Indulge in a Latino culinary joyride at this Bandra restaurant

Asado

Say hola to Mumbai‘s first Latin-American restaurant. When you walk into Asado in Bandra, the al fresco section reminds you of a street side café in Europe. If it were a usual review, we would have chosen this neat, open space, but one look at the cozy, inviting interiors changed our mind.

The place makes you want to sit back, relax and soak in the ambiance. The walls with three-dimensional paintings make you feel as if you're seated inside a casa in a small town in South America. The false sky painted on the ceiling reminded us of the Venetian hotel in Las Vegas, which make you forget what time of the day it is outside.

Chorizo Stuffed Chicken

The foot-tapping, Spanish music tempts us to forget the fine dine table settings and break into a little jig. Distracted enough with the interiors, we looked at the menu that boasted of over 40 international wines that can be paired with your meal. The mood was set and it was time for the real test: the food.

Mexican Seafood Salad

We started with the Cauliflower Pistachio and Gorgonzola Soup (R375). If you prefer slightly thick soup and mild flavours, you will love this one. The Mexican Seafood Salad (Rs 475) was a refreshing change from the usual.

Crispy Calamari

The zingy orange rind and the thin slices of mango and pineapple took us by surprise and tasted good. The Crispy Calamari (Rs 325) had a crunch that impressed us.

Tres Leches

Their special grill section uses lava stone. You can pick your meat, sides and sauce and custom make your dish. The Indian Beef Steak (Rs 850), with pink pepper sauce and mashed potatoes on the side doesn't just sound fancy, but was tender and cooked to perfection. The meat is served at the table over lava rock to ensure it remains hot. The Chorizo Stuffed Chicken (Rs 700) was different but gets chewy once it's cold.

To end on a sweet note, we asked for Churros, which were not available. Instead, we opted for Tres Leches (R375) (which means three-milks cake). The fresh, soft cake, which was drenched in condensed milk and heavy cream, topped with strawberries, was very light. It was not soggy, and turned out to be a perfect end to a good meal. For the ambiance and different cuisine, don't miss this one.