Last week I was supposed to leave Bombay and return to where I came from. I was so happy and excited I had international roaming set up on my blackberry, presents were bought for friends I missed terribly and my meals were pre planned, sushi everyday until I got ill. .
And then the Indian passport office just did such a good job with my babies passport that I am still here ten days later. After a day of crying and expressing not so nice things about the Indian passport office I decided to try and look on the brighter side of things. I realised although I was stuck in Bombay I did have the budget I saved for my holiday for sushi and a lot more.
So I decided to treat myself and a friend to sushi in Bombay and see what I can get here. A few years ago I visited a restaurant in Mumbai and was entertained with some pomp. A note to all non returned NRI's beware is only reserved for you while you are overseas if your lucky when you return you will be asked to join someone for dinner at a club! Anyway that establishment was hilariously expensive so much so that I have had cheaper meals and Zuma and Nobu and the sushi was at best a tad above what one gets at Yo Sushi!
Fenix at what used to be the new Oberoi (I have no clue what the hotel is called now but its the little building by the old Oberoi tower just as you turn into Nariman Point) was what everyone I spoke to said I should try. Security as expected was omnipresnet. Our cars were checked, bags screened and we went through a metal detector and a wand was waived around us. My friend seemed oblivious to such screening procedures which seem to be very common in India theses days for me its still something I have to get used to.
The restaurant was modern and a bit soulless in its ambiance but it was made up for by super attentive and very gracious staff. The menu was extensive and really one is spoilt for choice there. While I selected my sushi I was very apprehensive of how some of the ingredients would combine together and taste. The food took a while to get to our table but it was so good that sin can be forgiven. The fish was very fresh, presentation good, the taste exquisite and the portions surprisingly sizeable.
When we reached the point when we were just on the verge of feeling like we had enough to eat we decided to overeat and ordered the soft shell crab roll, which was a mistake. The crab encased in the sushi through very presentable was barely there they seemed to have used the tentacles only and it tasted like some Indian bhajiya! My friend very used to my voicing my honest opinions regarding food in restaurants managed to restrain me until we had finished the dish.
I did say my piece when the plates were cleared and in less then two minuites Rubin Santos came out and met with us. He explained that he had used a five spice on the crab not an Indian masala and he was most apologetic about us not liking the flavour of the crab. He accepted our praise for all the other dishes gracefully and he had such a pleasing personality we managed to forget about the crab altogether. He offered to immediately replace it and when we declined he or whoever the powers be at Phoenix took the dish off our bill.
Now the only real let down of the evening was the hot chocolate chip souffle which Chef Santos I am told was not responsible for. It was awful. Egg puffed up and heated with a few chocolate chips on top doth not a dessert make. It really would have been the perfect egg based dessert!
Fortunately our dinner did not end there that would have been a very inappropriate end to an otherwise super evening. We were given some delicious petit fours. The chocolate nut concoction was nice that it made up for the slightly stale chocolate chip financier which if a bit fresher or baked a few seconds less would have been perfect.
And now for the finances... the bill surprisingly was far less then we expected to shell out for a meal like the one we had had. It was not cheap but it was priced appropriately to reflect the quantity and quality of the food. As long as the Phoenix maintains their standards I know I will go back again and again. I really recommend it to anyone who has sushi cravings.
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