Mumbai Food: Vegetarian eatery in Andheri leaves a lot to be desired

Trench Resto Cafe

We've been fascinated with fondues ever since we read the title Asterix in Switzerland as a kid. The comic book has a segment where people participating in a decadent orgy stand in line before a huge cauldron containing the melted cheese dish. And whoever drops his bread cube into the vessel while dipping into it with tongs is condemned to have a huge stone tied to his leg, before being dropped into a lake. It's a thoroughly macabre sequence, and whenever we have ordered for fondue at a restaurant over the years, we have secretly played the same game with the tongs and bread cubes ourselves.

Traditional fondue

So, we are a tad disappointed with the dish at Trench Resto Cafe, a recently opened vegetarian joint in Andheri West. That's because it isn't served with bread cubes, but with bread sticks instead, along with nachos, French fries and cheese sticks. This makes the tongs completely redundant, and ruins the fun we usually have. But, that is not to say that the traditional fondue (Rs 449) itself isn't worth writing home about. The melted cheese has the right thickness and strength of flavour, and the customary candle lit underneath the serving bowl ensures that the dish remains hot till the end.

The rest of the meal, however, fails to float our boat. The Mediterranean pasta (Rs 329) arrives suspiciously quickly after we ask for it and sure enough, the red sauce in it seems to have been rustled up in haste. And while we were hoping that the ratatouille (Rs 399) is as delec
table as the one made in the movie of the same name, it is sadly so heavy on tomatoes that we can easily make a small bottle of ketchup with the pieces.

In fact, our entire experience leaves us with an incomplete feeling. The place has unimaginative decor. The walls have lines like "You are the French to my toast" scribbled on them. The service, to be fair, is attentive. But all in all, had this been a movie we were watching
instead of the dinner we are having, we would have walked out at the
interval.

TIMINGS: 10 am to 1 pm
AT: Jawahar Ban CHS, Andheri West.
CALL: 33126826

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