All that SAZ

Arrabiata Pizza

If SAZ American Brasserie was a party goer, we'd say she knows her sense of fashion. The New York-style brasserie creates a good first impression, taking its name literally with a brass accessoried bar. We like the neon sign that reads, Absinth Makes Your Heart Grow Fonder. The high ceiling gives visitors a sense of space and the head inevitably turns upwards to spot the cobalt blue and white printed wallpaper of drunken bunnies. One statement wall has goddess Maya (heul), her head turning around to check us out. "She's the goddess of tequila," a steward explains. The shelves are done up with Campbell food cans and books and modern sculptures of bent bodies in blue and red meant to fuse the charm of the New Orleans jazz era.

Delhi restaurateur Rakshay Dhariwal, who has also brought down PCO and Ping's Cafe Orient to Lower Parel, is the man behind SAZ. The energy is upbeat and we roll into the circular corner maroon sofa seating. The staff is friendly. The drinks are listed on paper table mats. A line reads: Every good story starts with a cocktail. When the drinks - Lillibet (Rs 750), a gin infused with black tea and berries, along with a golden snitch (Rs 750), a take on a whisky sour with bourbon and pumpkin seed milk - arrive, they are placed on coasters that read: The apple doesn't fall far from the Martini. The wordplay around us is quirky.

Parmesan Tortellini in Brodo

We soon take the highway to a girl's gossip session, our drinks play their part to loosen the tongue. The take on whisky sour is smoother, lighter, and palatable. The Lillibet is summery, fresh with the presence of a berry good aftertaste. We would've liked a little more of the tea to perform, though. The pulled pork fries (Rs 495) work well with our themes for the night, "fries over guys". The fries are crisp and the minced pork mouthfuls add a juicy barbeque flavour. The generosity with cheese, we appreciate.

While many dishes are not available the day we visit, which is a bummer given that it's not been long since the place opened, the pizza section offers a good choice. The arrabbiata pizza (Rs 545) comes with a spicy sauce, red chilies, chilli oil, and cheese. The cheese is a thin veil, but the spice shoots a canon, which ends in an unpalatable pungent punch of raw onion from the sauce. The make of the pizza, however, is perfect, with the baked edges scrumptiously edible without effort.

The classic whisky sour (Rs 750) is stiffer than the earlier cocktail, and has a stronger lemon zing. We now get the smoothness the pumpkin milk lent to the modern take. In the middle of our meal, we raise an ear to realise that the music is nowhere close to the jazz era. Pity. For the main course, we try the Asian twist to the parmesan tortellini brodo (Rs 625). It has a flavourful broth that is given an unusual vegetarian miso twist. The tortellini is al dente with a good bite and stuffed with a creamy parmesan filling. The broth has spring onion and edamame and the miso adds an earthy depth to the watery broth.

Golden Snitch

The chocolate pudding is unavailable, so we opt for the SAZ brookie (Rs 625). It is a salty overdose and we are unable to go past a few bites. On a bed of a gooey cookie brownie baked in a skillet, two dollops of salted caramel ice cream are garnished with salted caramel popcorn, chocolate nibs, and a slather of salted caramel sauce. When we point this to our server, the chef on duty hears our feedback attentively and gives us another dessert, which we gently turn down. We are not charged for the dessert but the meal ends on an unreasonable salty high.

WHERE: Saz American Brasserie, Unit G-20, Ground Floor, Jio World Drive Mall, Bandra Kurla Complex
WHEN: 12PM-1.30AM on weekends; 12PM-11.30PM on weekdays
CALL: 9920056686
Rating : average
Saz American Brasserie didn't know we were there. Sunday Mid-day reviews anonymously and pays for meals.