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Indigo : Exorbitant Excellence

When I go back to a favorite restaurant after more than a year, I usually expect to be disappointed. The menus change, chefs leave and your favorite dishes go away. But not so with Colaba's Indigo. I returned for a much overdue trip last weekend fully expecting to be pampered with excellence in everything : ambience, service and food.

The ambience : Indigo is a converted bungalow and you can pick from choice of four seatings. Alfresco dining just as you enter is charming but impractical in Bombay heat. Then there's a bar indoors, formal dining rooms on either side and a lovely terrace lounge. Because it was a dry day (one of the 4 days a year when it's illegal to sell alcohol), we could pick our choice of seating. Don't show up without a reservation on any other day.

The service : Impeccable, attentive, without becoming overbearing. Service this good is rare in Bombay.

The Food : The restaurant changes it's menu quarterly but the core dishes - soups, salads, pastas, risottos - remain. I ordered my favorite frozen lime drink, then proceeded to pick my main course of cherry tomato and watercress risotto. Their bread basket is so good I never bother with appetizers. And an insider's tip : order your dessert before you order your food. Indigo's speciality is souffle, with flavors that change daily and they need half an hour's notice. They had cappuccino souffle the day we went, and a better ending to a meal I can't think of.

My pet peeve : Indigo's expensive. Horribly so. But this is one meal I'd gladly pay for.

Alternatively, you can head to Indigo Deli. There is one in Colaba itself serving salads, sandwiches, pastas et al. And a new one just opened closer home to me in Andheri. My first lunch two weeks back (shared with a friend) was a grilled vegetable sandwich, a ravioli and a chocolate jalapeno souffle. Damage : less than half what I'd pay at Indigo.

Comments

CurryLeaf said…
Chocoloate Jalapeno Souffle !? :) :P :P
Laura said…
I want to try cappuccino souffle!
lubnakarim06 said…
Chocolate jalapeno....wah what a combo.....dying to taste it...We have Indigo here too...
Shaheen said…
I have always wanted to go to Indigo, but I absolutely dislike driving to the other end of the town. And with Cafe Indigo now closer to home, I don't see myself traveling all the way anytime soon.

I love their risottos and sandwiches. The desserts at Cafe Indigo aren't so appealing though.

I showed up at Cafe Indigo probably the first or second day that it opened, and experienced the impeccable service you're talking about. Funnily, this fizzled out during the subsequent visits. But that one day, I was floored! Had never experienced such service EVER!

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