With its haveli-inspired interiors, Joshi House stands where Pali Village Cafe did, serving up a slice of Jaipur in Bandra. We dropped by to figure if it’s worth the hype
Kheema kachori
A Haveli in our space-starved Mumbai is, at best, a palatial fantasy, too big even for the city of dreams. Yet, a two-storeyed haveli — etched marble pillars, jharokha-style windows, a mini gurgling fountain et al — is what the makers of Joshi House have managed to squeeze in, in the cramped neighbourhood of Pali Hill. And somehow, it doesn’t feel like a bargain when we step in through the unassuming wooden doors of the new hotspot that replaces the much-adored Pali Village Cafe.
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B**f carpaccio
As we soak in the all-white ambiance, with playful touches of ruby reds and emerald greens on the linens, we can’t help patting our back for securing a lunch reservation after a week of failed attempts. Such is the hype around restaurateur Suren Joshi’s property that their only telephone number is almost always engaged. Words of advice: book well in advance, especially for weekend visits; ditch the Google Maps location that oddly ends about 500 m away from the spot.
Ghevar
While architect Ashiesh Shah’s Pinterest-y aesthetics do meet our expectations of a Jaipur getaway in aamchi Mumbai, the obnoxious honking of vehicles on the arterial Pali Hill street drowns out conversations if you’re in the al fresco seating area. Trying our best to avoid the snarly spoiler, we glance through the menu that brings together a mix of global and pan-Indian favourites with a contemporary twist. The service is prompt and the servers, well-informed. We start off with a refreshing b**f carpaccio (Rs 550) that packs in a variety of textures coated in a mildly sweet jalapeno-jaggery dressing. Pleased to spot a number of street-style offerings, we’re encouraged to try the sweet potato shammi chaat (Rs 525) and kheema kachori (Rs 575). The chaat, a mix of spiced sweet potato patty, yoghurt, avocado salsa and crisps, lacks a chatpata zest and comes in a deceivingly little portion. The kheema kachori makes up for the disappointment with a crunchy khasta kachori that’s mashed up to complement a flavourful minced mutton.
Dirty garcinia
Joshi House serves up an array of wines from across the world, along with wine cocktails and sangrias. We plumb for two cocktails — dirty garcinia (Rs 350) and cilantro martini (Rs 425). The kokum-and-red wine-based garcinia is an acquired taste that sneaks up after a few sips but fails to pack a punch. And while we dig the heady aroma of coriander and green chilli in the rose martini, the flavours are dialled down by a diluted blend.
Laal maas shanks
For the main course, we settle for laal maas shanks (Rs 750), served with naan. The pair of juicy lamb shanks are perfectly cooked in a silky, Jodhpuri mathania chilli-based gravy that had us ordering an extra plate of naan. For a sweet ending, we call for ghevar (Rs 450), which comes to our table in a pretty, bandhani fabric-laced mithai dabba.
Joshi House boasts of ample al fresco seating area, done up in white
The Rajasthani classic lives up to the social media attention it’s been getting; the fragrant, ghee-fried discs of ghevar and the subtle saffron rabri cremeux is a match made in heaven. While we polish it off, we’re surprised to note that all five seating sections have filled up on a weekday afternoon, with the well-heeled of the city dropping by. For what it’s worth, Joshi House seems to have found its resident royals.
At: 602, Dr Ambedkar Road, Pali Hill
Time: 12 pm to 10 pm
Call: 9220081888
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