The Tiny Taster: The White Owl

This was an article I wrote for Parsi Times a few weeks ago, Hope you all enjoy this one.

The food culture in Mumbai is very relevant. With uncountable restaurants already battling it out to survive and with new places cropping up every month it?s hard to tell which restaurants are really worth your money. In fact most shut down before they even take off. However from the recent lot of newbies we?ve encountered this one seems to show promise of great things- food wise of course!

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The white owl is the new kid on the culinary block. Located at Indiabull centre in Lower Parel this bistro-bar is creating quite a stir. We?ve heard whispers of their excellent bar keep who churns out fabulous drinks and of their delicious menu and eager to experience these goodies the Parsi Times taste team booked a table this week.

The decor and ambience is very distinctly different from any bar in the city. There is a slight sense of randomness in the decor with no particular theme but it all seems to come together and somehow works. The first thing that you notice is that this is a rather chic joint with a smart trendy crowd. Almost as if you were in some hip fashionable bar in New York City. It?s got a laid back vibe and the more time you spend there, the place starts to really grow on you.

However delightful the reminisce of New York we weren?t there for that. For us, as always, it?s all about the grub! The menu lists enough options to choose from with starters or as they term them ?small plates? salads, mains, sandwiches, desserts and of course a tempting drinks menu. We?re not in the mood for anything too strong but after a long tedious day at work, sangrias sounded perfect. We ordered both their red and white wine based sangria and both were delicious. It?s surprising because this is one of the easiest drinks to make, its wine and fruit, but somehow most places end up serving you fruit punch instead of a delicate cocktail. A well made drink is always a delight.

The paprika beef skewers served in stout were soft like eating kheema rolls fresh off the sigdi. Only these were tender and adequately spiced and doused in flavour. A great starter and we could have eaten plates full.

Fish and chips are usually a main course but the white owl offers it up as a starter and we are so glad they do. This was one of the best fish and chips I?ve eaten in the city and I?ll tell you why. Most places will serve you over fried, oily greasy fish and mushy fries. Half the time I feel like I?m eating more batter than fish. This one?had adorable little pieces of perfectly fried golden fish with slim warm fries and a superb tartar sauce on the side. A pity this is a starter and not a main dish.

I always enjoy a well made salad and apart from the done to death Caesar salad and Greek Salad it?s refreshing to try new ones. I know a lot of you think salads means nothing but ?ghaas phoos? but let me assure you when the ?ghaas? is tossed in a light tasty dressing and served with ample well sized bits of grilled kingfish- it is a dream. So light and surprisingly filling the lemon pepper kingfish and radish salad was one of our favourites.

By this point the food and Sangria has filled us up so we decide on one main dish but are torn between the baby lamb chops with tomato risotto or the stout marinade tenderloin steak with brown butter and scallion mash potatoes. A tough call but since we sampled the beef skewers we opted for the baby lamb chops but with a side portion of that beautifully described mash potatoes. I have to say the brown butter and scallions made this one of the creamiest and most delicious plate of mash I?ve had. The simplest dish made at home multiple times but a joy to eat when it?s made just right. The baby lamb chops were served on a bed of tomato and sunflower oil risotto which was cooked well and for once not an over cooked mushy risotto. The tomato flavour might not be everyone?s favourite but they?ve made it slightly cheesy and it pairs very well with the meat. The lamb of course is soft and melts off the bone making it a yummy main course.

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We?re stuffed at this point but decide to take a break before we attack dessert. Though eventually we ended up with just one. We?re not really chocolate fans so we skipped both the chocolate based dessert and even though their seasonal mango cheesecake is highly recommended the green apple and raison pie caught our attention. The crust is wonderful and warm and the filling is delicious. A lovely take on a traditional apple pie and it?s served with ice cream and a drizzle of possibly toffee or caramel. It was a lovely end to our meal and now I?m convinced green apples really do make all the difference.

The real highlight at The White Owl is that it?s more than just another bar or restaurant, it is a micro brewery. Which means as soon as their licence kicks in (very soon we hear) they will start brewing their own beer. So along with your meal you?ll be sampling some very different and funky flavoured brew. We can?t wait but till then we?re very satisfied with our meal and happy to go back again just for that kingfish salad...no the fish n chips... no the pie!! Well, you know what we mean!

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Source: http://www.thetinytaster.com/2013/07/the-white-owl.html

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