimum half an hour waiting under the scorching sun while contemplating a plan to instead dine at the next door 'Mamagoto' or 'Trishna'.

The fare is compact, highly european yet features only a handful of red and white meat based dishes. We called for a KGC Special Sandwich, Waffle with Dark Chocolate Sauce, Mint Cucumber Cooler (from the summer menu) and a Cold Coffee. While the Cooler and Coffee arrived in quick succession, we were devoid of a basic glass of water until we asked for it. The Mint & Cucumber Cooler turned out to be more of a health-oriented juice and sans any lemon or honey. Our KGC Special Sandwich (with Chicken) arrived sooner with some well seasoned chicken, rocket lettuce and melted 'Padano' all squeezed between a tightly pressed Ciabata. No whatsoever complains on the sandwich; A perfect plate and well priced. The culmination of the meal was indeed a disappointment in the form a rather average tasting, not at all warm block of Waffle. The Dark Chocolate Sauce was lacklustre in flavour due to its dilute viscosity. While the plate appears appetizing enough when one pours chocolate sauce over the waffles, sadly it only remains nothing more than a moment of food pornography.

*Left : KGC Special Sandwich & Right : Waffle with Dark Chocolate Sauce.*

The damage to pocket for this summer lunching was 750 bucks, which is not a bad deal, but considering the unsatisfactory level of our stomach and palate, it could have been much elevated had more importance been levied to quick service and consistent quality of dishes. With the positive word of mouth about this place, it seems like a much elaborate visit needs to be considered next time around to verify if it's all buzz and no show.

Location : 10, Ropewalk Lane, Kala Ghoda,Fort

It had been months that i hadn't seen the face of South Bombay. Also had heard good things about this french dark horse at Kalaghoda which made for a perfect excuse to book my table for the special tasting menu that was designed for the ‪#‎timescity‬ ‪#‎GourmetWeek2014‬

Next to the iconic Rhythm House, Walkway to Cheval is the same that leads to also the club 'Liv'. Cheval sprawls across quite a generous space. It's divided into various sections like the main hall with the bar counter and live DJ then the next door an equally sized fine dining space and also another more warm lounge space. Tables are spaced well so as to not intrude each other's conversations. The decor made up of elegant hanging lights and the roughly finished walls. Overall a very majestic yet glamorous touch.

Opting for the meaty side of the tasting, My menu was Amuse Bouche, Beetroot Salad, Spanish Prawns, Minute Steak and an ever so reliable Brûlée.

The meal started not so good looking. My Amuse Bouche (mini appetizers) was indeed just a single circular serving of a Machego Cheese chopped and mixed with a salsa on a mini tortilla base. To be honest, There should be have been at least 2 of them on the plate. That's not what i want to see on the first course of my menu - A med sized plate with just one mini appetizer on it. Moved to the next which was indeed a much better presentation - The Beetroot salad. The salad was serving with juicy beetroot (must be poached) along with Goat's Cheese, Walnut and Wild Arugula leaves. The combinations works quite well as you get different textures of the juicy beetroot versus the nutty walnut versus the crunchy leaves of Arugula.

Next up were two rounds of mains. First one was the Spanish Prawns. A serving of four soft & succulent tapas like prawns which were perfectly tender cooked and draped in thick sauce of Cherry Tomato and Rosemary. You can straight away gulp one portion down and that's perfectly alright but it's a different feeling altogether to cut through it and savour each bite.

So by now i was sure that the dishes were just elevating as we went from one course to the next. My server cleared my plate and bought in the next - Minute Steak. This was the dish i was really looking forward to. It's basically a medium rare fillet of a flattened Beef Tenderloin that is served on a bed of Roasted Paprika & Rosemary Potato Wedges. The meat itself is top grade but automatically translates to a great dish when cooked at the right heat. The Wedges are a good support to the dish. Would have preferred a tad bit less of Potatoes while adding a few bits of microgreens just to balance out the dish.

Until here i had almost forgotten the first course disaster. The Passion Fruit Crème brûlée arrived with the shortbread on one side and looked humble as ever. So if you know the test for a perfect Crème Brûlée is that it should have a hard glazed top which should crack open when hit with the spoon. And that's exactly happened, The top crackled giving way to an ambrosial passion fruit infused custard. This dish was pure perfections. Kudos to the chef. All i wanted at the end was more of that Passion Fruit Concentrate on the side.

All in all it was calm quite dinner at a great eatery that kept elevating the course one after the other. Still not happy about the Amuse Bouche but that's now forgiven. Mind you the dishes are priced quite steeply otherwise.

Unfortunately Gourmet Week is over but anyone reading this and wanting to explore these special menus can try the on-going‪#‎CitibankRestaurantWeek‬

Link : http://restaurantweekindia.com/rwi/rwm_sep_2014

Kalaghoda Cafe

GW2014 Menu at Cheval, Fort