Often words like Luxury and more specific to the culinary world, words like Fine Dine get misused. There are lots of restaurants that are slotted under a fine dine experience but very few that really live up to the tag. While the city boasts of excellent restaurants to give you a more refined culinary experience, there are three restaurants that stand out in the crowd. Apart from their unique creativity and distinct style and approach to the food they serve, they're also the only three restaurants that actually have tasting menus - a concept that has yet to be fully embraced in the city.
Each of these three restaurants has their own tasting menu consisting of an array of dishes in all sorts of shapes sizes, flavours and textures designed to thrill the diner and give them the most engaging culinary experience. If you haven't had the opportunity to indulge at these restaurants and try the tasting menus, we hope this article urges you to book a table soon.
Tresind, BKC, Mumbai- This 6 month old restaurant is still finding its feet in the cut throat competitive market in Mumbai but those who've dined here know its value and have always gone back for a meal. While they have recently introduced an a la carte menu for lunch, more to accommodate busy diners that don't have the time for a 3 hour meal, dinner is a course affair that consists of a meal unlike any other in the city.Tres Ind Dubai is hugely successful and Chef Himanshu Saini and team are slowly winning hearts with their Mumbai outpost. The cuisine here is best described as modern Indian with predominantly local ingredients and Indian flavours cooked and presented with international techniques and the kitchen's exceptional creativity. This Khandvi flavoured ice cream and a simple humble Khichadi with over 26 additional ingredients. Both dishes are incredibly popular and have diners swooning for more. The tasting menu is an elaborate affair designed to delight and it does its job very well.
Ziya, The Oberoi, Mumbai- Chef Vineet Bhatia's Ziya at the Oberoi Hotel boasts of an exceptional view of the Arabian Sea and pretty plates that will have you licking them clean. Chef Vineet is a celebrity chef with multiple restaurants across the globe and one would think that with him only popping in and out for fleeting visits the food would be a hit or miss but nothing could be further from the truth. The food at Ziya is essentially Indian but served up with a more international approach. It's a combination of flavours from across the country with an amuse bouche and small plated appetizers that feel very unlike a traditional Indian restaurant. His signature tasting menus are seasonal and honestly that is what diners like to enjoy more than the a la carte menu. His signature chocolate samosas are an old favourite that is still on the menu.
Masque, Mahalaxmi, South Mumbai - While both Tres Ind and Ziya focus on Indian cuisine, the food at Masque has a more international flare but every ingredients is locally sources. Chef Prateek Sadhu and team at Masque have introduced the city to the concept of tasting menus but here there is no physical menu to read. You're asked dietary preference and allergies and then left in the very capable hands of the kitchen team and each dish is a surprise. The restaurant prides itself on being ingredient driven and Chef Prateek lets his produce speak. The menus are highly seasonal depending on the availability of the ingredients and the team travels the length and breadth of the country to try and source them. A ten course chef's tasting menu at Masque is often an elaborate affair that sometimes begins with the first course served in the kitchen itself. The meal is an experience and it's possibly the only restaurant on par with international ones that mirror the same concept of prioritizing the ingredients and serving specific seasonal tasting menus.
Better known as the Tiny Taster, Roxanne is an internationally respected blogger and expert on the Mumbai food scene. She has hosted many events, including the Upper Crust Food & Wine Show and travels the world, sharing her knowledge and gaining more experience.
