Friday Review : Picante

Picante was also the name of my catering company and I was rather annoyed that an all veg restaurant with the same name had popped up. When I visited it one day randomly for coffee I wasn't very impressed by the one starter I had called for. Picante is however located in Breach Candy and there is a dearth of restaurants in this neighborhood.

I decided to go again to Picante with my vegetarian friend from New Jersey. The menu is Italian - Lebanese- Mexican. I personally didn't love the bright purple decor or the poor waiters' costume with ponchos and sambreros simply because it doesn't accurately represent the theme of the menu. 

We started with a (1) Tortilla Soup which was too thick - and had no balance of flavor. The tortilla chips crushed in it tasted more like the ones you get in the local farsan shop. But luckily this was the lowest point of the meal and everything picked up. 

We had the  (2) Feta and Watermelon Salad next which is a current favorite in Mumbai. I've had it at several places that do it very well but wasn't disappointed with their version. Drizzled  with a balsamic reduction and served on a bed of Arugala - this salad was just right.

The (3) Chargrilled Paneer is a 2-bite starter of grilled paneer smothered in a very nice well seasoned Pomodoro sauce  served on a Brioche bread with spicy mayonnaise .

Perhaps my favorite thing that evening was this (4)Zuchini Fritter flower served with hung curd. Crisp yummy and so pretty this dish comes with a Harissa and a garlic white chutney which was so good that I could have hugged the chef who made it . I used it generously on my (5)Falafels which were amazing as well . My only wish was they had served the falafel with a Schug (spicy sauce) instead of the Harissa but that's just me being an annoying critic. It was very good. 

Our mains were one dish from each cuisine.

(6) The Potato crepes served with Zatar bread was yummy too but I would have never pegged it for a Lebanese dish but an Italian or French one and to me is delicious by itself.

(7) Penne in a mixed sauce is literally penne tossed in a mix of Marinara , Paprika and Alfredo sauces. Is it authentic Italian food? No. Is it amazing? Yes and Yes again. Do ask for it. This was served with a (8) garlic cheese toast - the carb overload made our insides feel happy.  

Our contestant from Mexico was (9) a Burrito Bowl which was Mexican rice beans and guacamole. My friend from the states thought it was pretty authentic and whilst it was nice it wasn't my favorite thing on the menu .

We had also been served a (10)Bora Bora Mocktail  which was mixed juices and some chaat masala which didn't go with the menu or theme and didn't impress at all.

Even though this was a meal for four people and not two we were told we HAD to try their speciality which is the (11) Cookie with ice cream. It's freshly baked and served on a sizzler plate with a scoop of ice cream. The cookie gets crisp and caramely and burnt and you leave the restaurant a little bit Euphoric.

My final thoughts for the restaurant are that is a great place to go if you know what to order. I liked the Lebanese and Italian food more than the Mexican but I definitely would go back

Photo Credit : Girish Jhangiani