Olive, bandra

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Olive Bar and Kitchen
Rating **1/2

I have always maintained that unlike a film review, a restaurant review is always subject to change. Especially with two aspects. The first obviously being change in the chef. The second shift has a huge effect on your experience is a change in manager/ management. Olive, in the swanky union park neighborhood has seen a revolving door of chefs. And while that is the worst thing for a kitchen, it is better for the management to keep trying out new people than to serve up some soup below par. They may have ended their problems with the Prodigal son Chef Manu Chandra.

The salads itself set the meal in the right mode. Deliciously flavored, fresh and simple. The green apple carpaccio with baby spinach and feta is light and airy, the signature Caesar's salad is also well built and the wine cured grapes with aragula and goat cheese is bold. The seasoning is just right, the staff is polite and open to suggestion. While their pizzas are good and the Tomato Pesto Timbale is interesting and flavorful, the humble char grills are the most popular entrees at Olive. The Portuguese style chicken grill and the mixed seafood are both easy to order. With your coffee you will get delicious chocolate coated orange peel which is a must try.

People watching is always interesting. Young ladies having drinks, Bollywood celebrities enjoying a meal with friends, fashion designers, models and other members of Mumbai's swish set are here. Sit at the bar for a while and then move to a window table for two or the ones against the wall for more. Based on the last two meals the rating might have been higher, but a good kitchen proves itself. And the proof is in the pudding.

Olive Bar and Kitchen
Pali Hill Tourist Hotel, 14 union Park, Khar West, Mumbai 400052
Tel: +91-22-26058228/9
email: olive@2die4.com
Website: www.olivebarandkitchen.com
Rating **1/2


Pricing: $$$
Recommendations: char grills, wine cured grape salad, lasagna
Atmosphere: Contemporary, hip, lounge feel
Service: polite and attentive, receptive
Decibel: Music loud over weekend, drowning off conversation a bit
Price Range: Rs. 3000 for 2 people (not including drinks)
Hours: 12.30pm to 3pm and 7pm to 12.30am. 
Make reservations
Child friendliness: at lunch time, in the evening, children are not welcome. It is a bar mostly.

Pali Hill Cafe, Mumbai

Pali Hill Cafe
Rating **/5

Here I reserve the right the visit the restaurant when it's no longer the new kid on the block. If there was ever the curse of the plenty, it is here. The deli is glossed over but the charming Bandra village cottage feel that they have retained is a definite win! The tables outside could have had a little more character but over all in the decor department, we're doing alright. Adding to the decor is the swirl of suburban mumbai's swish set, including little bursts of stardust from Bollywood.

The food is quite nice but not winning any Michelin stars in a hurry. The part that seems to be failing the place is service.... Actually eagerness to get the next table seated is ruining several experiences. That said, when I went, they were patient with us and the young patron with us.

The coffee was passable, the belinni was too sweet but the bread was good. The cheese I ordered came with the bill! The restaurant does not seem to be able to handle it's almost famous status. This too shall pass, and when it does and no one is looking, what will they dish out. The proof of the pudding is in how the recipe stands the test of time.

Pali Hill Cafe
Rating **/5
Recommendations: Arugula salad, chicken burger
Atmosphere: Contemporary, elegant coffee shop, hip.
Service: all over the place
Decibel: Conversations, good music waft through the air
Price Range: Rs. 1200 for 2 people
Hours: 12.30pm to 3pm and 7pm to 12.30am. 
Make reservations at least a day before. Ask for a table inside, downstairs.
Child friendliness: at lunch time, in the evening, really not the place for kids.

Zenzi, Bandra West, Mumbai

Rating: **/5

The Zany Wateringhole

The outer edge of Bandra’s yuppie culture, Zenzi is the watering hole for people looking to getaway from the swish and the serious. Production crew, models, artists, photographers and media own the long bar on the outside and the tall tables that line the verandah. Boheme is an unspoken given here and the music, while occasionally loud, especially when the band is new is over zealous, can often be loud enough for you to talk over and buzzing enough to get into the groove thang!

The Bar snacks menu is limited but the have the New York style China Box which is quite popular. Rumor has that it was created by friends who would stay till late and grab some noodles and gravy in the wee hours. They have a mushroom starter that deserves some mention but for the life of me I cannot recall what it is. And the amnesia is itself a testimony to the bar.

But to be honest, the barkeep and his crew are not dazzling in their display nor is the bar limitless. But  the sultry outside complete with amateur photographic art for sale on the walls draws you in for a casual drink. Its easy to see this bar become your regular watering hole. Somehow the inside bar and dining experience feels like a whole different place and experience. And what passes for busy and buzzing outside seems like no elbow room on the inside. The food passes muster but isn’t anything to write home about but Zenzi has a clean-ish restroom that make an evening of beer-guzzling bearable.

Somehow the drinks that are served best here are the ones that come out of a bottle – entirely. The wine is chilled, the beer is iced and the whiskey should be on the rocks. The Bloody Mary lacks punch and the Caipiroska is too muddled and the waiting staff can be too familiar.

Still as you leave, with you head buzzing pleasantly, you know you will come back. For a beer, an evening of debauchery or for the New York-style China Box.

Zenzi **/5

RK Patkar Marg, Khar West, Mumbai 400050. Tel: 022 6643 0670

Recommendations: China Box and Beer.

Atmosphere: Relaxed, creative

Service: Prompt but over friendly

Decibel: Moderately loud music, louder conversations

Price Range: Rs. 1,000 for 2 people

Hours: 12.30pm to 3pm and 7pm to 12.30am. 
Book a table for dinner, no reservations at the bar

Child friendliness: Children not permitted in the evening.

Places in the neighbourhood: