Mumbai’s lavish beachfront restaurant Estella has a new winter menu
- Featured Food & Beverage
Schenelle Dsouza- 10 minutes read
Schenelle Dsouza
Opened in 2016, Juhu’s Estella quickly became a favourite among millennials, predominantly for its beachfront location. Providing clear views of the ocean, the restaurant is divided into two sections, a cosy glass-front dining space and the much-preferred open-air deck by the beach.
Designed by award-winning architect Sameep Padora, the interiors resemble a jazz bar, with dark mahogany wood elements. An impressive island bar connects the deck with the interior dining space.
The Chef’s Table
Introduced by Silver Beach Entertainment and Hospitality, Estella is the first modern Australian restaurant in the country, boasting an extensively modern but authentic Australian cuisine, with an exception of a few Asian and European delicacies. In time for the winter season, Estella launched a new winter special menu called ‘The Estella Winter Chef’s Table by The Sea’.
Speaking about it Chef Rohan Dsouza said, “The idea behind the new menu was to serve more personalised options for larger groups. As the trend of large sit-down, multi-course meals has gripped the dining scene, there’s been quite a demand for it. Catering to this demand we at Estella decided to enhance to that segment with our own curations.”
Quick Bites
The lavish spread starts with a pre-meal, a bold Melba toast served with a porcini mushroom pate with fermented cranberry and tarragon, dusted off with fresh winter truffle shavings which added a delightfully earthy flavour to the dish.
Following shortly after was a creamy New Zealand Green Lip Mussel and Pandan Leaf Chowder served with a soft Mussel Seaweed Potato Croquette. The soup had a slightly salty but creamy aroma that blended quite well with the flavourful croquette. Aside from this, there was another vegetarian option, a Chive, New Potato & Black Onion Seed Soup with Marinated Feta.
The salad that followed had quite an intriguing flavour. A delicious Chardonnay Poached Lobster was served with crunch baby gem lettuce decorated with yellow cherry tomatoes and fresh raspberries. The salad had a sweet fruity flavour that to my complete surprise, hit the right spots as an accompaniment to the lobster!
Another variant was a smashed Hass avocado shell with pickled walnuts, pink pomelo salad, with coriander and pickled Romero chilli, drizzled with a truffle chive yuzu dressing.
Signature Blends
In addition to the rich palate of food, the new menu also featured a range of five specially curated cocktails. These included Elysian (Black Label, Orange Juice, Homemade Ginger Lime Juice), Passion fruit & Basil Martini (Ciroc Vodka, Fresh Passion fruit Puree, Apple Juice, Fresh Basil), Oblivion (Bacardi Rum, Homemade Ruby Peach Puree, Homemade Orange Bitters, Vanilla) Alphito (Cinnamon Whisky Estella’s in house Fireball Whisky, Black Label Whisky, Vanilla, Burnt Cinnamon Stick, Dehydrated Orange) and Humming Bird (Tanqueray, Lime Juice, Fresh Blueberries, Lemongrass stick).
During the course of the evening, I opted for the Passion fruit and Basil Martini which was a sweet and sour concoction, and an Oblivion, which had a much stronger flavour thanks to the orange bitters.
Rich Flavours
The light option course was one of my top favourites of the evening. A tender buttermilk brined BBQ chicken thigh was plated on a creamed corn charred leek puree, served on soft pita bread, and drizzled with sea buckthorn honey dressing. The leek puree went extremely well with the chicken, creating a spicy and creamy infusion.
Other than chicken there was also a Salmon Sashimi plate with a Wasabi Aioli and Spicy Soy Coriander Seed Dressing, and a vegan Tempura Agedashi Tofu with Mushroom Ginger Puree, Balsamic Candied Beetroot Wedges, and Mirin Dashi and Pea Shoots.
For the main course, guests were presented with three options comprising Lamb Chops, Pan-Fried White Pomfret or Parpadelle Pasta. Opting for the lamb, I savoured a plate of tender Grilled Lamb Chops marinated in a yoghurt almond tahini with a side of truffle dauphinoise potato, roasted shallots and figs, seared in a peppercorn feta jus and mint oil.
Sweet Endings
The desserts although beautifully curated, were a tad too sweet for my liking. I had a milk chocolate and roasted hazelnut filo Mille Feuille with oat granola and a honeyed pear. For those who prefer chocolate-free desserts, there was a very pretty looking strawberry sundae, with a lavender and honey shortbread and pecan nuts.
All in all, Estella’s Winter Chef’s Table by The Sea is a wonderful curation perfect for large gatherings. All of the courses were collectively prepared by Chef Rohan Dsouza along with Chefs Vincy Rebello, Rohan Mahabal and Sandesh Sawant and the entire kitchen team of Estella.
