Restaurant Review: The Table
Photo: Suruchi Choksi.
The Table is a bit like the city it resides in—eclectic and hard to pigeonhole. The name appears unimaginative, especially when compared with the inventive dishes it serves, but projects the simplicity its owners wish to portray—food which focuses on fresh ingredients, made without pretence, and served in a casual setting. Yet, the prices and the ambience are more Indigo than Indigo Deli. The high wooden frames and clear glass make it seem like you’re in an extension of the street, but the very contemporary silver chandelier and chic bar remind you that you’re not. The menu—the work of executive chef, Alex Sanchez (who writes a lovely blog on his experiences in this city, titled “Mumbai for now”)—has influences from over five cuisines (we spotted Italian, French, Chinese, Japanese and American dishes). However, it doesn’t feel disjointed or frivolous as with most “multi-cuisine” restaurants. The portions are slightly larger than appetisers, and slightly smaller than mains, which is just as well, given sharing is encouraged.
Our red beetroot was baked perfectly, succulent and well-cooked, and accompanied by the delicate citrus-sweet flavour of orange carpels, crunchy pine nuts and whipped goat cheese. The addition of a little cream to the whipped cheese was an astute neutraliser; the only flaw was that it barely had a hint of the promised mint. The spinach and four-cheese cannelloni though good, paled in comparison to the previous dish. The seared tuna, on the other hand, was cooked just right, with the core scarcely touched by heat to bring out its natural flavours. It was almost out-done by its bed of braised leek that had the right amount of crunch and came finished in butter for good measure.
Of the heavier dishes, the New Orleans’ style lobster and shrimp cake was comfortingly greasy, but not overly so, with the shrimp offering texture without interfering with the flavour of the lobster meat. The accompanying Creole-style remoulade had a hint of paprika, enough to add spice but not too much so as to overwhelm the lobster. The fried chicken was overshadowed by its accompaniment of an extremely creamy mash; clearly, butter is better. Our only qualm during the meal appeared when the corn on the cob on the menu turned out to be babycorn. While several dishes may be considered on the wrong side of value for money—they average around Rs500—the grilled tenderloin was glaringly overpriced. Served on a bed of young onions and a tame peppercorn sauce, it failed to justify its price of Rs1,200. Of the desserts, the coconut panna cotta was covered by a passion fruit sorbet. The two made for an excellent combination, but the passion fruit all but eliminated the flavour of coconut. The chocolate tart was flawless; it had the right intensity of chocolate, while the jaggery and vanilla gelato and cherry sauce served alongside offered a good balance between sweet and tart.
Uniquely, The Table serves over 30 wines (of which only two are Indian) by the glass, and is the only place in town to serve half-glasses at exactly half the price. Like Le Pain Quotidien across the road from it, The Table has a communal table. But theirs is at the bar and therefore more likely to be embraced. The problem you might face at The Table, as one also does at a dim sum or tapas restaurant, is the danger of over-ordering. Which we did, and the resulting bill of Rs2,250 per head excluding alcohol felt excessive, and certainly not the price one would expect to pay at a casual dining restaurant. The onus, therefore, is on the restaurant’s waiters, who will need to be trained, to ensure that customers don’t end up wasting their meals.
A meal for two costs approximately Rs3,500. All reviews are conducted anonymously.
Devendra Das likes a bong, all Bongs and while not preoccupied by either, chronicles his gluttonous experiences.
NB. The price of the tenderloin steak has since been changed to Rs775 plus taxes.
Tags: restaurant review, restaurant reviews, Special Top Story, The TableThe Table
LocationHotel Suba Palace
CSM Marg
Opposite Dhanraj Mahal
Apollo Bunder
Colaba
Phone2282 5000, 2282 5001, 2282 5002
HoursDaily, 7pm to midnight
Websitewww.thetable.in
Comments (8)
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Went there for dinner quite recently and I must say, the food was brilliant.
I could taste every single ingredient in the dish and they all worked beautifuly together.
Had quite a few dishes there:
Steamed Buns – Wow. The Pork was just yum. I was only hoping there were a lot more that what came in 1 plate. The 1 problem that I had with the dish – Cucumber, didn’t relly think that it went well with the pork.
Steamed Red Snapper – No one can not like this. Winner.
Roast Chicken – Good, quite good. Although, I’ve had better.
There were 2 more dishes that were ordered, can’t remember the names, but they were pretty good too.
Standout dish – Red Snapper.
Overall, lovely place, lovely ambience and lovely food.
Only flaw, really really small helpings. When I go out, I expect a single dish to be able to satisfy myself at the least, this wasn’t the case here.
I have had dinner at The Table a few times and always enjoyed it. However I went for Sunday brunch and had what was possibly the most disgusting meal I have ever had. Steak and eggs consisted of a brick of mystery meat which, to be frank, stank and tasted like it had been marinated in garbage. The scrambled eggs were cold, heavy and had the consistency of a rubber tire. So called breakfast potatoes consisted of a gigantic bowl of new potatoes which had been halved and then burnt to a crisp. Just looking at these potatoes was carcinogenic. Never again!
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Great place with a good selection of wines. Could do a lot better with the food, hope the table takes it in a positive way, for example the spiced lamb mini burger needs to be more original with the buns. It can’t be using what we use at home! Could look at baking original mini buns with a slight crunch. By cutting a large burger it can’t become a mini burger. Having said that the community table can be a hit for those wanting to hang out for a quick wine after a hard days work! One caution, pls discourage large groups who are loud and disturb the serenity and classiness of the place. My wife and I for instance had to move down as we couldn’t take the noise! But luckily we discovered the community table! Wish you all the best, pls tweak the lose ends, promise to be back!
Well i went back like i promised and i stand corrected .
They fixed the desserts . The bread budding now has chocolate in it and the other two desserts were pretty good as well.
Redemption and so much more closer to perfection.
I loved it ! The table is one of the best restaurants i have had the pleasure of eating at in recent times . Started with those cheese croquettes (gruyere i think) and they just screamed of a very talented baker . The small plates we ordered were the calamari and the meatballs….. the meatballs one that one hands down ….the chef got a little too cilantro happy with the calamari , which although it was perfectly cooked ,its flavours were not allowed to come through with all the cilantro in the dish.
The meatballs were perfect . Slightly rare in the centre with a steamin glob of chees e buried in its heart.
The peak of this whole symphony of food was the pasta courses . No where in the city , dare i say, the country is anyone capable of producing such perfect pasta. One can only assume, it’s made fresh everyday and probably made to order . We had the canelloni stuffed with spinach and cheese and the pork one ( cant remember the name) …. I could’nt find a single thing wrong with either dish .
On a sad note and probably more indicative of poor choice than their proficiency I had the bread pudding for dessert , which was quite pedestrian.
All in all , I am going back .
I promise to give them business at least once a week if i can get a table ( They seem to be perpetually booked) and I hope they start doing a lunch service too .
So anyone who reads this . just go there
Wow! Very helpful review.
I’ve been waiting for a review after passing by The Table just before it opened. On a day I’m feeling particularly frivolous (with my money), I’ll stop by and check it out.