Two One Two bar and Grill offers great service and even better food says Samreen Samad
Don’t we keep cribbing about how there are hardly any good restaurants in Mumbai that offer authentic Italian food? Well, it’s time we stop now. With Two One Two Bar and Grill you get Italy on your plate. The new Italian eatery started by four partners — Arish Khajotia, Gaurav Kapur, Jay Makhijani and Ketan Kadam ( Fire ‘n’ Ice fame) has replaced the night club Magic which I think was just a waste of 4,000 sq.ft of space. But Two one Two bar and Grill is more than making up for it.
The name of the restaurant refers to 212 degrees Fahrenheit, which is the temperature at which boiling water begins to steam. We appreciate the high end décor and well trained staff. The welcoming patio has a cute seating arrangement which is perfect for pre or post dining hangout. As we entered in, we were escorted to our seats in the elevated area of the restaurant. We were happy to see how spacious the place was. The lovely high chairs and luxurious couches were spread out, not crowding other tables and giving us ample privacy. The place is perfect for fine dining with jazz music playing in the background. We suggest you don’t come dressed in slippers and shorts.
Coming to the food, we started off with an assortment of freshly baked breads, which included French baguettes served with pesto sauce, French butter and some olive oil. This was followed by grilled chicken skewers which were served with a tahini and couscous dip. We also had tuna carpaccio and smoked salmon. Later we tried the baked camembert cheese, which was served with toasted bread and rocket lettuce salad with olive oil vinaigrette dressing. We licked the plate clean.
As we were waiting for the main course, Milanese Chef Alex Bignotti did the rounds to keep a check on things. The chef asked us to try their specialty, Quattro Formaggi — a 4 cheese pizza, while we waited for the main course. And trust us, it’s the best pizza in the world. And we don’t use this term lightly. A perfect blend of mozzarella, fontina, gorgonzola and taleggio cheese. It was light and delicious.
Our main course included braised chicken with potato wedges and grilled veggies, wild mushroom and cheese stuffed in puff pastry and crab stuffed in sea bass. All three dishes were perfectly done and their flavours blended together beautifully. Chef Bignotti goes easy on the flavours which may not go too well with the Indian palate, but we are not complaining! We love the subtle use of flavour.
As for dessert, Two One Two has a very selective menu, but delicious nonetheless. We ordered for a Lemongrass crème Brule with blackcurrant sauce served on the side, a perfect ending to our meal. Two One two gets a ten on ten from us.
Where 12-A, Hornby Vellard Estate, Opposite Nehru Centre, Next to the BMW showroom, Worli, Mumbai 18
Contact 24901994
Meal for two `3,000 excluding alcohol