Europe on my plate

Bandra residents are spoilt for choice when it comes to picking out an eating joint. And yet, the suburban hotspot makes place for a new haunt every other month. This time, Bandra has opened up to a gorgeous café dishing out European food, in the same building as the Bombay Arts Society. The interiors are spacious and elegant and bear the touch of a seasoned restaurateur’s offering. Coming from Pali Village Cafe and Pali Bhavan folks, Su Casa hosts its guests in an indoor seating area as well as outdoor one. We made our way to the latter that made for an excellent dinner setting against the nip in the January air. Giving the space a quirky uplift is a huge screen playing silent black and white films.

We started our meal with Pan tossed prawns with Charmola (Rs 425). Served with garlic Aioli and charred lime, it was succulent, tender and fresh — a good start indeed. Next we dug into soft, delectable baos. The choices ranged from chicken and pork to fish and a vegetarian variety. We chose the last one — a juicy, sweet and sour bao with a filling of shitake mushroom with pickled onion and hoisin sauce (Rs 355). We washed them down with a rather potent classic espresso martini.

What strikes you while running through the menu is the fact that Su Casa offers a modest range of choices — but each is distinct and the range of dishes covers most palate types. So if you’re not one to mull over the menu for a long time, that’s a plus.

For the main course we went for the Pan Seared Red Snapper with ginger sauce and herbed broccoli and peppers (Rs 610). From the flavours to the aroma, everything spells fresh catch. If you’re a seafood lover like we are, this one’s a must have. In keeping with the mood, next we called for a seafood risotto (Rs 675). While the texture of the dish was creamy and just right, the flavours may be a bit overwhelming if you’re not a big seafood eater.

To top up the experience, we called for a sample of each of the dessert varieties that the place offers. There are four to be precise — Dark Chocolate Mousse with honey roasted fig (Rs 325), walnut and prune pie with mascarpone dollop (Rs 315), creme brulee (of the day) (Rs 315) and zested orange pannacotta (Rs 315). The mousse won our heart particularly, but each one is worth one long scoop because the last indulgence, as the say, was the proverbial icing of the cake.

Rating: ***1/2
Meal for two: Rs 2,500
A-26, The Bombay Art Society, Opp Hotel Rangsharda, Bandra West