Skyy: Indulge in world cuisine

Going by the name, you might expect Skyy Lounge to be a diner located on a high rise but you may be surprised to know that it sits on the second floor of Ramada, and is functional only eight months of the year. The open rooftop means Skyy shuts during the monsoon and reopens with a revamped menu. In its fourth edition this year, the menu (on impressive tablets) includes an entire section on Indian food, apart from other delectable Asian and world cuisine. The tablets help patrons make informed choices with pictures of the dish along with a handy description, price and steps to order with specifications if any. Dim lights, no-nonsense furniture, and artificial branches with fairy lights make up the perfect date-night setting.

We started with the Seafood Soup and vegetarian Spicy Bean Curd Soup. Both were watery, flavourful and the former had chunks of crabmeat and prawns, while the latter had braised veggies and tofu. The appetiser menu is massive, and that can be a bad thing too. After much deliberation, we zeroed in on Wasabi Prawns that was impressively plated with wasabi mayo, seasonal fruits like kiwi, Flying Fish roe and sesame. As the wasabi shoots through your nose and opens your senses, the sweet and fresh fruits dance on your palate to balance the taste. The Kambing Kicap Manis was a pleasant surprise. The sliced roast lamb cooked in soy sauce had an overpowering taste of curry leaves apart from leeks, garlic and chilli. The mildly spicy dish was served with beans and onions. Well-made cocktail Zombie (white rum, dark rum, apricot liqueur, pineapple and lime juice, grenadine) and refreshing red wine sangria with crunchy apples helped in washing down the prawns and lamb.

As fans of dumplings of any kind, we asked for the Dimsum Platter that came steaming with hot pairs of prawn, chicken and crabmeat dimsums. While the chicken bao was sweet, the translucent prawn one had the fishy taste intact. The savoury crabmeat dimsum was the best of the lot. For the second round of drinks, the whiskey-based Rusty Nail and refreshing Watermelon and Basil Bramble were good recommendations.

For the mains, we opted for the Thai preparation Khad Khao Kraprao. Generously adorned with bird eye chillies, garlic, the rice looks delectable and can be devoured without any accompaniments. If you have limited tolerance for spice, skip Khad Khao Kraprao. The flaming red Rendang Chicken is a better bet in this case. With a mild, pungent flavour that lingers on, the gravy can be had with plain steamed rice for a toned down experience. The prominent lemongrass, coconut milk, lime and chilli make it worthy combination.

We ended the meal with a Dessert platter that had four types of pastries — Red Velvet, Bailey’s Black-bottomed pie, White chocolate cheesecake and Dolce ice-cream. What’s worth recommending is the Baked Anjeer Halwa — warm, rich, healthy and just the right amount of sweet.

The ambience is a big part of the Skyy experience. It’s the perfect place to spend quality time with loved ones, while being spoilt for choice thanks to the wide variety of food offerings. Give this place a chance, it meets Skky high expectations.

Rating: ***1/2, Meal for two: Rs 4,000