Food is more than just sustenance; it is a language that speaks to our senses and brings people together. Whether you’re a food enthusiast, a passionate chef, or simply someone who appreciates the art of cuisine, sharing your dining adventures have become a delightful ritual.
Juliette’s mood transports you back to your European holiday. The glowy décor with unflashy interiors adds to the tranquillity before you emerge from the restaurant with a severe food coma. If Romeo was to take his beloved out for a date night, it would for sure had to be Juliette in Andheri West.
The cocktail menu is a mild seduction, not only because of the drink, but also because of the poetry jotted down from Romeo and Juliet’s never-ending love tale. It helps you choose the mood and beverage for your evening out, and it also gives you the confidence to venture beyond the food all the way to the dessert.
I let the bartender decide what would soothe my sore throat, and he made an extremely smooth bert’s bee honey hot toddy with just the right amount of cinnamon flavouring. It was perfectly warm with an aroma that was impossible to resist, we also tried the passionista, a smoky citrus cocktail that was a fruity fusion of the passion fruit and kaffir lime chilled and served beautifully with a tinge of rose Mary as the topping, potent cocktails that take you a few notches higher than how you entered.
The appetizers, as you can see, were really delicate, with tiny strips of paneer wrapped beautifully with the coating that melted in your mouth, and the most amazing part was the crunch at the end of the mouthful produced from frying the lentils.
There are some dishes that almost no one dislikes. A Garlic Cheese Bread is one of them. A recipe that merely calls for bread, butter, garlic, herbs, and tons of cheese and was unbelievably delicious. Juliette’s rendition of Cheese Garlic Toast is a sure-fire winner.
With the Versova jetty a short distance away, the seafood arrived fresh and in time for daily dinner preparation for around 30 tables spread across 4000 square feet in the ever-bustling Lokhandwala neighbourhood.
We chatted with head chef Ravraj Chandok, who helped us understand Juliette’s culinary philosophy, and changes in mindset, saying, “Customer experiences have dramatically changed post-covid; people are more mindful and want to know what they are consuming… Alternatively, healthful meals are the order of the day these days.”
The chef intends to offer a ‘light palette menu’ in the near future that will be both satisfying and healthy, leaving you less hungry on your busiest days.
Experiential dining, whether farm to fork or tiny plates to consume in just the perfect amount, is a popular trend. Social media has been a game changer for many chefs, allowing them to come up with innovative meals.
Most people claim that the food you see virtually fills your stomach; I mean to strongly recommend the meal plating at Juliette’s; each dish offered is beautifully plated, and the dishes and cutlery are also tastefully picked. Mains like the Basa Risotto were well presented, with a lot of beets to give colour and hanging curd to enhance the overall flavouring of the dish. It was incredible to witness the texture, colour, flavour, crunch, and tanginess in each of the meals, all of these qualities blended in each of the dishes.
When asked about the trending item in 2024, Chef Chandok mentions black garlic as the primary component since it is the sharpest of the bunch, has a more powerful flavour, and is the most commonly utilized in both domestic and restaurant kitchens.
We wouldn’t want to miss the Pulled Tiramisu as the ultimate conclusion to one of the most romantic nights coming to a close, but as we were fully aware, there is a different stomach, especially for the dessert. Look at the delicate, tempting light creamy, rich scent of the coffee, the enticing high of the liquor, and the explosion of chocolate on your tongue. The Tiramisu was heavenly, a little slice of la dolce vita right here in muggy Mumbai. Like they say, “All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.”
I’d urge each of you to explore the depths of gastronomic delight at Juliette, where the ordinary is elevated to extraordinary through delightfully curated dishes.
