Two thumbs up

Located smack in the middle of Bandra-Kurla Complex, Otto Infinito has a tough transformation to make daily —cool café by day and swish restaurant by evening. But like every good superhero, they manage the transition easily.

Located smack in the middle of Bandra-Kurla Complex, Otto Infinito has a tough transformation to make daily —cool café by day and swish restaurant by evening. But like every good superhero, they manage the transition easily.

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The interiors are a classy balance between a café (chalkboard menu, low seating, glass display case with salads and muffins and French windows with a view of the business-suited crowd) and a plush restaurant (low lighting, diner-like booths, rich wood-panelled floors and high dinner tables). We walked in on a weekend night and the crowd was a good mix of business folk, designer-clad women and the occasional B-list celebrity. Since it was evening, we were handed the dinner menu, but we snuck a peek at the full list and were happy to note breakfast and deli regulars.

We started with the Maghrebi Assorted Platter (Rs. 350) of vegetable kofte, falafel, sambousek and two dips, and the Harissa Spiced Prawns (Rs. 395). The platter was a good mix of Mediterranean small bites with succulent kofte and well-spiced falafel. The prawns were fresh and the spice rub was just the right amount of fiery.

For main course, we had the Moroccan Vegetable Tagine (Rs. 385) and the Braised Lamb Stew (Rs. 475). The tagine came in a traditional clay pot with a peaked lid and was served with couscous. The vegetables were perfectly cooked, and when blended with the couscous, they made for a filling, delicious meal.

The lamb stew was a thick sauce of juicy hunks of lamb and vegetables, with a side of creamy polenta. The mains were exactly the earthy, no-frills Mediterranean dishes we were expecting.

To end our meal, we chose the house special Signature Otto Chocolate Passion Fruit Ganache (Rs. 325) and the Tiramisu (Rs. 250). The ganache was served with a scoop of creamy Belgian ice cream, but the passion fruit overpowered the chocolate and made it too tart. The tiramisu was strictly so-so.

Otto Infinito is a great place for a cosy coffee date or even an evening out. The prices are reasonable, the ambience warm, and the wait staff friendly.

What:

Otto Infinito

Where:

G Block, Raheja Tower, Bandra Kurla Complex, Bandra East, Mumbai

Call:

2656 7777

What’s on the menu:

Mediterranean, Italian

Drinking:

Yes

Smoking:

No

What we like

Diversity of menu — from deli to dinner

What we don’t like

Desserts

Expensive wines

Rating: ****