Dinner and Drinks at Tipsy Terrace, Grand Sarovar Premiere

Cosmopolitan, Tipsy Terrace, Grand Sarovar Premiere — Cosmopolitan

A few weekends ago I did something that I hadn’t done in a long time – 17 years exactly. I went to SV Road on Goregaon West. Now, I do occasionally go to this distant Mumbai suburb, but usually to places touching the highway – to the Westin on work and the adjoining Sai Baba Complex to meet friends, but mostly to the Bombay Exhibition Centre to attend food trade shows.

This time I was there to take a staycation at the Grand Sarovar Premiere, one of the very few star-rated hotels in the vicinity. The paucity of good business hotels and its proximity to the Exhibition Centre results in it getting sold out very quickly whenever there are trade shows and exhibition held. Not only is it convenient but it’s a neat, very efficient, and comfortable business hotel. I noticed the Tattva Spa downstairs along with full massages has a jet lag massage as well, which I thought was pretty intelligent.

Tipsy Terrace, Grand Sarovar Premiere — Chicken Tikka Masala Fry

As with most business hotels, dining options are limited, but adequate for diners who need a quick meal, or to relax after a day of meetings. The first night I tried out the Tipsy Terrace which is their al fresco bar on the second floor. It’s a surprisingly large space which, if booked, could easily fit about 150 – 200 people. A good thing about it was that it’s a safe space for single woman to go out and I did notice a lady curled up in one corner reading a book with her drink. Along one side of the terrace are three semi-covered cabanas for people who want to have a meal. We took one of the tables when it got free.

Tipsy Terrace has a pretty well stocked bar but we decided to stick to the cocktails. As with every other bar in the city we found the cocktails a tad too sweet. I did try a cosmo which was pretty decent, but shifted to Birra after two drinks.

Jheenga Cheena, Tipsy Terrace, Grand Sarovar Premiere — Jheenga Cheena

I confess I wasn’t expecting much from the food, but was pleasantly surprised. One of the starters I really liked was the Chicken Tikka Masala Fry which is served in Pita Pockets. We make a big fuss about Modern Indian Cuisine but well before the emergence of this trend, local bars have been playing with Indian dishes. The tikka masala fry is a classic example of this native innovation. The tikka masala is sort of traditional, it’s actually a British invention, the fry is very street-food; and finally, the pita is global. And at the end of you have a fun, new dish that combines Indian flavours with a global presentation, in a bar in Goregaon which not too many have heard about.

Also a product of culinary cross-pollination, the jhinga cheena, tandoori prawns tossed in a Szechwan sauce, were a robust combination of Sino-Indian flavours. If only the two countries could have as smooth a relationship as Indian-Chinese.

Dessert is often a struggle after such a large meal but the angoori rabdi was to die for. My only regret was that we didn’t start the meal with dessert – that way I could have had seconds!