Restaurant Review: Miro

At Miro, the Mediterranean restaurant at the Svenska Design Hotel, like at Mesa Bistro, the hotel’s Continental restaurant, the chefs are far more expressive with their food than the interior designers have been with the decor. The restaurant’s look is minimalist and blanched of all character. Tables of four are tightly packed into the 2,500 sq. ft. space, the white walls are bereft of art work and the furniture is dressed in white muslin. The centerpiece is a yellow brick show kitchen, where a team of chefs efficiently works in hushed voices.

Our meal began in the buzzing lounge section of the restaurant, which is on the ground floor of the hotel. Maintenance work was on at the restaurant on the floor above, a detail they forgot to mention when we called to make a reservation. It’s not a bad idea to order tapas, pinchos (both are types of Spanish appetisers) and pizzas in the lively white marble lounge (they screen IPL matches in the evening); but if you’re aiming for quiet conversation, the dining section is a better option.

From the tapas menu, we chose a portion of patatas bravas. In preparation and presentation, chef Rahul Bisht didn’t stray from the classic tapas widely served across bars in Spain. The piping-hot potato cubes were fried to a crispy golden-brown and blanketed with a spicy tomato sauce that would have complemented the deep fried potatoes better had the paprika not been smoked. Each tapas is served with three excellent dips; green peas hummus, olive tapenade and aioli, and a portion of pan con ajo (Spanish for garlic bread); this makes one tapas dish enough for three people. From the pinchos—essentially food on a skewer—we picked the aioli-scented chicken. The grilled lime and coriander seasoned chicken may have been a bit under-salted but the meat slid of the skewers with ease and was as light as the potatoes were heavy.

Our lahmacun (Turkish pizza) arrived in time for our move up to the restaurant, which remained depressingly deserted through the evening. But the mains proved worthy distractions from the lack of buzz. The lahmacun was a fresh, flaky, oval-shaped pizza served with a thin layer of spicy minced lamb, tangy from the generous sprinkling of lime. We never imagined that pizza without cheese and tomato sauce could taste as good as this one did. The spring-vegetable tagine came next, steaming and fragrant in a traditional clay pot. We tasted braised prunes, apricots, peppers and boiled chickpeas in the thick aromatic curry with cinnamon, cumin and a judiciously added blend of Moroccan spices.

We ordered a hot mud chocolate cake and a tartufo (an Italian ice cream dessert) for dessert. The square slice of chocolate cake tasted of home baked goodness; gooey, warm and dripping in chocolate sauce but not over-sweetened. Our tartufo was a scoop of almond caramel ice cream covered in a thin white chocolate shell that cracked easily to reveal its frozen, sweet and crunchy centre.

At Miro, it’s likely that you will pay twice the amount for tapas (Rs350 for a non-veg tapas) and tagine (Rs475) than you would at bars and casual restaurants in Spain. And while the ambience doesn’t match up to the fine dining prices, you get your money’s worth from the excellent food.

A meal for two costs approximately Rs1,800. All reviews are conducted anonymously.

LocationMiro
Svenska Design Hotel
F/73-74
Oberoi Complex
Off Link Road
Lokhandwala
Andheri (West)

Phone4431 0000

HoursDaily, 12.30pm to 3pm, 7.30pm to 11.30pm

Websitewww.svenskahotels.com