Boveda, Mumbai

I looked at the delicious Chocolate Ganache Tart with Walnut on the table in front of me; it was calling out to me. Although I consumed more food than I usually do, I couldn’t stop myself from digging into it

Boveda means vault in Spanish. With its dark chocolate coloured wood panelled interiors, to its dim lighting and its unfinished, jagged interiors – it does render a vault-like ambience. While the DJ belted out some of his favourite tracks grooving to each beat, patrons dined to scrumptious food preparations. I was one among them.

I started with Tranquillity, a blend of cranberry juice and Sagatiba – a Brazillian rum topped with cherries. Probably one of the best cocktails I have tasted in a long time, it formed the perfect accompaniment for the scrumptious platter of starters served alongside. The platter included Pork Sliders, Paprika Chicken and Tossed Spiced Mushrooms; my favourite, you may ask – the Paprika Chicken. Served on a stick and coated with a crispy layer of spices, it was redolent of KFCs hot wings, but was a delicious preparation on its own.

I then asked the manager to recommend some of the best dishes. Willingly, he brought in Death by Sandwich. Bacon and ham salami in white bread coated with a blanket of cheese – calorific, but a real treat for a meat lover. And if that wasn’t enough, the next dish was a pizza. Oh no, not your run-of-the-mill pizza, this, was something more audacious. It was called Madras Curry Pizza. True to its name, the pizza had a tinge of coconut flavour that was not to overpowering nor too subtle, just the perfect proportion. Truly,the star of the evening. I gobbled up the 7 inch pizza forgetting dessert was yet to be tasted.

As stuffed as I was, how can a dessert-lover possibly say no to sinful dollops of dark chocolate set in a ganache tart with a subtle hint of whiskey and wholesome quantities of walnuts sprinkled all over? It’s impossible. I dived into it and of course, and don’t regret it at all.

Here is the deal with the food at Boveda, it can be relished even when the restaurant is abuzz with hobnobbing guests, the constant thump of EDM music and with groups of youngsters waiting to claim a seat on a packed Saturday night.