Modern meets local

Banh mi. Pics/Bipin Kokate

The first dine-in meal at a restaurant in 2021 is special. We approach it with a no-strings-attached mindset and hope that our table manners and social conversation skills are not rusty. After a long, much-missed drive on a rainy day from Andheri to Kala Ghoda, we arrive at Plural, a Southeast Asian restaurant that opens for dine-in on June 22. Nestled in a busy arterial lane, the warm green façade stands out amid the vibrant cityscape. Inside, the main space has a compact bar for three-four patrons and is dressed in café-style décor of wood and cane. Clay vases placed blend in seamlessly while in a corner, a dried floral installation amid oversized cane light fittings that remind us of rice paddy hats in Bali stands out. A grey staircase leads to a small mezzanine nook with a bookshelf and casual seating for intimate groups.

Vietnamese pizza

Each table has a bottle filled with rice grains and a sprig of chaff. The menu is inspired by Trifecta cuisine from Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. This comes to life in the Vietnamese pizza (Rs 550) crafted on a base of crispy rice paper and treated to a paint job of beaten egg. Topped with tofu, avocado, egg, bird's eye chilli sauce, chives, this one makes us exclaim, "Mamma mia!" As we sip on the vegetal and refreshing notes spiked with gin in Garden of pea-den (Rs 625), made from refreshing snow pea juice, owner Vedant Shah, 25, recalls his time as an undergrad in Michigan.

He returned to follow his love for food and hospitality, and landed an internship at a fine-dining restaurant in Mumbai that was cut short in the pandemic. This sped up his dream to open his own restaurant. "I am interested in exploring the cuisine-agnostic approach of new modern American cooking. Menus are influenced by various techniques executed with local produce. Traditional Asian joints in the US are more hole-in-the-wall rustic setups. The younger generation has spruced that up and turned it around for the global palate, where they forage for ingredients which may not necessarily be native to the cuisine."

Summer roll

The first sight of the summer roll (Rs 350) is memorable. Crunchy greens, julienned veggies are wrapped tightly in rice paper rolls. Through the translucent sheet there's a pop of pink and yellow edible flowers. The side Vietnamese vinaigrette of nuoc cham resurrects the buried umami of flavours, reminding us how much we missed dining at restaurants. The freestyle menu is reflective in most dishes. We applaud the traditional banh mi (Rs 525) baguette (baked in-house); you won't crave for meat that it is usually packed with. Grilled lemongrass tofu, cherry tomato and pickled veggies are slathered in a Thai basil chimichurri and a tamarind jus that fills in for a fishy umami hit.

Roasted cauliflower

While you won't spot the typical sauces at every table, each dish has a paired accompaniment. The seared Brussels sprouts (Rs 485) have a controlled gusto of a Thai chilli paste, and kohlrabi (Rs 450) is a milder salad with ripe fig, mix nut chikki and candied shallot. The pho (Rs 675) broth deserves a mention for it reminds us of glogg, red mulled wine sipped in Nordic countries. The stock has flavours of apple, pear and cinnamon. Overall, the fare spells freshness and wholesomeness. The first main is a full head of roasted cauliflower (Rs 595). The server carves each of us a piece that is rubbed with a cashew and sambal glaze to form a well-cooked outer layer under which a moist expression of sumac mint yoghurt lies. This comes with a generous side of roasted kale and almonds. We want to cuddle this dish from the comfort of our home as the rain gods break into an opera outside. A coconut, basil and garlic dip is another example of the menu mastery.

Vedant Shah

The beetroot curry (Rs 650) is a rich base of coconut cream bursting with textures of water chestnut, roasted chickpeas and juicy pomegranate pearls. By now we have graduated to the figmarole (Rs 690) a cocktail with dried fig-infused vodka and spiced with ginger. When we declare that we are ready to call it quits, the miso caramel tart in its decadent, dark avatar, makes us reconsider. Thick ribbons of caramel are treated to a slight hint of salty miso. While we craved for a fuller punch, the dessert takes a safe route to suit all palates. The peanut fudge cake (Rs 550) is another indulgence that commands pin-drop silence, only allowed to be interrupted by unrehearsed "mmmms".

At: Jai Hind Building, Nanik Motwani Marg, Kala Ghoda, Fort
Call: 9892382740