After years of detesting Valentine’s Day, you’re suddenly a believer? Ah okay, you met someone. Well, now that you’ve completed step one towards the alleged happily ever after end, let us provide you with step two – a great date place North of the Sea Link. On Friday night bpb breezed into a pretty new terrace restaurant and bar called La Patio in Andheri, where stained glass candles are the only things that come between him and her. The occasional cheesy love song does feel like the third wheel, though.

Jerk Face!

We made our way to the pretty tables perched on elevated wooden decks, but were told that these were reserved for a minimum billing of Rs 10,000. Since that kind of commitment is probably best reserved for step three, we opted for the ‘free’ seating embellished with abovementioned flames. Under the city lights we explored the limited cocktail menu, choosing the too-sweet Lynchberg, which combined litchi juice with gin, crème de cassis and a pinch of cardamom. The Acropolis fared better featuring a sweet and sour mix of Sambuca, lime and soda.

The kitchen here offers both, Indian and continental fare. Given our Sunday tryst with Tandoori Kitchen, we decided to go with the latter. To line out stomachs we picked jerk spiced chicken from the appetiser line up - flavourful strips of pan-fried meat served with romesco and banana chips, which reminded us of the authentic jerk chicken we’d sampled at a Jamaican food market in London. Wing-maan!

Fare-well

For mains we got the glistening seafood ravioli featuring prawns, shrimp and rawas, all happily high from the white wine sauce they come bathed in. Definitely the highlight of our meal! Also an interesting order was the succulent crisp skin chicken, nicely herbed with lemon-y undertones and served with baked potatoes and French beans. Stuffed as we were, the romantic setting wouldn’t allow us to leave without sweet somethings. But we soon found that dessert menu wasn’t impressive to begin with, and our choices were further limited to the only two desserts that were available that night: chocolate espresso brownie and mango baked yogurt. We ordered the brownie rather reluctantly, but changed our minds when we bit into a luscious cake soaked in coffee and served with vanilla ice cream.

Lit Fest

On a night so lovely with weather so fine, the moon smiled gently as we dined. Good food under the three stars in Mumbai’s polluted sky can turn any diner into a poet. And given the romantic nip in the air, we think there’s no better time for your impromptu rhymes. However cheesy they might be.

Getting there: Eighth floor, Morya Landmark II, opposite Infiniti Mall, off New Link Road, Andheri (W), 26744909, Rs 1,200 for a meal for two including a cocktail.

bpb reviews anonymously and pays for its own meals.

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