Of Coffee Shots & Sister Bonding

Review:  The Pier

A lonely shy kid once prayed to God, to give her sibling (er.. a brother actually so that she could tie him a rakhi every year).  But God had different plans for her...

After 2 cancellations (one due to a private party & one due to it being a weekend), I finally get my booking at The Pier. A dinner reserved for some bonding with The Sibling.

My sister and me are poles apart. Clearly our sizes are the first testimony to this fact. We have quite different tastes too. Her Music: Boulevard of Broken Dreams; My Music: Pani Da Rang. It’s hard to get along with such contrasting tastes, let alone bond!

Aptly named The Pier overlooks the Arabian Sea and is where Tetsuma used to be, right next to what used to be my favourite club Athena and not so favourite one Prive. The décor of Pier is chic and minimalistic; dim lighting setting the cosy mood, the long bar looking promising and antiques that remind you vintage shops around Colaba.

The menu is quite unusual in a good sense actually, the cocktails our maitre d’ stresses were specially designed for Mumbai’s scorching summer and the mains are fusion European with hints of Asian flavours.

The sibling is quite a forgetful missy. She leaves her wallet somewhere, keeps her marksheet somewhere and can take the whole house on her head when she can’t find things. I frankly want to give her lecture on responsible behavior... (psst I hope this blog does the trick)

The Mushroom Cappuccino

The French Onion Soup

We start with soups – Mushroom Cappuccino for her and French Onion Soup for me. Both of us love the cappuccino – frothy mushroom broth served in a cuppa makes for a delicious dish. The French Onion with its promising presentation was however horrible. As sweet as sugar water and with a bad after taste. Must completely avoid!

The Sibling obsesses over herself 24/7. Is my hair proper, how’s my top, do they go with my new Zara Pants? Yes! I want to scream, you are so perfect that anything looks good on you! But sisters know better than to tell the other they look better. Stop rolling your eyes, it’s a sister thing!

The Watermelon Cooler

In the drinks we are recommended the Hot Toddy – for my soar throat, good for the throat but you can give it a miss otherwise; The Red Wine Sangria – a beautiful blend, a must have! And the Watermelon Cocktail – again smooth on the taste buds.

Beer Battered Calamari with remoulade sauce

After that we go in for our appetizers – the Beer Battered Calamari – beautiful crisp calamari rings giving you the crunchy noise in every bite! And when teamed with the spicy remoulade you have a perfect brunch snack.

The Sibling and me love shopping, we can walk for hours and hours in malls to spend The Father’s mehnat ki Kamai. On our recent trip to the US both of us would eat sleep and breathe shopping. Alas we have something in common, however superficial it may sound!

Atlantiv Scallops with Thai Curry

In our mains we order for the Pan Seared Atlantic Scallops with Thai Curry – a dish with a name so fancy could not be any less, beautifully cooked succulent pieces of scallops surrounded in a pool of zingy thai curry with passion fruit bitters made it delighting.

Mushroom Risotto

The Wild Mushroom Risotto – was another dish I totally recommend here. Now like those heavy on the stomach risottos, this one has the perfect consistency!

The Cottage Cheese

The next was Cajun Marinated Grilled Cottage Cheese with Saffron Sauce Summer vegetables and Olive mash – very okayish dish.

The Gnocchi

The Gnocchi – with its garlic, sage and butter combination was heavenly. Again a must have.

The Sibling and me can’t stop chatting with each other if we are in the same room, we can comment on each others dressing, skin, hair, dark circles, choice of men. What follows are huge sarcastic arguments. The ‘Talk to the Hand’ & ‘Rolling My Eyes’ don’t get over and by the end of it both of us are in splits...rolling on our beds in the humor we have, but can share with no one except each other!

The Coffee Shots

Before moving to the desserts we have the Coffee Shots – I liked the milk one but the black coffee was to strong. The maitre d’ then asked me to mix them. Potent is one word for that. Not for the faint hearted for sure

The Panna Cotta

In desserts, we choose the Vanilla Panna cotta – beautiful silky creamy pudding (the French will kill mw for calling it that) surrounded in a pool of cool strawberry soup. A beautiful end to the meal.

So God must’ve thought and thought and rethought of the 7 year old’s ardent prayers and instead of giving her just a sibling, he gave her a friend. For life!

Like all good things, The Pier’s food comes at a price. A meal for two would cost Rs 3500 - 4000 with alcohol.

Verdict:

Food: Good
Ambience:  Serene
Service: Courteous

Quick Tip: The Pier, brings to you some beautifully chosen dishes. Kudos to the chef for his selection. Have the Panna cotta, stay away from the French onion soup and you’ll be happy!

The Co-ordinates:

The Pier
Where: 41/42, Minoo Desai Marg, Behind Radio Club, Colaba
Tring Tring: 022 60660036, 022 60660037 
Timings: 7:30 PM to 1 AMFood Type: European
Payment Methods: Credit cards accepted