The one-month-old 80 Days World Cuisine in Sanpada tries to bring the best of global cuisine, with some success
The mezze platter had fresh pita bread and smooth hummus, but the falafels were a let down
To Navi Mumbaikars, it is a restaurant that is hard to miss. Global Culture's one-month-old restaurant 80 Days World Cuisine in Sanpada is one among four restaurants that have opened for business in quick succession. All the eateries are in each other's vicinity and are hence tough to miss. So one pleasant Monday night, we head to the restaurant to test whether its food lives up to the hype.
The mezze platter had fresh pita bread and smooth hummus, but the falafels were a let down
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My fellow diner and I are welcomed with the complimentary Tomato and Watermelon drink in shot glasses. The alternatively sweet and tangy drink instantly refreshes us and we proceed to order the appetisers. We settle for the Warm Chicken Bruschetta (Rs 275) and the Mezze Platter (Rs 300). The flavours of sous vide chicken mix, cheddar and cornichons blend well together. The chicken pieces, laid carefully on the crispy bread base, are tender. It is also a clever mix of textures — the softness of the chicken plays well with the crispy nature of the base.
We believe that the proof of a good Mezze Platter lies in the falafel and we are disappointed. Served alongside pita bread, hummus, baba ganoush and tabbouleh, the falafel is flat, devoid of its popular Middle Eastern flavours and closely resembles a dal vada.
For the main course, we order the Vegetable Burger (Rs 350) and BBQ Chicken Pizza (Rs 450). The burger is stuffed with lettuce, tomato, caramelised onions, gherkin, cheddar and — the real, big surprise — two patties. We, however, are no fans of the patties as it is too heavy on our palate.
With the giant screen and cushy seats, 80 days World Cuisine is the perfect choice for an outing
The burger also comes without any of the all essential, flavoursome sauces (although to be fair, bottles of ketchup and mustard were placed on our table) but we like our sauces to come with the burger. On the other hand, we like the pizza. Smoked chicken, the house BBQ sauce, red onions and smoked cheese are served on a crusty, thin pizza base. It is packed with flavours and tastes delicious.
We end our meal with the Salted White Chocolate and Pistachio Brownie (Rs 225), with a certain amount of excitement. White chocolate, pistachio … what's not to like? But when the dessert finally arrives, it lacks a punch and does not taste as good as it did in our imagination. We dig into the brownie repeatedly and wait for the taste of delicious pistachio and white chocolate to hit us. But sadly, it never does.
If you are on the lookout for a new place where you can watch the ongoing cricket world cup matches (the restaurant has put up a monster-sized screen) while experimenting with a new menu, 80 Days World Cuisine is worth a shot, provided the restaurant keeps these few considerations in mind.
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