You Sang To Me Under the 'Banyan Tree'

Review: Banyan Tree Bakery+Café, Fort

(not to be confused with Under The Banyan Tree at Peddar Road)

 

“All the while you were in front of me I never realized
I just can't believe I didn't see it in your eyes
I didn't see it, I can't believe it
Oh but I feel it
When you sing to me”

I enter this café on a hot summer afternoon and Marc Anthony sounding sonorous as ever is crooning about his moment of epiphany, of finally finding his love. He says he couldn’t see it but he feels it, when she sings to him. Am thinking - Good Music: Check. And I am definitely with someone whom I would love to listen to sing to me. Good Company: Check.



<> 

<>

Located a little ahead of my favourite cinema, Sterling (because seeing a movie there is not like eating a five star restaurant and one can still afford a samosa and popcorn in the intervals without getting broke for the entire next week unlike some hoity toity cinema (read Inox), Banyan Tree is a quaint café cum bakery and a part of renowned artist Bose Krishnamachari’s gallery BMB. The concept is not new with Jehangir Art Gallery Banyan Tree gives you this artsy feel the moment you enter it, you know the kind you get when you watch a Rahul Bose or a Nandita Das movie. There is a small book shelf right at the entrance displaying books or variety of subjects like art and culture along chic merchandise like tote bags for sale.

Blackened Chicken Satay

We take seat on these minimalistic yet spacious chairs, a wooden table with menu ahead of us. At the first glance the menu has quite an impressive spread with Mezze Platters, Asian styled appertisers to soups and salads, grilled and baked range to pastas and pizzas. To begin with we order for a Malabar Cooler and the Blackened Chicken Satay. The Malabar Cooler a mixture of coconut water, mint leaves and lime was rejuvenating is this  blazing Summer of 2011. The Blackened Chicken Satay however is overly spiced with peppercorns. It tasted like chicken satay mixed with chicken chilly. That’s a lot of confusion for the taste buds

Corkscrew Pasta

Our next dish is the Corkscrew Pasta (wonder where it got that name from) which is a fiery cheese and paprika based fusilli pasta. Brilliant flavours of Chantilly flavoured cheese asparagous, piquat paprika and artichokes. The dish is served with a sizable bun that is copiously dripping of butter and is mildly flavoured with garlic and oregano. Garlic Bread with some zing. But it definitely tastes brilliant with the pasta.

Garlic Bread

Our next dish was the Penne Arrabiata –  mildly flavoured however the shitake mushrooms just spoils the whole dish. Not recommended for the Arabiata fans. We ask for the Olive Prawns. However the waiter comes back saying that it is not available so we try the Green Thai Curry instead. Quite a disappointment the curry was milky and bland quite unlike Thai Curry.

On the whole the food is pretty average, but the ambience of this is brilliant. The Corkscrew Pasta is a must have here. Quite a reasonable affait with an average meal for 2 costing Rs 500/-

Verdict

Food: Average

Staff: Friendly but mismanaged

Ambience: Exellent

QuickTip: if your fed up of the CCDs and baristas drop in for the Corkscrew Pasta with someone you would love to listen to sing, if you know what I mean ;)

The Co-ordinates

The Banyan Tree

Gallery BMB, Queens Mansion, GT Marg, Near Cathedral School, Fort
Mumbai

Ph: +91-22-65109308

9 AM to 11:30 PM