22 April,2016 08:10 AM IST | | Suprita Mitter
New all-day diner-cum-bar Dishkiyaoon from the owners of Kino Cottage and Copa features most of Mumbai’s latest obsessions — Indian fusion food, hotchpotch decor and fancy-sounding cocktails
Lamb Avial served with Idiyappam
Dishkiyaoon
Food: Good
Service: Slow
Ambience: Fun
Lamb Avial served with Idiyappam. Pics/ Satej Shinde
When you stand outside the newly opened Dishkiyaoon, you can't help being impressed by the large glass windows. The new offering from the owners of Kino Cottage and Copa features most of Mumbai's latest obsessions - Indian fusion food, hotchpotch decor and fancy-sounding cocktails. It's located beside Parsi joint SodaBottleOpener Wala and Capital Social in BKC.
Chicken Biryani Sliders
We loved the clever placement of vertical gardens hung up in neat frames and the stained glass kites that double up as light fixtures. The metal gates to an illustrated Mumbai University at the far end of the restaurant and swings that replace seats at the bar were interesting too. The team gets brownie points for a trolley with phone charging points that can be pulled up to any point. However, we didn't really take to the carnival-ish chaos that featured handcarts, phone booths, carousel horses and a randomly placed bathtub.
Interiors of Dishkiyaoon
The place was packed on its opening weekend. Even after making a prior reservation, we waited for 20 minutes for a table. We quickly ordered the Filter Coffee Martini (Rs 325) and the Bombay to Benaras (R375) from a list of cocktails that sounded interesting.
The martini (a mix of Coorg beans extract, whiskey and sugar) was watery in consistency and a bit off. The Bombay to Benaras, an interesting combination of Mishrambu thandai, cognac, dark rum, kathaa (used in paan), could have done with lesser ice but was delicious.
The food, including the starters, took ages to arrive, probably owing to teething problems on the first weekend. After waiting for close to 40 minutes, our first starter, the Reddy Steady Prawns (Rs 285) made it to the table.
The delightfully fiery, crunchy prawns served with an interesting sambar-flavoured salsa sauce (though the menu stated tomato rasam) are worth trying.
After another 30 minutes, a plate of soft, fresh Olive Cheese Kulchas (Rs 150) was served. This had to be reheated and served after a gap of another 20 minutes when all the mains made an appearance at the table at one go, along with a pending appetiser. The Biryani Slider (Rs 300) was a brilliant interpretation, and tasted great too. The Chicken cooked with biryani masala and stuffed between rice buns was the star at the table.
We enjoyed both mains - the Lamb Avial served with Idiyappams (Rs 345) and the Paneer Pierogi (Rs 295). The soft lamb coconut-based gravy, served with idiyappams, was a successful cross between typical Kerala-style breakfast served with a vegetable stew and the dry avial served during meals.
The Paneer Pierogi fused a desi makhni gravy with ravioli-style dumplings and served it with creamed spinach. For dessert we were looking for one that would be served quickly and went with a staff recommended Peanut Butter and Milkmaid Flan (R225) which was light, not too sweet and one of the best we've had in a while.
The innovations on the menu were flavourful and work well. The kitschy interiors can distract to a certain extent but Dishkiyaoon needs to fire all its cylinders and up their game on the slow, confused service and iffy cocktails.
