Mumbai Food: Kala Ghoda fine dine brings in some Levantine flavours

Warn Inab B'zeit

Cafés and shops in the bylanes of Kala Ghoda are like shimmering bookmarks upping the cool quotient of the area. The latest entrant is Rue Du Liban, a fine-dine restaurant serving food from the Eastern Mediterranean region, which includes Lebanon, Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Turkey.

Done up in maroon furnishing and black marble tops, the space is a luxury tavern with intricate golden jali-work, glass-shard hangings, blown-glass lamps, and a ceiling covered in patches of jute work. Our table for two along a wall, which has velvet comfort sofas, is one step up and designed to give us privacy and enough space to sprawl like cats. The mosquito repellent under the table is a bit of a hindrance to our olfactory nerves, though. But once ask them to, the staff pulls it out.

Our experience at Rue Du Liban is otherwise seamless. The reservation attendant is formal and clear about table-slot timings, and non-availability of alcohol. And in the morning, before our dinner, we get a call from a staff member giving us a gentle reminder about the reservation.

We start with Bombay jallab, a date-based mocktail muddled with fennel seeds and jaggery. The drink is refreshing and leaves a minty aftertaste on our palate, clearing it for our first dish, wark inab b'zeit (Rs 650). The henna-green leaves poached in olive oil and lemon juice hold a stuffing of rice, parsley and onions. The leaves have a natural sour taste that, along with the cherry tomatoes, leaves a citrusy finish.

Hommos lahme

Hummus, as we know, comes in all colours these days, from pink beetroot to green pesto. There is even a chocolate version with no chickpeas at all! The hommos lahme we try (Rs 750) comes holding a well of minced lamb. The touch of pomegranate molasses and roasted pine nuts makes us wipe the plate clean.

From the vegetarian fare, we call for fatayer b'sabanekh (Rs 700), which comprises mini samosas made of baked pastry and filled with spinach, feta, onions, pine nuts and red chillies. It would have been a plain-Jane affair had it not been for the tartness of sumac and crunch of dukkah spices that consist of ground black and white sesame, cumin seeds and cashew nuts.

Hommos beiruty

For the mains, we order shish touk (Rs 750), which has marinated chicken grilled to perfection and served with biwaz, a red pepper paste, and toum, a garlic sauce, on a Lebanese flat bread. The charcoal stripes on the succulent meat add a burnt sweetness to the otherwise spicy preparation.

We round up the meal with a halawa fondant (Rs 550), in which chocolate uplifts and plays second fiddle to the grainy pistachio halwa. The warm bowl of the melted chocolate and green nut paste is a modern but hearty touch. Rue Du Liban is a reminder that fine-dining, if executed with finesse, is not dead yet. And we are patrons who will go back again for the perfect meal experience.

ON 7 pm to 1 am
AT Sassoon Building, 43, VB Gandhi Marg, Kala Ghoda
Call 22864444

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Rue Du Liban didn't know we were there. The Guide reviews anonymously and pays for meals