I had the final lunch out at the much hyped Floyd Cardoz's Bombay Canteen. The restaurant is touted to be the chef’s return to Indian cuisine. Together with ex Olive Bar & Kitchen Bandra Chef Thomas Zacharias, he has crafted an “India-inspired” menu that takes a simple, seasonal and sophisticated approach to regional Indian cooking.

The 4,000 sq. ft space is meant to resemble a Gymkhana dining room, though I have not seen such a chaotic and noisy Gymkhana anywhere in India with the loud blaring music making it look more like a puja pandaal. It has been trending and I have to find out what makes it trend. All I can say is that it is so despite the interiors.

We start with the small plate starters. Chilled Seafood Bhel is interesting and quite appropriate in this hot weather. Spiced Grilled Chicken Kaleji is nice and competent without being memorable.

                 Seafood Bhel                                   Grilled Chicken Kaleji 

Egg Kejriwal is memorable but not for the right reasons. The green chutney on top takes away from the dish rather than add anything to it. Gurgaon’s Soda Bottle Openerwala does it much better. Black Pepper Prawns are too small and too few on the plate, and are nothing worth remembering.

                                        Eggs Kejriwal

The mains start shaky but then perk up. Shrimp and Kairi Biryani is most disappointing. The rice does not have any flavour of a biryani – at best it is a weak pulao. There is no reason whatsoever for kairi to be in it, because it does nothing to the dish, apart from adding an unnecessary burst of extreme tartness. Keema Bheja Ghotala, a dish I was looking forward to, sounded and looked better than it tasted. Wish the dish was moister, with a lot more brain and a runny rather than firm egg – because this Mumbai street food classic is capable of being much more than it is here.

           Shrimp and Kairi Biryani                          Keema Bheja Ghotala

Choriz Bunny Pao, a take on the South African Indian classic was clearly the dish of the moment. It had a hollowed out bread stuffed with a stew made from Goan sausages, broad beans stew and pui saag. It was superb and a must order!

                         Choriz Bunny Pao and accompanimants

Another must order was the dessert of coffee rasagulla with salted caramel icecream and peanut chikki. The rasagulla was not really sweet and a strong taste of coffee, pairing perfectly with the salted caramel ice-cream. Wish I had enough space in my tummy to have two of these.

                                    Coffee Rasagulla

I am still trying to figure out why this place is trending. The food ranges from wow to blech and the décor leaves me cold. Since these are early days, it wil be interesting to see how this restaurant does.

The review was anonymously done after paying for the meal.

Ratings (Out of 5)

Food: 3.5 | Ambience: 3.0 | Service: 3.5 | Value: 4.0 | Overall: 3.5

Meal for two: Rs.1600 | Alcohol: Yes | Credit Card: Yes | Wheel chair friendly: Yes

Address: Ground Floor, Process House, Kamala Mills, Near Radio Mirchi Office, S.B. Marg, Lower Parel, Mumbai 400013. Tel: 022 4966666