INDIA: Review of Palladium Hotel Mumbai

In a nutshell 

A five star luxury property recently awarded runner up at the Condé Nast Reader’s Choice Awards 2014 ‘Best Leisure Hotel 2014’. It stands as the country’s tallest hotel building, boasting 296 of the largest hotel rooms (45 sq mt) you'll find in Mumbai, along with several restaurants, a luxurious spa and a slick health club. 

Where is it?

Located in what is considered to be the heart of the city - the residential and corporate hub of Lower Parel - it adjoins the very polished High Street Phoenix shopping mall housing both mid-range and high end international brands that wouldn't be out of place on London's Bond Street. 

It sits between the city’s two main commercial areas – Nariman Point & Bandra Kurla Complex - and is around fifty minutes from the international airport. 

Style and character

The rooms are a mix of classic and contemporary décor, designed with Indian tikri work specially commissioned from craftsmen of Rajasthan. There's a big lobby with a piano lounge and grand marble staircase leading up to a restaurant at the mezzanine level where breakfast is held.

There is a palm tree-fringed infinity pool with a sunken lounge are and private cabanas, should you fancy a serene dip whilst overlooking the chaotic concrete city below. The spa and health floor is particularly well designed.

What's unique?

It's the country's tallest hotel and because of this, boasts some rather splendid and hard-to-come-by views of Mumbai and the Arabian Sea. 

They've positioned their EXO nightclub a good way up, meaning it boasts the title of the country's highest. The floor to ceiling windows are a great frame for the twinkling cityscape below. 

Who goes?

The majority of the people staying were tourists from the rest of India or from the sub-continent, but that seems to be my experience across the country so far. Mostly well-to-do families and couples. There were Westerners present, but not many.

Breakfast

Held in the Seven Kitchens restaurant - which won the Times Food & Nightlife Award 2014 as Best All Day - it's a large space offering international breakfast dishes including dim sum, noodles, cold cuts and cheeses, grilled meats, Indian, continental and so on - it does well at catering for all tastes. 

There are also 'live stations'  making things to order, such as dosas, waffles and omeletes. They even have an ice cream counter - you'll be surprised by how much you might fancy one after eating hot chutneys at eight in the morning.

It's worth noting that the breakfast closing time of 10.30 means that's when they actually start packing the food away, rather than it being the time of last entry, as in most other hotels. You'll notice people on their first night waltzing in at 10.28 and then making a mad dash for food once they realise they only have a couple of minutes to grab what they can.

Do ask one of the serving staff for masala chai if you fancy it and they'll happily bring you some, as it's not on display.

As in most hotels, bottled water is extra at breakfast but they do provide drinking water which is filtered tap water. I've had it, everyone else has it, and it seems to be fine.

Service

Everyone can speak a good level of English. You'll actually notice this across the country as a whole - people in India will often converse in a mix of whatever local language they speak, and English. The staff were very courteous, patient and accessible, always saying hello when walking past you. They also manage to cater to every whim of what I've noticed can be quite demanding Indian customers.

Nice touches include the Indian Times delivered in a bag and hung on your door handle each morning for free and daily fresh fruit in the room. The concierge was also great at getting us a local sim card, even calling up the phone company to activate it for us.


Liked lots / liked less

Being able to get that high above the city is impressive. It also provides great views of the birds of prey that circle the skies, some of which swoop quite close to the windows. For a bird fanatic like me, that was pretty cool.

The bathroom was an odd layout. There were open hatchets on either side of the mirror which made closing the door of the bathroom pointless; it was still possible to see inside, and hear anything that might be going on. Fine if you're a close couple, but if that's the format in twin rooms too, I'm not sure it's a good one.




Pricepoint

Prices from around £200 a night with breakfast for a room with a city view. 

Contact

462, Senapti Bapat Marg, Lower Parel, Mumbai - 400013
+91 (22) 6162 8000
www.palladiumhotel.in
@stayatpalladium

Note: I stayed as a guest of the hotel.

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Week 1: INDIA - Mumbai → Goa
Week 4: INDIA - Pondicherry → Chennai → Mumbai
INDIA: ITC Grand Central, Mumbai

Week 0: Gone travelling. London - see you in nine months

Anyone who’s known me long enough will know that I’ve been looking forward to this week since, what feels like, the dawn of time. 

I write this post in the Heathrow lounge. Tonight, the other half and I get on a plane to another country and we won’t return to this one again until September next year. In other words, we're going travelling.

FINALLY. For so long, this date was still 18 months away, still a year away, still six months away. Now it is finally actually really here. This thing that I’ve been planning for two years, that I have a gargantuan spreadsheet for that would crash most computers, is happening today.

On the note of planning, I’ve really gone for it. The spreadsheet I speak of has a row for each day of the circa nine months we will be away. What started off as a simple budgeting tool has grown into a colour-coded, multi-layered, multi-columned behemoth. It is the life of two people for most of the next year in cell form. If Google ever goes down, we’re screwed (that can’t happen, right?). 

I am acutely aware that at some point, at least once, things won’t go ‘according to plan’. But I had to occupy myself with something for those last few months I was at my previous job and hating it, and having a spreadsheet open is pretty good at making it look like you’re doing work.

The longest I’ve been out of the country at any one time has been three weeks. I’ve only ever visited three places outside Europe (Japan, Sri Lanka, New York), and it took me a year to convince the other half that he also wanted to go (and by convince I mean ground down, with repeated “well I’m going with or without you”. He couldn’t exactly let me go on my own. So he did eventually give in. I think now he is finally excited). 

To say neither myself nor my boyfriend have ever done anything like this before is spot on.

In terms of the route, and all things going well, it should go something like this:



That is India, Taipei, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Melbourne, New Zealand, Hawaii, USA, Mexico, Canada, China. The common denominator is the food. These are all countries I’ve been desperate to try the local cuisine in. That, or there are some serious landscapes and volcanic activity to get weak at the knees over. 

I can’t say I’m looking forward to living out of a bag for all that time. I also fully expect the plug to be pulled on my guts at some point; I have an A4 sized ziplock bag stuffed with immodium. No doubt we’ll lose something important, get on the wrong train, be conned out of a few bob, and the rest. 

But I suspect these blips will be outweighed by all the good stuff: meeting new and lovely people, seeing incredible things, eating sensational food. I’m also really looking forward to the more mundane things, like not having to do any washing up, change bed sheets, or hoover for nine months. Each big wins in their own right.

So that it doesn’t sound like I’m on one massive jolly (which lets be honest, this is), I’ve given myself some writing commitments. In terms of the blog and keeping those who are interested up to date, I will be writing a weekly post, published on a Sunday, that will cover the week just gone. 

It will be brief and formulaic (I don’t want to bore), covering things like, my favourite meal, something I’ve learnt, an insider tip, photos, and so on. Also expect some hotel and restaurant reviews, and whenever time permits, I’ll try to write some more feature-type stuff. Sunset and palm tree shots will be kept to a minimum, but if I do become insufferable, I expect someone to tell me.

In between the blog posts, I will be active on social media, the two main ones being Twitter (@LeyLaLaa) and Instagram (thecutlerychronicles).

Right now, here in the lounge, it hasn’t really sunk in. Whilst we’ve packed up the house, drained the water tank for the first time since we moved in, and given everything worth anything to our parents (so if a scallywag does break in, the most expensive thing to steal is the toaster), it just feels like we’re going on a normal holiday.

I’m going to miss this city - I'm already looking forward to the time I see it again. By the time we get back, I believe the London Underground will be running a 24 hour service. Which means no more extortionate 2am Uber fares home.  

Which is just as well, because I’m going to be severely broke.

Friends, family and London, we will miss you. See you in a few X

Related posts

Week 0: Gone travelling. London - see you in nine months

Week 1: INDIA - Mumbai → Goa
Week 2: INDIA - Bangalore → Mysore → Wayanad
Week 3: INDIA - Kochi → Allepey → Kollam → Madurai
Week 4: INDIA - Pondicherry → Chennai → Mumbai

Week 5: INDIA - Varanasi → Udaipur → Jaipur → Delhi
Week 6: TAIWAN - Taipei
Week 7: CHINA & VIETNAM - Hong Kong → Hanoi
Week 8: VIETNAM - Sapa → Hanoi → Ha Long Bay → Hanoi

Week 9: VIETNAM - Hue → Hoi An
Week 10: VIETNAM - 6 day / 5 night motorbike tour from Hoi An to Da Lat
Week 11: VIETNAM - Da Lat → Nha Trang
Week 12: VIETNAM - HCMC → Mekong Delta → HCMC

Week 13: CAMBODIA - Siem Reap (and Angkor Wat) → Phnom Penh
Week 14: CAMBODIA - Sihanoukville & Koh Rong Samloem Island
Week 15: CAMBODIA - Kep
Week 16: THAILAND - Chiang Mai

Week 17: THAILAND - Songkran Festival in Mae Rim & Chiang Mai
Week 18: THAILAND - Bangkok → Koh Phangan
Week 19: THAILAND - Bangkok
Week 20: MALAYSIA - Penang → Borneo

Week 21: AUSTRALIA - Melbourne
Week 22: NEW ZEALAND - Auckland → Rotorua → Turangi → Whanganui
Week 23: NEW ZEALAND - Wellington → Nelson Lakes → Hanmer Springs → Christchurch
Week 24: NEW ZEALAND - Lake Tekapo → Mount Cook → Queenstown → Milford Sound

Week 25: NEW ZEALAND & USA - Queenstown → Hawaii
Week 26: USA - Hawaii (Big Island) → San Francisco (Oakland)
Week 27: USA - San Francisco
Week 28: USA - Los Angeles

Week 29: MEXICO - Mexico City
Week 30: MEXICO - Oaxaca
Week 31: MEXICO - Mérida (plus Uxmal and Kabah)
Week 32: MEXICO - Tulum (plus Sian Ka'an Nature Reserve)

Week 33: USA - Postcards from Washing DC & Cape Cod
Week 34: HOME (LONDON) - The best and worst from the past 8 months - Part 1

the hyde bar, knightsbridge - review

‘Where should I go to eat game in London?’ is a question I’ve been asked more than once, the answers to which can be determined quite simply. 

Any good, seasonal restaurant with a kitchen that knows what it’s doing will likely spend most of the year looking very forward to 12th August, the start of the shooting season. Expect the menus at these sorts of places to be trussed up with some level of pheasant, partridge, wild duck et al. over autumn and winter, and for them to do a decent job with them. 

For example, I’ve had very good pigeon at Petrus, particularly exceptional grouse liver with sweetcorn and hazelnuts at Lyle’s, and a good amount of well-cooked venison in a lot of other places. 

Like looking for your favourite pair of socks and finding them in the microwave, another place to find decent game in town is one you would never think to look - a whisky bar in a Knightsbridge hotel. 

Admittedly, The Park Tower Hotel is as unsightly as you would expect a giant cement-pineapple monstrosity to be, paling in comparison to the opulent and beautiful Mandarin Oriental on the opposite side of the road. 

It looks like a towering 1960’s communist government office block, or a massive battleship-grey hand grenade. Either way, it’s far from attractive from the outside (a lot nicer in, let me assure you), which undoubtedly makes it difficult for people to consider there could be anything worth eating within its walls.

But if you find out a little about the executive head chef commandeering the kitchen at The Hyde Bar (and also at acclaimed seafood restaurant One-O-One - both of which are in this hotel), it becomes a little more believable. 

The family of Brittany-born Pascal Proyart have been in the restaurant business for three generations. He himself spent a decade working in hotels and restaurants across Europe after training at "Les Sorbets" Hotel School in Noirmoutier, and he gained two Michelin stars at the Sea Grill in Brussels, and another two at Le Divellec in Paris.

He counts the likes of chef Eric Chavot (from one-star Brasserie Chavot in Mayfair and two-star The Capital Restaurant in Knightsbridge) amongst his good friends, whom he often fishes with. Chavot taught Proyart a lot about food from the South West and Proyart in turn taught Eric a lot about fish. 

He is also a chef’s chef, esteemed by his peers. Aussignac (from one-star Club Gascon) believes he “deserves fame and recognition” and even Alan Yau is a fan, describing Proyart as “amazing.”

With the kitchen credentials out of the way, let’s look at The Hyde Bar as a venue itself. 

It is unmistakably a bar, there’s no doubt about that. Rather than a restaurant with a lot of spirits, for example. It’s a bar that just happens to have a decent kitchen and a load of game waiting in the wings. 

Whilst I’d say it’s one tailored towards men seeking the feel of a private members club - with its wood panelling, 100 international whiskies, one of the finest cigar lists in London (so we’re told) and an outdoor cigar terrace - there are still good wines and cocktails available for those who prefer their drinks a little softer. 

As you’d expect from a bar, it doesn’t start to get lively until after 9.30pm, when a jazz singer will begin to croon at a grand piano in the corner. As you’d also expect from a bar, the people in it were mostly drinking, with snacks or small plates as food accompaniment, rather than full on game dinners which, I suspect, they had little idea was even available.

But game there was, and out of the nine dishes available that evening, six we did try. 

To partner the seasonal menu and make the most of what this place is particularly good at, three Dalmore whiskies have been selected by Bar Manager Victor Durbaca. The idea is for their rich flavours, hints of autumnal fruits, and aromatic winter spices to compliment the hearty meat-laden dishes. The chosen trio: The Dalmore 12 year old, The Dalmore Cigar Malt Reserve and the King Alexander III.

There was a chunky and rustic wedge of game paté with pickled mushrooms, a fruity blueberry compote and a slice of very smoky sourdough that felt fried but wasn’t at all greasy (£14). A plate of pheasant paillard with a flaking crispy confit leg came with a sprightly Caesar salad, bacon, croutons and sharp hits of cranberry (£19). 

There was the breast from a red-legged partridge, with porky bits, an autumnal salad with tart slithers of apple and grape halves, and a Muscat jus - very good (£17). Roasted duck breast was fantastically dense and full of iron, making best friends with the chewy edges of caramelised parsnips, and a green peppercorn and lime sauce (£20). 

Then there was a hearty and cheesy parmentier - much like a Shepherd’s pie - with venison mince and loaded with Gruyere (£19). And whilst the venison meatballs cooked in red wine and a tomato sauce were a little sweet for me, the hand cut chips they came with were textbook - crisp shells, fluffy middles (£21).

Robust red meats with a whisky flight set in a bar with a cigar terrace must be the blueprint for an ideal evening for many a father, mine included. My dad declared in rapturous voice to Victor, that before that evening, he had only ever enjoyed whisky as an aperitif prior to food. Thanks to this meal, however, he was now wiser to the compliments carefully selected whiskies can give to a meal, much in the same way as wine pairings. And I second that.

Good, seasonal game, from an esteemed and well-decorated chef passionate about hunting, in the whisky bar of a Knightsbridge hotel that looks like a concrete version of those trigger-point foam rollers you find in the gym. 

London, you are full of surprises.

Liked lots: both Victor and his replacement at the end of his shift, Santo, provided exceptional service

Liked less: One of the dishes arrived quite cold. After informing Santo, the remaining were piping hotel and delivered with much apology. Minor gripes like this are inconsequential when taken on board and corrected with the right attitude, as here. It's a shame the outside of the building can't get a face transplant though.

Good for: Being an anti-vegetarian; a good range of game to choose from; taking someone who appreciates whisky; staying for a few drinks after.

3.5/5

Find the menu on Zomato.

Afiyet olsun.

Note: I was invited as a guest to this restaurant.

quattro passi, mayfair - review

Should you, dear reader, happen to be a Russian oligarch, Middle Eastern oil baron or a member of an acutely irritating, internationally worshiped teenage boy band, then allow me to assist with your New Year’s Eve plans.

Quattro Passi on Dover Street in Mayfair launched in September this year. At the helm, two Michelin-starred executive chef Antonio Mellino, heralding from the original restaurant on the Amalfi Coast which boasts the glittering accolade. 

On the menu, Amalfi delicacies, from the region of Campania in Southern Italy, with ingredients flown in three times a week. And in the L-shaped dining room, hand-carved leather wall panels, French silk wallpaper, and diners who aren’t shy of a few bob.

They are offering a New Year’s Eve menu of seven courses with a glass of champagne on arrival for £222 (before service, I presume). There is the promise of a DJ below deck in the private lounge area, with the chance to dance the night away as you bid farewell to 2014 and what could have been the deposit on a new car, should you succumb to its bar loaded with fine cognacs, brandies and whiskies.

Unashamedly, this restaurant is tailored to the well-lined pockets of the affluent and uninhibited business accounts. Outside the New Year’s Eve offering and on a normal day, antipasta dishes are between £18 - £40, intermediate courses £16 - £42, mains around £28 - £50 and desserts £18 - £22. You won’t find a bottle of wine for less than £50, and a lot of them are over £100. 

As the old adage goes, “something is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it”, and it seems there are quite a lot of people willing to pay these prices.

It’s also a place for celebrities. It’s polished and dimly lit, and has a chandelier made from a thousand silk petals (celebs - they love that sort of thing). In the short time it’s been open, clients have included Lindsay Lohan having lunch, Valentino hosting his book launch dinner there with Kylie, Hugh Grant and Anne Hathaway, not to mention a host of royalty from far off lands.

I am that person that gets excited when the slip of paper that comes out of the Sainsbury’s till tells me I’ve got £0.72 off my next shop. Therefore, I can safely assume I don’t fall into Quattro Passi’s target market. But I was invited to a trial run of this New Year’s dinner, and I will write about the menu objectively, with my money-is-no-object hat on, my favourite of the imaginary hats.

Marinated carpaccio of Sicilian red prawns in a blueberry sauce

Probably best I couldn’t detect the blueberry in this. Otherwise, very well seasoned raw prawn, somehow fashioned into a square sheet on the plate, with a couple of quenelles of what I think were soured cream. Perhaps a little too prawn-y for some (as my companions mentioned), but it was good for me.

Potato veloute, poached quails egg, white truffle from Alba

A shallow bowl of an interestingly textured velouté, a little gelatinous, but with good flavour and a generous shaving of punchy funghi.

Signature risotto with Sorrento lemon zest

I very much liked the look of this - a piatto bianco - white risotto on a white plate, with strands of zest within the mass that would have been easier to spot had the lighting been brighter. It looked like it had great texture, the plate given a good shake to spread the rice. And the grains were beautifully cooked - fantastic bite. 

But the flavours did not work for me. It seemed too sweet, more like a rice pudding, with medicinal tasting lemon. It was as if it had been grated from a waxed fruit, which I’m pretty certain was not the case.

Interestingly, it was the favourite dish of some of my fellow diners. Which just goes to show how subjective food and eating it is.

Oven-baked daily catch fish fillet with potatoes mille feuille

The catch that day being sea bream, and a very nice plate it was. A well seasoned, well cooked bit of fish - although it could have had a crispier skin - with good potatoes and crisp pak choi nicely dressed with lemon. Nothing too spectacular, just solid.

Fassone beef Fillet with Barbaresco wine Jus de Viande with broccoli flan and porcini mushrooms

The meat here was spot on - succulent and pink. The flan was an interesting take on the vegetable - never before have I had my broccoli wobble. Porcini mushrooms were a good call, the jus tying it all together nicely.

Tagliolini pasta with artichoke hearts and lobster

This pasta shape was a new one to me. It’s a variety of tagliatelle - the classic noodle from the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy - and is long, paper-thin, and cylindrical in shape.

This was a very good dish, wonderfully savoury, with delicate slithers of artichoke hearts and the occasional presence of crustacean. My only gripe being there wasn’t more of it.

Soft sponge roll with chantilly, raspberry coulis and pistachios crumble

A sponge roll, how retro. Like something from the birthday parties of my childhood, it evoked the associated memories. Which are all good. Sharp coulis filled the roll, as well as there being a blobbed crescent of it, along with a small quenelle of tart sorbet. A tangy plate to end on.

Accessories

Bread was very good and made on site, stacked on a small set of portable shelves, a range of rolls, flatbreads and grissini. A little olive oil for glugging would have been good with it. Expect a wooden box of assorted petit fours to wrap up.

We were very generously treated to a wine flight to accompany the meal, each tasting swirled in burgundy glasses big enough to house a goldfish or two (even for the non-burgundy wines).

With alcohol, service and a drink or two at the bar, expect to pay around £350 pp for this New Year’s evening. But the burning question is of course, is it worth it? 

For me - who falls squarely into the ‘mere mortal’ category - no meal is worth £350, whether New Year’s Eve in Mayfair or not. But for many, these sorts of figures are lost down the back of Karelian birch, gilded brass, Kremlin-inspired sofas all the time, without being missed. 

And for those people, this would likely be a very pleasant evening indeed.

Liked lots: service was wonderful, particularly from the exuberant restaurant manager (I forget his name, sorry)

Liked less: the dining table was too high for wee me, sat against the wall on the banquettes. So much so that for the first time in my dining life, I had to sit on a cushion to eat. I'm not even that short (5'3.5 - that half makes all the difference)

Good for: laughing in the face of financial restraint

My rating: 3.5/5

Find the menu on Zomato.

Afiyet olsun.

Note: I was invited as a guest to this restaurant.