Mumbai Food: Head over to revamped continental restaurant within cultural space

Margherita pizza

Food: Flavourful
Ambience: Pretty
Service: Excellent
Cost: Slightly Pricey

Despite being located in the heart of Mumbai, at the cusp where Worli turns into Mahalaxmi, G5A seems as if it's in the middle of nowhere. You turn into Shakti Mills and navigate a long, desolate road to reach the cultural space that's tucked into such a nondescript corner that even Google Maps throws up its hands. So, we fall back on the analogue method of asking people for directions to find our way there on a Friday evening. And, finally, we settle down at a table for two at Port, the restaurant located within its premises that underwent a revamp a month earlier.

This revamp involves the addition of an open bar and kitchen at one end of the room. It gives the place a chic feel that's accentuated by the tasteful décor. But such changes are only cosmetic at best. The most important factor that can make or break any eatery's fortunes, of course, is the quality of the food it serves. That's why when placing our order, we decide to stick to tried-and-tested recipes, only to check if, despite the makeover, the place still gets its basics right.

Whisky Sour

So, for cocktails, we choose the classic options of bloody Mary and whiskey sour. Now, our partner considers herself to be somewhat of a Bloody Mary connoisseur. Having mastered the art of making one at home, she is as ruthless about dismissing a shoddily made one at restaurants as corporate entities are about sacking dispensable employees during a time of recession. We have actually lost count of the number of bartenders who have fumbled an apology when she's reprimanded them for not getting it right. Hence, we watch her with keen anticipation as she takes a sip of this version, before passing her expert opinion - "It's not as bad as some of the other ones I've had." We construe that as, "It's good enough to save the bartender a piece of my mind." And just to confirm our assumption, we take the glass from her to form our own judgment. To be fair, it's not bad at all. Both the tomato juice and Tabasco have been added in measured quantities so that neither overpowers the drink. And the whiskey sour, too, has just the right amount of egg white.

Bloody Mary

Satisfied, we turn to the food - assorted home-cut fries, pesto fettucini and Margherita pizza. The history of that last dish, according to popular folklore, dates back to the 19th century, when an Italian queen ordered a Neapolitan chef to make three new pizzas for her. One of these had only mozzarella cheese, tomatoes and basil in its recipe, apart from a few herbs, giving it the same colours as the Italian flag. That's the one the queen liked best, and the chef thus decided to name it Margherita, after her. It was meant to be a subtle, no-frills pizza, and the one we try sticks to that memo, although queen or no queen, anyone would find its thin crust a tad too hard. The home-cut fries, meanwhile, have an earthy feel, especially because we can smell the skin on them even before we have taken a bite. And in the end, it's only the pasta that disappoints us. The chef overdid it with the pesto, unfortunately, making it so dry that not even a drizzle of olive oil could save the dish.

Assorted home-cut fries, Pics/Bipin Kokate

But that doesn't mean that we are left with an overall feeling of dissatisfaction. Port, in fact, has a reassuringly warm ambiance that's conducive to both a date and an after-show meal with friends.

The outdoor smoking area is especially pretty, with a bench under a bougainvillea plant adorned with tiny bulbs giving it a fairytale vibe. Suffice to say, then, that we will definitely be making a trip to the restaurant again at some point. And the best part is that this time we won't have to bother asking for directions.

Time 9 am to 1 am
At Port, G5A, Laxmi Mills Estate, Shakti Mills Lane, off Dr. E Moses Road, Mahalaxmi.
Call 8390509956

Port didn't know we were there. The Guide reviews anonymously, and pays for meals.

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