After introducing Mumbai to South East Asian delectables, Farrokh Khambata is back with a culinary aria. Aside from offering an appetising education in Mediterranean and Spanish cuisine, Amadeus, the new restaurant that replaces Sidewok at Nariman Point's NCPA, will also host live acts

Joss is a Chinese word for Deity, morphed from the Portuguese word, Deus, with the same meaning," says Farrokh Khambata, establishing the sole link between his eight year-old Kala Ghoda restaurant and Amadeus, his brand new eatery at the National Centre for Performing Arts. Amadeus is Latin for 'In the hands of God', which, he assures us, "...has nothing to do with the Austrian composer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, except, perhaps, for sharing an association with concerts." Khambata understands our confusion though, what with a magnified black-and-white print of a Philharmonic orchestra being the first thing you spot here.


The 4-cheese Coca (Rs 650) and the one prepared with mozzarella,
basil, Serrano ham and caramelised onion (Rs 750) were delicious
but the distinction between the two and conventional pizzas was faint
at best. Pics/ Atul kamble

Guiding us to the private dining area that can seat 20, Khambata shares, "Just as we do at our chef's table at Joss, diners here may be offered special dishes, off the menu," before he answers a phone call and feeds precise instructions to someone at the other end of the line. Zia Shroff from Neterwala and Aibara interior architects takes over as tour guide to lead us through the richly furnished 6,000 square feet restaurant, where her team is still hard at work putting on finishing touches.

While most restaurants tend to pay scant attention to the restrooms, we loved that the loos here were interestingly designed. Gender is indicated by photographs of Flamenco dancers on the handles of doors. Giant, bronze toads adorn a wall in the men's loo, while a funky pop-art-style d ufffdcor infuses a sense of luxury and vibrancy into the ladies' powder room.

With two trained Sommeliers onboard, the wine-tasting room should be quite an attraction, but it's his unique Cheese course that Khambata is most excited about. Careful to distinguish it from a cheese platter, he says, "It's not just going to be an assortment of cheese served with crackers, but rather include prepared dishes such as a Mille Feuille with goat cheese and poached pears, for instance."

Equally exciting for the caterer-turned-restaurateur is the opportunity to do justice to authentic Mediterranean and Spanish cuisine, a fact which is best evidenced in the ample variety of both, simple dishes like the Catalonian Cocas, distinguished from pizzas, Khambata tells us, "by their base and the varieties of cheese used," and fancier recipes such as the restaurant's numerous vegetarian and non-vegetarian variants of Paella, the Spanish-style Biryani prepared with saffron and Bomba rice.

Both, the 4-cheese Coca (Rs 650) and one prepared with mozzarella, basil, Serrano ham and caramelised onion (Rs 750) were delicious, although the distinction between these and conventional pizzas was faint at best. Prepared in a lightly sweet marinade, the saut ufffded mushrooms, stuffed with camembert and pine-nuts were an excellent snack (Rs 320). The Harissa Chicken (Rs 410) was juicy and immediately intoxicating with its potent aroma of the Moroccan spice. Freshly baked Pita peppered with Za'atar and just a splash of herbed-yoghurt dip complemented the Pincho (Spanish term for skewered snack) perfectly.

The Tender Crab Gratin (Rs 850) and succulent rack of Saratoga lamb with accompanying potatoes doused in a tangy tamarind sauce (Rs 950) were genuinely divine, and, with its appealing cinnamon-laced aroma, the Tarte Tartin topped with a delicate nest of caramelised sugar-strands and served with home-made hazelnut ice-cream, was part dessert, part art, and consequently a treat from start to finish.

Amadeus opens for dinner on July 7.
At: The National Centre of Performing Arts, Nariman Point.
Call: 22821212 / 22824242