Worli’s Atria Mall seems to be slowly emerging out of hibernation. The first sign of stirring was with the opening of Rakesh Talwar’s Spare Kitchen II, followed by the jazzy and spacious Matahari night club and now, most recently Swey.
Spread across a sprawl of 14,000 square feet, Swey can accommodate 400 people at a go. The eatery, located on the mall’s level four, is whatever you want it to be: a café, a pub, a bar or a restaurant that serves you wholesome food, under corporate chef Clyde Comello’s direction. Owners Gaurav Dabrai, Vicky and Kabir Luthria, (who also own the kitschy Dishikiyaaon at Bandra Kurla Complex and Copa at Juhu), have utilised the space well, ensuring pockets of private party spaces for large groups ranging from 10 to 30 people.
We love the restaurant’s direction pole that points to all their outposts across the city. Fun elements like a phone booth where you can step in to take a call, and a mandatory stop for all diners: a copper swing for selfies — are the lighter design touches.
The rooftop bar has a drinks menu that’s by far the best we have tried in a long time. Food and drink meet in two cocktails that we tried out. The first: a cheese me martini (₹ 550) does not overwhelm the palate but makes its presence felt with the blue cheese and stuffed olives. The second, an apple a day (₹ 550), which is vodka mixed with a buttery apple jam, comes with an apple crumble rim. If you like to mix your dessert and drinks, this one is for you. But the drink, who knows Donald (₹ 650), with bourbon-soaked cranberries, with homemade bitters and sugar, steals our hearts. One of our dinner companions succumbs to healthier option: a kale and hearty (₹ 500), a light vodka-based drink which tastes of a cooling cucumber and kale juice, an admirable combination.
The food and drinks menus have been designed by outlet chef Hansel Baptista, and from the first bite of magic mushrooms (₹ 350), in which the crispy roasted fungi act as makeshift sliders holding cheese and beetroot slices, we know we are in for a treat. The wood-fired pizzas are juicy square flat breads, which are easier to eat. The smoky salmon and ricotta pizza (₹ 750) has the sweetness of red onions balanced by the sourness of tiny balsamic jelly beans. The feta beignets (₹ 375) are deep-fried and bland but for the addition of sweet tomato jam reserve. The stuffed calamari (₹ 500) with a centre-filling of masala prawn chilly fry is chewy, but the zing of East Indian bottle masala dominates pleasantly.
Chef Baptista presents the duck waffle two ways but in a croissant just for us to try. The chunks of duck pieces are pan-seared and medium-rare cooked in a pomegranate jus, and a tangy duck confit with orange tang and spices. We are instant fans of the healthy veg spaghetti (₹ 450) that has thinly sliced veggies as noodles, and spiced roast cashews tossed in a Himalayan rhododendron vinaigrette that adds crunch. The deconstructed ham and cheese toasty salad (₹ 450) falls flat for its bland dressing as we don’t enjoy bite-size pieces of ham slices between toasted bread.
For the main course we settle for a kimchi fried rice (₹ 500) which is peppered with spiced tofu, fried lotus root and thin strips of noori. A Korean dish which traditionally comprises a broken egg, we are served a sunny side up, which we prefer as is. The dish is a roller-coaster of textures — the crunch of lotus stem, and raw vegetables, the softness of tofu pieces and al dente rice cooked in a fiery red sauce.
By now, we are stuffed, but there’s plenty of room for dessert. We begin with three shots (₹ 750), which can be ordered sans alcohol too: a negroni with 55% dark chocolate, cinnamon flavoured yogurt and orangechilo cheesecake. The negroni shot has a potato chip dunked in chocolate sauce, while the flavoured yoghurt needs more cinnamon. The orangechilo cheesecake rules our palate with its tangy presence. The syrups are all house made and the absence of synthetic syrup ensures we won’t croak with a hoarse voice the next day.
Dive into desserts
A fitting end to the meal is the desserts. The bittersweet symphony of there’s bourbon in my cheesecake (₹ 330) topped with a smoked honey is a hit. But the pièce de résistance is the hazelnut entremet. The dessert has a crunchy ganache base topped with a hazelnut meringue that’s served with a coffee amaretto Bavarian ice cream with caramel. Self-taught baker and dessert chef Tanvi Kirawant, or as she likes to call herself the ‘Nagpur tigress’, tells it takes her 50 steps to make the dessert. We manage to polish it off in five, quick bites.
Swey at Atria, Worli, is open from 6 p.m. to 1.30 a.m.; 9820436666
