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A slightly messy tribute: Raul Dias reviews The Looney, The Lover & The Poet
Its name is a tribute to Shakespeare; the food hearty and comforting, even when it’s not authentic. Do try the Georgian khachapuri flatbread.
We stepped into The Looney, The Lover & The Poet for lunch on a torrid summer day. It occupies the Khar Danda space where the short-lived Mumbai outpost of Thalassa had set up shop.
In fact, we caught glimpses of quite a few décor elements from its predecessor — including the Portuguese azulejo tile bar counter and straight-backed wooden chairs. But there are new trimmings too: colourful fabric pinwheels attached onto the ceiling, dreamcatchers and fairy lights in the al fresco space.
Intent on paying homage to a Midsummer Night’s Dream, this place borrows more than just its name from the Shakespearean comedy.
The menu here is quite literally all over the place. A perfect example is our quartet of Italy-meets-Thailand savoury cannolis generously stuffed with kafir lime-laced crab meat and limoncello salt. We only wish they’d used less of the processed crab stick and more of the real crustacean.
Plump and succulent with a ricotta cheese and scallion core, the Afghani ashak dumplings were slathered in an umami-rich lamb sauce.
Bursting with its kale, green apple and cucumber flavours, the gin-based Almost A Detox held great promise of a healthy cocktail…if there ever is such a thing. Caprice, our non-alcoholic strawberry, pineapple and goji berry drink was refreshing, if a tad diluted with all the ice.
The khachapuri, that wonderful, boat-shaped cheesy flat bread from Georgia, was sublime. Perfectly marinated artichokes, sundried tomatoes and mushrooms sat atop a soft pizza-like base, with toasted pine nuts providing texture.
Though missing the authenticity mark by a mile, and more on the lines of a Goan curry than a typically Japanese karē, the Hokkaido chicken curry, served with fluffy jasmine rice was both comforting and flavoursome.
With a limited dessert selection to pick from, we got a portion of All The Honey in the World. Honey-drizzled, homemade chamomile ice-cream cushioned by a moist, fragrant pistachio cake, dusted with the very au courant bee pollen made this one a winner. “What’s in a name?” One might ask. The Looney, The Lover & The Poet has something of an answer.
(HT reviews anonymously and pays for all meals)
