Restaurant Review: Café Zoe
Photo courtesy of Cafe Zoe.
Every once in a while, you need a restaurant that makes you feel like you’re anywhere but, well, here. That for that hour or two, there exists the tantalising and entirely implausible possibility that you’ll walk out the doors and somehow be in Paris or Rome or New York. Some establishments here accomplish that via the food (The Table) or the decor (Pali Village Cafe), and it’s often those that manage to do one or the other, or in a happy meeting, both, that tend to become regular haunts. Add to that list now Café Zoe, the cafe and brasserie that’s popped up around the corner from Blue Frog and Busaba in the Mathuradas Mills Compound. Café Zoe achieves its escapist fantasy through disarmingly simple decor and furnishings, the offer of an all-day dining spot, and an affordable menu that spans from breakfast to post-work munchies with a non-judgemental charm (breakfast is offered until 5pm).
The owners Tarini Mohindar, Jeremie Horowitz and Viraf Patel have wisely chosen to leave the space’s industrial rawness intact—there are exposed brick walls, a scattering of sturdy wooden tables, a rack displaying books and mismatched crockery, a large open bar, a pastry and deli counter, and patterned sofas that, along with the customers, add most of the colour to the decor. With high ceilings and large industrial-sized lights, it perpetuates the illusion of eating in daylight, when in fact you’re not. In short, it’s the sort of happy place that throws in free wi-fi for those who want to make an afternoon of it.
The menu, created by Patel (he formerly worked at The Table), is one of the better designed ones we’ve seen in the city, with neat little illustrations and a clean typeface that separates items into soups, legumes, poultry, meat, breakfast, salads, sandwiches and seafood (we’ll even forgive the typos; tiramisu is spelt tiramisou). Like most cafe fare, it’s a disparate mish-mash that draws from various countries, particularly those that relish a generous hand of butter and cream. The crab and celery salad, served in a capped glass container which allows you to toss in the lemon dressing and shake it yourself, was perhaps the only thing we had that erred on the low-calorie side of the fence. With onions and iridescent fish roe, it was a light palate cleanser, the kind that amply preps you for the fatty assault to follow. Of the pastas, the roast pork belly carbonara, with a sprinkling of chives and cuts of fatty, speckled pork belly skin, and the spaghetti bolognese, with carrots, peas, rosemary and chillies, were stand-out dishes. The cheddar cheese gnocchi, coated in a thick, nutty sauce, and the steamed rawas and its buttery bed (we had ours with mash potatoes though you can choose from a variety of sides), came a close second.
The peas and carrots were used as garnish for the tenderloin steak as well, which was passable and a tad chewy and brought up unwelcome associations of British Airways in-flight meals circa the 1980s. The pumpkin risotto, in a cadmium yellow sauce, was too soupy and stodgy (probably from being overcooked) for our liking; the taste of the promised vegetable was almost imperceptible. Of the dessert, the panna cotta, a quivering mass of vanilla-dotted pudding served in a glass ramekin, was outstanding; though the strawberry coulis topping, which tasted like it had come from a tin, was overwhelmingly sour. The tiramisu had far too much cream whipped into the mascarpone (ideally there should be none) and too few ladyfingers. Where Café Zoe needs the most work is surprisingly then its pastry section—the croissant was doughy, while the cupcakes were dry in parts, and undercooked in others. Strangely, they offered all basic coffees but a macchiato.
That said, for opening week, the service was Royal China-quick, and the fumbles few. Judging by the crowds, word has clearly already gotten around. If you work or live in the neighbourhood, congratulations, you may have just found your new favourite lunch and/or post-office watering and eating hole.
A meal for two costs approximately Rs1,800.
Tags: Cafe Zoe, Jeremie Horowitz, Lower Parel, restaurant reviews, Restaurants, Tarini MohindarCafé Zoe
LocationMathuradas Mills Compound
126 N. M. Joshi Marg
Lower Parel
Phone2490 2065
HoursMonday to Sunday, 7.30am to 1.30am
Websitewww.cafezoe.in
Comments (77)
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Dear Renny,
Firstly I would like to sincerely thank you for your feedback. All feedbacks are read during our staff-briefings twice a day.
As previously mentioned in some of my replies, service is a constant challenge in Bombay. We are constantly trying to improve our service but due to our long timings (we are open 18hours a day, 7/7) it is often hard to find the time to train all our staff. Training happens on an almost one-to-one basis.
We are looking into your issue and we will make sure it remains corrected.
However, if you could help me with the name of the waiter(s) OR a time, date (Sunday 12th of August I presume) and where you were seated it would be very helpful so I can address this feedback to the righty waiter(s) in order to make sure this never happen again. Rest assured that the waiter will not get in trouble.
Also feel free to ask to talk to one of us owners. At least one of us (Tarini, Viraf or myself) is present at Café Zoe at (almost) all times.
Should you decide to give Café Zoe another chance, please do ask for me (Jérémie) when you come in. I’m sure we will be able to turn around your experience around!
Have a grand weekend,
Cheers,
Jérémie Horowitz
Founder & MD
Cool decor is the only positive I could find with this place.
On a Sunday evening, when 2 of my friends and I decided to dine at Cafe Zoe, one of us called them up at 7pm to make a reservation for 8.30pm. The person who answered the phone said they are full. However, we persisted that we will still drop by and see if they can do something about it. When we reached the restaurant at 8.30pm, at least two-third section of the restaurant was empty. Not the greatest first impression.
While ordering our soup, the 3 of us decided to try the seafood broth. However, since we didn’t want to order 3 portions, we asked the waiter (who took the order) whether the chef could simply divide 2 portions into 3 bowls. He said “of course” and went on to take the rest of the order. When the soup arrived, there were 2 bowls with soup and one empty one. The waiter said that we would have to divide it into the third one. Though taken aback, I requested him to do the needful. He simply took both the bowls (with soup) and poured a little from each into the empty one. Doing so ensures that only the liquid portion gets into the third bowl and none of the prawns & mussels. Seeing the unprofessional process, I asked the waiter whether wouldn’t it have been easier for the chef to have done it earlier in the kitchen itself. The waiter simply shrugged saying that it was the ideal situation but the chef was not co-operative. A disconnect between the waiter and the chef is not the most impressive factors in a place like Cafe Zoe.
While the main course dishes were just about ok, the desserts were totally dismal. While the panna cotta was an extremely small serving in a relatively large bowl, the mango coulis topping had an overwhelmingly overripe and sour flavour. The creme brulee was another diminutive portion while the baked cheesecake was hard and mealy.
Simple verdict: wouldn’t want to go back again.
Dear Hiten,
I’m extremely sorry this has occurred.
If you could help me with a time and day this would be very helpful so that I can identify the waiters to make sure this never happen again.
Also, we, the owners, are always present at the resto so please do feel free to ask for one of us (Jeremie, Viraf or Tarini).
Should you decide to visit Café Zoe again, please do ask for me (Jérémie). I’ll make sure we turn this around!
Cheers,
Yr restaurant is disastrous.In the 48 yrs mof my life,never have I seen waiters arguiing among themselves in cheap abusive hindi language(in front of women customers) on who wants to serve me.Never ever to visit your terribly overrated resaurant again.
Dear,
As previously mentioned in some of my replies, service is a constant challenge in Bombay. We are constantly trying to improve our service but due to our long timings (we are open 18hours a day, 7/7) it is often hard to find the time to train all our staff. Training happens on an almost one-to-one basis.
In any case, I would like to thank you both for your feedbacks… both issues have already been looked into it and we will make sure it remains corrected.
Also feel free to ask to talk to one of us owners. At least one of us (Tarini, Viraf or myself) is present at Café Zoe at (almost) all times.
Should you decide to give Café Zoe another chance, please do ask for me (Jérémie) when you come in. I’m sure we will be able to turn around your experience around!
Have a grand weekend,
Cheers,
Jérémie Horowitz
Founder & M.D.
Agree with Oufi. My grilled chicken was insipid and the only option provided to “spice it up” was tabasco! My colleague’s soup arrives with her drinks, side comes along with dessert (once reminded, which is then returned untouched) and my sides came before my mains! And the server and seater (probably..) actually think an interrogation on “how you placed your order” was a bright idea to resolve this. As if the cleanliness level of the loos was not off-putting enough!
Quintessential beauty without brains (or courtesy!).
Cafe Zoe has the decor right with the exposed brick walls and the freedom tree upholstery. The reason a lot of people might not want to go back: they could get better food spread, variety and courteous staff and servers elsewhere! The arrogance of the staff is actually laughable, if one is into that kind of humour….
Went there last night, probably won’t again till I read a review about staff changing.
Hey Sanjana,
How are you?
I fully understand your frustration of getting into Café Zoe – finding it empty – yet being told it is full. But we were truly full for both our seatings. The fact that we were empty only shows that first seating guests are often late!
hehe
In opposition, second seating people are every now and then coming in early and starved!
We are currently in the process of hiring more staff (including bartenders) – some will only be joining later this week. We are always on the outlook for more staff but it’s a slow process since we don’t poach staff from other restaurants/bar. Consequently, we have to wait for staff to show up with their resume at Café Zoe.
Last weekend was also our “re-opening” weekend … all the staff (including us) were excited yet stressed – the bar-team is also almost fully new. But I can ensure you that they are all very sweet and helpful (in general).
I’ll make sure to have a word with all my barstaff during todays briefing about the same. Feel free to tell me their names so that I can take make sure it never happens again with the concerned staff – rest assured, nobody will get fired. We do realize nobody is perfect and can’t expect my staff to be perfect from day2 onwards (although we are trying our very best)! So, please do share the names with us – your feedback is really constructive and I want to make sure I act on it properly by interacting with the right people. You can email me jeremie@blacksheepers.com.
Happy you enjoyed the ambience!
We highly appreciate your input Sajana. Feel free to get back to me with any additional feedback.
Have a great week,
Cheers,
Jérémie Horowitz
Founder & M.D.
I had the most annoying experience at Cafe Zoe last weekend. The restaurant was empty when I walked in at about 8 pm save for one table that was occupied. I was told I could only sit at the bar, since even the second sitting was booked and Zoe’s reservations were full. Next, a group of waiters broke into an argument at the bar instead of serving me. They argued about the fact that someone should attend to me and I wished the guy who began the ugly argument had instead served me.
Soon enough, a group was given a table next to the bar that was meant for the walk-in guests. I don’t know why I wasn’t informed of this in the first place. The night got worse when waiters who looked like they hated their jobs began to serve me and a friend who had joined me for dinner. It was hard enough getting the waiters’ attention, but we felt really terrible being served by grumpy waiters.
The food was strictly OK. I don’t want to reveal the names of our waiters and jeopardise their jobs, but Cafe Zoe really needs to work on its service and food. But for the ambience, I have nothing positive to say about the restaurant.
Hey Aboli,
Thanks for your awesome comment!
We are opening soon again … stay tuned for updates on our Facebook page!
Hope the week kicked in well!
Cheers,
Jérémie Horowitz
Founder & M.D.
Hey Precog,
First, thanks for bringing your story to my attention. This is a great and important feedback.
I am obviously terribly sorry you didn’t get a chance to come into Café Zoe that day. The pest control guy showed up over 3 hours late that morning. We have changed supplier and made sure this won’t occur anymore. Pest Control being relatively toxic we needed to make sure all fresh products were out of reach and that customers wouldn’t inhale or be in contact with the product.
It is very unfortunate that you came just that day at that particular moment.
Then, regarding the service; as previously mentioned in some of my replies, service is a constant challenge in Bombay. We are constantly trying to improve our service but due to our long timings (we are open 18hours a day, 7/7) it is often hard to find the time to train all our staff. Tarining happens on an almost one-to-one basis.
on top of that we constantly have new staff joining us and it may have been one of our newer staff that attended you – which does not make any less important.
Would you have the name of the staff that attended you I would be happy to look into the matter and make sure he knows how to perfectly attend to guests. (I ensure you that nothing – beside an intensive training session – will happen to the staff)
Should you decide to give Café Zoe another chance, please do ask for me (Jérémie) when you come in. I’m sure we will be able to turn around the fact that you didn’t make it the first time!
On another note, yes, The Table is a wonderful place to go! Loving it too!
Have a great Monday Precog.
Cheers,
Jérémie Horowitz
Founder & M.D.
We never got to eat at Cafe Zoe, thanks to their staff. We called on Saturday and asked about breakfast on Sunday. After telling us about the breakfast options, the person at the other end assured us we need not make a booking and we could walk in on Sunday. After driving allthe way from Goregaon to the cafe with friends on a Sunday morning, we were confronted by a board that said the restaurant was shut from 10 am to 11.30 am when we arrived shortly after 10 am. The Wait staff shrugged and said they had decided to do pest control and couldn’t give us a table. When we asked why they had told us we could walk in on Sunday the previous day, instead of trying to make amends, this member of the Wait staff doubted we had called if we had even called the restaurant on Saturday! One had seen poor reviews of the Cafe Zoe staff on sites like yours, but didn’t think the Wait staff in a city with countless culinary options would plumb such depths. I doubt if this cafe will last long with such staff. Happily, we went to The Table thereafter and had a wonderful experience.
Visited Cafe Zoe yesterday, and absolutely loved it for its happy-sunny vibe! Food was good too! This is going to be my favourite brunch/lunch place!
Oh how I disagree! Spend 10 minutes here and it is plain as day why people flock to Café Zoe. The pretty ones – film maker, ad guy turned hot actor turned activist turned actor, society food columnist, fashion store owner – feel like they have come to a members-only private club; and the wannabe pretty ones… well, they just wanna be part of this private club. Neither care about the average food, the abundant flies, or the appalling service. All they care about is the “vibe”. I blogged about it here: http://wp.me/pUmYp-bj
Not yet been to the place, but heard good stuff about it..
Going through the posts, it’s amazing to see the amount of frustration, anger and bitterness that some people display, comfortably hidden behind their screen!!
A sad bunch of losers who are just commenting on other people’s achievements… Depressing!
All the best to Cafe Zoé!!!
Ritika,
Thanks for your feedback: The Prawn & Calamari Ajilo are indeed a big hit!
Looking forward to seeing you again!
Cheers,
Jérémie Horowitz
Founder & MD
I went back to Cafe Zoe against my better judgement, hoping to be give them another chance, braving the teething troubles and all that! And the best thing i can say is that the food went from being horrible, the first time, to just about palatable. Encouraged by the umteenth times that Jeremie & Viraf mentioned how “open” they are to good and bad feedback, i approached Viraf to give him some constructive criticism. and lets just say that he was definately not pleased that I had something negative to say, and was very defensive. Now i know not everyone is open to criticism, but please dont make a show on a public forum of being something you are not.
And lastly, Jeremie, you seem to be proud of the fact that this is the “most commented on” section of Mumbai Boss, but if i were you, i would be seriously worried, because 80% of the comments are extremely negative.
Dear Shilpam,
The service part is probably one of the most challenging aspect in the hospitality industry. Café Zoe is new, and we are trying our very best to provide the best service, which is why at least one of us, the owners, are present all day long to address all problems personally.
As owners, you will also see us take orders, clear tables, clean tables, sort the valet parking, make coffee, etc.
Shilpam, again, all feedbacks are valuable and (when reasonable) acted upon.
Have a great and happy Saturday!
Cheers,
Jérémie Horowitz
Founder & MD
the absolute worst in service, never never again.. did not even get to try the food.. had to leave to save the evening from any further agony, sorry guys, but you have got it all wrong
Hey amusingelephant (Love the name and the blog),
We are currently not offering an all-inclusive-brunch but are open on Sundays from 7:30AM till 1:30AM! The menu is a-la-carte and comprises breakfast items (served till 5PM), appetizers, sandwiches, mains (veg/meat/poultry/fish/seafood) and a full bar with some GRAND cocktails!
Hope this helps.
Cheers,
Jérémie Horowitz
Founder & MD
Just had lunch at Café Zoe, the place is sunny, large, servers are friendly and menu is perfect. We ordered the cheese burger, chicken burger and just prawns. The bun was a tad over roasted and we had to hunt for flavor in the patty but the prawns with vermicelli in lemon coriander were amazing.
Great value for money and a place to come back to again. The hate comments here are unreasonable for what Café Zoe is serving.
place is awesome.
food is worse than food served in nepal(which is unfresh due to its location)
viraf should quit being a chef and become the head waiter.
I would like to know if you have an all inclusive sunday brunch? Please do let me know as I would like to organize one with a group of friends.
Thanks, amusingelephant
Hey Samiir,
Well, I always make it a point to actually say that these comments of mine have been mentioned earlier. I even say who I was replying to when I mentioned those.
And yes, one of us is always present at the Café Zoe to meet patrons because we really enjoy taking any feedback (good or not) from all patrons… as said earlier: all feedbacks are valuable and precious (Thanks Ck) to us!
We are all very passionate about our restaurant which is why we are constantly meeting with our patrons and seeking honest and genuine feedbacks from them. And whenever there is even the slightest issue we are always happy to try and help out.
Like in all service industries it is hard to please all. Some like to be served, while others would rather the plate to be left for them to serve. Some will find a dish too spicy, others not enough. Some will find a cocktail too sweet, others will adore it the way it is.
Tastes in terms of food/colors/textures/etc. varies from people to people and that’s the beauty of it.
We cannot please everybody but we are definitely trying too!
Hope this helps Samiir.
Cheers,
Jérémie Horowitz
Founder & MD
I love how Jeremie has copy+Pasted this some 10 times
“However, as most other reviews from the countless blogs, magazines and newspapers have been absolutely overwhelmingly good, something must have occurred to taint your experience at so many levels.
Would you decide to visit us again at Café Zoe please do make sure you bring any issue to our attention – we will be more than happy to correct them. Tarini, Chef Viraf and/or myself are myself are always at the restaurant and more than happy to help.
Not to mention that all feedbacks/critics are valuable to us considering we are in full teething mode.”
Wow! I’m coming this weekend just to see what the noise is all about
cafe Zoe – you are evidently proving to be a threat to many!
Man, now I really want to Cafe Zoe. Do you guys have a nice big steak?