Two restaurants in India's Top 50? Whoa, that is quite something, isn't it. I didn't know Bombay Canteen and O Pedro had the same owners, till my host asked for a contact number before seating me and looking me up from a previous meal at Bombay Canteen. Coming with high recommendation from a fellow foodie, O Pedro was my pick for the one lunch before flying out. Goan, I was told.
The ambiance is fresh and there seems to be a bit of Goa here n there, but if you didn't know it was a Goan place, and the Goa in your mind is only about beaches and grilled sea food, then you're going to miss the Goan minimal ambiance.
But my mind was racing. Just last night, Bombay Canteen was voted as India's top restaurant at CN Traveler's India Top 50 Restaurant awards. Was this going to be just like Bombay Canteen? Should I have gone elsewhere?
The waiter suggested I try their Snapper Ceviche! Ceviche? When did Ceviche become Goan? Maybe there is more history to Goa than I am aware of, but quickly the mention of the Goan Poee, a traditional sour dough bread eased my troubled mind. With the waiter also recommending the Prawn Balchao, a fiery Goan curry and egg tarts for dessert, I was completely at peace. This wasn't Goan just by name.
Goan or not, the snapper ceviche was great start to the meal. The almost broth-y sauce that the sliced snapper was laid on could easily replace a drink. The fish itself was clear, with absolutely no whiff of an odour, and crunchy stuff topping it off. I haven't been to Peru and I don't remember having ceviche elsewhere that blew my mind off, but now I'm dying to try the real thing to see how it compares.
This year appears to be one of bread discovery for me. Having a primer of breads from around the world, I didn't give poee a chance. Until today. Sourdough bread baked freshly in house, the poee with the two butters was nice, but add the spicy prawn balchao to dip and it quickly goes from nice to heavenly. With about 6 large pieces of prawns dunked in the balchao, I had little space for dessert, especially after a pretty heavy breakfast.
While I was contemplating the Bebinca, the recommendation from both my friend and the waiter to go for the Portuguese Egg tart tilted it in its favour. An egg custard in a flaky pastry shell, it had more novelty value than dessert value!
O Pedro is in Bandra Kurla Complex in Bandra and a meal for two will cost about Rs. 2500.
The ambiance is fresh and there seems to be a bit of Goa here n there, but if you didn't know it was a Goan place, and the Goa in your mind is only about beaches and grilled sea food, then you're going to miss the Goan minimal ambiance.
But my mind was racing. Just last night, Bombay Canteen was voted as India's top restaurant at CN Traveler's India Top 50 Restaurant awards. Was this going to be just like Bombay Canteen? Should I have gone elsewhere?
The waiter suggested I try their Snapper Ceviche! Ceviche? When did Ceviche become Goan? Maybe there is more history to Goa than I am aware of, but quickly the mention of the Goan Poee, a traditional sour dough bread eased my troubled mind. With the waiter also recommending the Prawn Balchao, a fiery Goan curry and egg tarts for dessert, I was completely at peace. This wasn't Goan just by name.
Goan or not, the snapper ceviche was great start to the meal. The almost broth-y sauce that the sliced snapper was laid on could easily replace a drink. The fish itself was clear, with absolutely no whiff of an odour, and crunchy stuff topping it off. I haven't been to Peru and I don't remember having ceviche elsewhere that blew my mind off, but now I'm dying to try the real thing to see how it compares.
This year appears to be one of bread discovery for me. Having a primer of breads from around the world, I didn't give poee a chance. Until today. Sourdough bread baked freshly in house, the poee with the two butters was nice, but add the spicy prawn balchao to dip and it quickly goes from nice to heavenly. With about 6 large pieces of prawns dunked in the balchao, I had little space for dessert, especially after a pretty heavy breakfast.
While I was contemplating the Bebinca, the recommendation from both my friend and the waiter to go for the Portuguese Egg tart tilted it in its favour. An egg custard in a flaky pastry shell, it had more novelty value than dessert value!
O Pedro is in Bandra Kurla Complex in Bandra and a meal for two will cost about Rs. 2500.
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