Tag Archives: STAYCATION

Restaurant Review – Toast, T24 Hotel

low res Lemongrass Skewered Chargrilled Prawns with SomTam Salad at Toast
Somtam salad with lemongrass skewered prawns

Toast takes a little finding, but it’s worth the detective work and justifies the rush hour traffic you’ll have to tackle just to get to this rooftop bistro, where you’re greeted by glorious lighting, mason jars, a shelf full of books, quirky mismatched chairs, exposed brick walls and funny Bollywood one-liners!

12457759_44_zCosy nooks make it ideal for a relaxed date – your call whether views of airplanes taking off into the distance are romantic or not. There are plenty of larger tables for group of friends. But bring people you like, Toast is too good to waste on a polite drink with the office.

t24-residency

WHAT’S HOT: Toast dresses familiar food in a fancy garb. So the chicken lasuni tikka comes cocooned in a phylo pastry shell, mushroom soup in a cappuccino cup, fries in egg coddler and prawns tempura on a bed of fried wantons. The ‘hero’ dish is the crispy fried calamari on a bed of arugula leaves. Tender meat behind a crackling coating. Among the mains the spaghetti with garlic, chilli and parmesan is delicious in its simplicity. Indian dishes are accompanied by a choice roti/rice, dal and salad.

low res Capriccio Bruschetta at Toast
Bruschetta 

The bar here is staffed by folks who won’t collapse like a soufflé when you move beyond signature drinks. This is rarer than you think in Mumbai, where there are cocktails, cocktails, everywhere and not a drop to drink. My favourite here is T-Sour which makes good use of the scotch bourbon along with sour mix, egg Nog and bitters. Tequila based Candy Crush is for those who like their drink sweet and sour.

lOW RES Accompaninents served at TOAST
Accompaniments to a meal at Toast

On my return to I’ll definitely reorder the chocolate pudding with a gooey centre. This time I would refuse to share my dessert, an excellent, chocolate pudding zinging with fresh Belgium chocolate lava. I made that mistake the first time and quickly saw my error as it vanished into a rival gob.

low res Cocktail T-SOUR at TOAST
Whiskey Sour

WHAT’S NOT: Not everything at Toast is a triumph: the beetroot risotto lacked the cheesiness or any specific oomph, even if it looked glorious.

HOW TO GET THERE:  Marol, Andheri (E), 2 mins walk from Airport Road Metro Station. Tel: 29203818.

COST: Rs 2500 for two with alcohol.

 

NIVEDITA JAYARAM PAWAR

 

The Staycation rage

Traveling to a beautiful resort in a picturesque location isn’t the only way to vacation. This holiday season, plan a ‘staycation’ and unwind within (or just outside) your own four walls. Let me tell you how…

 

Low res The Taj Mahal Hotel dome
Dome of Taj Mahal Hotel Mumbai 

Instead of gobbling up the cheap airfares and hotel rooms and spending time, energy and money on a vacation to a faraway place, try staying home, or close to home, and give yourself a much needed staycation.

A staycation is a holiday or vacation time when you stay and relax at home and explore nearby areas of entertainment and recreation. Though the concept achieved popularity in the US during the Great Recession and in the UK due to the weak Pound which made overseas holidays more expensive, it finds resonance even today with those short on time and reeling under ever increasing cost of living. Unwinding minus the stress is the central theory behind a staycation.

Continue reading “The Staycation rage”