Al Fresco At Salt Water Grill

Salt Water Grill

In the open, by the sea, on the sands, with cool breeze for company, savour the best food Bombay has to be offer, says Anil Dharker.

As close to Cannes as you can get in good old Bombay.

If you have been to the South of France, you know its beaches. And if in the South of France, you have been to Cannes, you know the Croisette. It's a wonderful stretch of white sand, with a blue, blue sea on one side and a whole row of fashionable waterfront buildings on the other (including the Miramar and Carlton hotels and the Palais du Festival where the Cannes Film Festival is held every year).

The very talented chef of the restaurant, Viraf Patel.

When you walk on the Croisette, do remember to wear your sunglasses. And make them a really dark pair, not the light kind, which film stars wear so you recognise it's them trying not to be recognised. The shades are necessary to maintain a bit of savoire faire. After all, you don't want to be caught ogling at the topless blondes sunning themselves on the beach!

Bombay has wonderful beaches too, but hard as I have tried, I have yet to see a topless blonde there. You can understand that - Bombay is not Goa - but is there an earthly reason why something else Cannes has, which we can have too, but don't? I mean its restaurants, tented structures, which dot the beach elegantly, and where you can eat, drink and be merry, also elegantly. All we have are rows upon rows of bhelpuriwalas (at least now, discreetly tucked away), and however you may stretch the word, and however big a fan you are of street food, �elegant�, a bhelpuri stall is most definitely not. It all depends, I suppose, on one's self-image : the citizens of Cannes think of themselves as chic; the citizens of Bombay think of themselves as sons of the soil.

Melon and Feta salad.

So imagine everyone's astonishment when just over a year ago, Salt Water Grill opened its doors - so to speak - and welcomed everyone in. Sit at one of its sea-side tables, and you will wonder why no one thought of this before. The restaurant's got sand instead of a carpet, it uses the sea to provide aircon, music and a view, there's no wallpaper and no art work, and yet take a guest there (even foreign ones), and the first thing they will remark on is the ambience. Face South and you see the Queen's Necklace of Marine Drive, face North and you see the twinkling lights of Malabar Hill. Who can ask for more?

Ah bliss! Palms for a roof at the Salt Water Grill.

Actually, we can, and usually do. Because, however good the view, and however romantic the experience, you can eat neither the view, nor the experience. For that, you need food. And it better match the surroundings. Which, in this case means, it better be good.

The four young men who set up the restaurant (Riyaaz Amlani, Irfaan Khan, Kiran Salaskar and Varun Sahani) wisely didn't just bask in the limelight of being sea-front pioneers : they knew that a restaurant, ultimately stands or falls by what happens in the kitchen. So when Amlani met Executive Chef Viraf Patel in Hyderabad, where he had set up actor Nagarajuna's restaurant Touch, he made him an offer Patel didn't refuse. Gresham Fernandes (Sous Chef) and Conrad D'souza (Executive Pastry Chef) complete the restaurant's team. What they have wisely done is to provide a menu which goes with SWG's surroundings. The emphasis, therefore, is on fresh, organic and robust ingredients. And the preferred cooking method is to use the charcoal grill.

Saffron Pannacotta with Basil Gastrique.

Their signature dishes are simple, yet startlingly different. Take one of the appetisers as an example. You wouldn't normally put together a melon and Feta cheese. Yet when you do (it's called Duet of Melon Versus Feta on the menu), you realise it's more of a 'Duet' than a 'Versus', because the opposing tastes somehow complement each other. The same thought process leads to some of the other starters : seared Ravioli of Chevre and Fava Beans, where the goat cheese's strong flavour is balanced by the neutral taste of white beans. Similarly, there's Iced Chicken Liver Pate and Apple Marmalade. Or Carpaccio of Beef and Norwegian salmon with warm sesame-onion dressing. That leads to some unusual salads too, of which I would recommend the Roast Duck and Water Chestnuts salad with sesame dressing.

Willowy tents and the gentle sea breezes... Can it get cosier or more romantic?

I am not a soup man, but a couple of items in this section caught my eye. There is the Iced Zucchini and Marooned Warm Mushroom Flan (with basil-feta crostini), which again sounds like an ideal marriage (opposites attract, don't they?). Or, Warm Asparagus and Salted Salmon Slivers.

When it comes to the main course, I have a general grouse against most Bombay restaurants. Some of the best places make superb appetizers and exquisite desserts, but the main course never tastes as good as it sounds (i.e. the copy-writer's skill outdoes the chef's). SWG, I am happy to report, keeps a uniform standard throughout, and that's a real relief. The Four Cheese Risotto (Brie, Cheddar, Scamorza and Parmesan) is an excellent option for vegetarians, as is the Mustard Ratatouille on Cottage cheese steak with a Pinenut tuille.

The 6oz Fillet Steak with Wasabi Emulsion.

If you are non-vegeterian and are lucky (or have the foresight to ring in advance), you will get one of SWG's limited stock of Himalayan trout. The menu item has Crisp Himalayan Trout with Sago and roast peppers, but you could really have it made the way you like it. If it's steak you want, the Grilled Tenderloin with Asparagus and Camembert is for you. It's rich but not heavy (and I wish I could say that of some of my friends).

I can never resist a Creme Brulee, especially if it's as well made as SWG's is, but the Hot Souffle or the Saffron infused Pannacotta are choices I would like to try on days when I don't opt for the obvious.

Which brings me to the obvious question again : why can't the city of Bombay with its extensive beach front, have many more Salt Water Grills? It's something the state government must encourage our top restaurants to do. Unless, of course, we are content to forever maintain our bhelpuri self-image.

SALT WATER GRILL
H2O Water Sports Complex
Next to Mafatlal Swimming Club,
Marine Drive, Bombay 400 007
Tel: 022 2368 5459