In the buzzing food scenes of Bombay, the rehabilitated Kamala Mills compound is popping new- age style restaurants every now and then. But only a few have managed to live up to the rage that the initial flurry of reviews creates.
KODE is that addition to Zorawar Kalra’s lineage of innovative culinary experiences, which ups the ante of their previous success stories. Although this place demands a lot of build up, let us cut the long story short and tell you exactly what’s worth your money and calories.
Looks
It had me at its opulent entrance, not to mention the striking location. The interiors are high on sophistication and it is rather spacious for a cramped city like Mumbai. They have a posh steel and beige looking granite bar where they store their range of over 130 whiskeys. The rest of the place has a gold and granite lavish theme, quite a respite from anything else you’ll find in Kamala Mills.
Tastes
We went there for a Sunday brunch and was it lavish!
We started with the veg alternative of soups – the corn and saffron. Never in my life have I tasted a two ingredient (mostly) soup so flavourful. To emphasize my appreciation of the soup let me tell you that I took three servings of it, one of the main course, one in between and one after the dessert. Yes, it was worth defying the culinary order of things.
Moving on we had their delicacy of the day – A Turkish version of flatbread. Mildly piquant, it did make for a great side. Of course, there was an equally delectable cheese platter to go with the bread and wine (wine not a part of the brunch). Edam, Gouda, Camembert, English cheddar to name a few.
There was also a live salad and sushi bar. We skipped the salad and went all bonkers on the Sushis. You are looking at an assortment of crunchy asparagus cream cheese and veg sushi in teriyaki sauce. The photo here does absolutely no justice to these divine pieces of Japanese wonder rolls. Not disclosing the number of these that I gobbled but I have not found anything (in Sushis) of the same level of epic.
I am a big fan of hummus, which is why I can say that this is not the best hummus ever but the variety was pleasantly experimental and refreshing for the taste buds.
Thankfully all of this being light on the tummy, we managed to also order a Lasagna in tomato and cream sauce. The tomato sauce was rich and sweet and the three non-mushy layers sat beautifully with cheese on top, an explosion of flavours.
I personally regard Creme Brulee as god’s (yes, whoever created it) best gift to mankind, hence excuse my overt criticism here. I swear by the orange Crème Brulee by China House, and this one does not come close. The yolk taste dominated other flavours hence a slight disappointment.
That’s all people, that’s only double of what a one-time meal should be.
Feels
Being cuisine agnostic works great on your palate and stomach. You walk out feeling not so stuffed but sufficiently fed. A little heavy on the pocket, but worth every penny for a foodie.
