It’s hard to hold your own against a mezze platter that was eaten while surrounded by phallic shaped rocks in Cappadocia, shortly after alighting from a hot air balloon. But even in the face of this pressure, the platter at Otto Inifinito, BKC’s new Mediterranean restaurant, did quite well.

Now it wasn’t quite as lush or liberally piled as the one from our vacation photo, but every fistful of dip – hummus, moutabel, labneh (our favourite), roasted tomato, harissa – at Otto Infinito is spiked with tons of flavor. This is how our meal started at the new restaurant by Ka Hospitality, the firm that brought Hakkasan and Yauatcha to India. Unlike their first two ventures though, Otto is much cheaper. With wooden booths and Rs 450 pastas, it’s kind of like BKC’s Indigo Deli. Much much bigger though (approximately 6,000 square feet) and much brighter, but looking slightly unfinished. Perhaps the monsoon grey walls are to blame? This whether (or not) report is brought to you by bpb.

Booth-y Call

We took a booth on opening night yesterday, seated under those ubiquitous giant bulbs bunches and the watchful eyes of the eager staff. The dust of French jazz music settled over the brown space, making Otto Infinito’s new a little now. The menu features dishes mostly from Italy, with a few Moroccan, French and Turkish imports thrown in. We tried to avoid the usual pasta-risotto route, going from above mentioned mezze to a yum thin crust pizza, bearing delicately sliced beetroot rounds. Other good appetisers to get include chorizo ravioli and beef carpaccio.

The absence of the liquor license meant grabbing cold tea mixes, including a drink-even-when-you-aren’t-thirsty Moroccan Iced Tea and a Corex-resembling, but interesting pink Pico Punch mixed with green tea, pomegranate juice and a dipping cinnamon stick.

Lamb of God?

For mains too, we tried to swerve around the chicken lasagnas and John Dorys to get the lamb stew and Moroccan grilled chicken, the latter, recommended several times by the chef whose heart fluttered in and out of the kitchen. Understandable behavior on opening night.

The lamb dish was dark and handsome with 3D squares of tender meat and potatoes cooked in a fragrant gravy that would also taste delicious with naan. On the side, sat an elegant puddle of polenta. The Moroccan chicken – huge portion so order for two - didn’t get us as excited as the chef, who justified his eagerness with a “berries are from Morocco, around 16 spices are used.” While the massive grilled chicken legs were big and juicy, the pan jus had a more-than-required bitter after taste that they’re supposedly trying to tone down. If you have the moolah and the patience there’s a rock salt fish that takes 30 minutes to prepare and comes with its own performance where the fish is de-boned at your table. Supper theatre, anyone?

See You Brun!

A feature that should turn out to be a matinee hit is the grab-and-go counter, for office folks in the neighbourhood to pick up super well-priced breads, salads, sandwiches, muffins and more starting at Rs 40.

Meanwhile, with a lot to grab and nowhere to go, we had already ordered the signature passion fruit and chocolate ganache with Belgian chocolate ice cream. If you’re a passion fruit person, you’ll love its adamant presence in every bite of chocolate. The Belgian ice cream that tastes like a ball of sugar disappoints, especially considering how yum the dessert selection is upstairs at Yauatcha.

We left Otto Infinito heavy with food, hoping for a hot air balloon to feel light and floaty.

Getting there: Otto Infinito, ground floor, Raheja Tower, same building as Yauatcha, Bandra Kurla Complex, call 26567777, Rs 2,300 for a meal for two without alcohol.

bpb reviews anonymously and pays for its own meals.