Blue Veil

At Cocoa, Bandra’s new cafe, you’ll bear witness to multiple marriages: French music and Italian food; sepia-tinted photos of Germany and fast food from the UK; salads from Mexico and sauces from Japan. We visited last evening and found that in true wedding tradition, Cocoa served up something old (a hunk of cottage cheese steak that definitely needed to be thrown out), something new (an innovative chilled guava spiced soup), something borrowed (a manager and waiter from the now defunct Le Soleil restaurant) and something blue (a temptingly described blue cheese burger). You may now kiss the sides.

Occupying the courtyard section outside C’est La Vie, a club that also houses a spa, gym, pool and bar, Cocoa is a cute yellow-coloured cafe that offers free Wi-Fi, fun French music, all-day breakfast and pricey European food. On the walls and coasters you’ll see black and white stills of Hollywood films, a sight that’s become as tiresome for us Scouters as seeing the word “organic” on a menu. Cut, cut!

Pesto Luck

If you have boring dining company, choose to be seated at the long double-sided bench with a row of magazines at the centre; and if you’re there for coffee, sink into the big dark chocolate-coloured couches with low tables. With a super fun plus one and dinner on our minds, we sat instead on a regular table and ordered almost immediately. Fish and chips and a buffalo mozzarella panini to start with, please. Other pre-main course options include a cool range of all-day breakfast (wait for the live pancake and waffle counter to start), salads and burgers.

The panini arrived, prettily piled with pearly slices of mozzarella, sparkly red plum tomatoes, crispy lettuce and grass-green pesto – it tastes as good as it sounds. Not sure if it’s worth Rs 285, though. If you’re getting beer, fish and chips is a fun snack.

Coulis No 1

The mostly pleasing first course was followed by a disappointing round two that consisted of a strictly passable pasta in Arrabiata sauce and abovementioned cottage cheese steak. The latter consisted of two very thick, chewy slices of paneer topped with a too-sweet, overambitious sauce where obstinate ingredients - garlic, cream and wasabi – plainly refused to get along. The staff was super nice about it however, offering to strike the dish off the bill. Salvaging this food fiasco was a beautiful cheese cake topped with raspberry coulis, a sweet dish that appeared like a jewel had melted on a hot slice of sun. Baked perfectly and topped with coulis that didn’t reek of artificial flavour, this was a great end to Sunday dinner.

One that made us realise that perhaps Cocoa is better suited for appetisers and drinks or coffee, dessert and dates than a full blown meal. The brews (unlike the food) are cheap-ish and the Wi-Fi is free. Also, get to court(yard) before May 21 and receive 15% off on your bill. Ah, a marriage of convenience!

Getting there: 164, Hill Road, next to Nature’s Basket, Bandra (W), call 26422361 or visit http://www.cestlavie.co.in, Rs 1,500 for a meal for two (including two Tuborg pints).

 bpb reviews restaurants anonymously and pays for its own meals.