bpb Review: Tulips

Tulips, a new restaurant and wine room in Kemps Corner, is all angles: bar, tables and dessert cases are tucked into nooks and crannies that open up to a postage-size dining room. The walls are wooded and showcase murals of pretty Parisian cafés; chairs are elegant and spindly, lighting is soft. The resulting space is cozy and perfect for this casual, interesting and surprisingly affordable eatery.

From Penang and Pisa with Love

Tulips’ menu reaches far and wide for inspiration, incorporating Asian, Mediterranean, Italian and American influences. Mainstays such as pizza and sandwiches are offered, as is more unusual fare, including a truly superior spanakopita.

Pick Your Poison

Also surprising is the extensive wine list, which features more than twenty five Indian options, exclusively sourced from Indage and reasonably priced (start at Rs 150 for a glass). Remember, however, to stay away from the Malbec: it’s terribly bitter, with a septic aftertaste. International choices are equally robust, with Italian, French, Australian, Argentinean, Chilean and Californian labels available. Alas, these aren’t served by the glass yet.

Hot Buns!

Our dinner began with an old-style veggie burger that came with a cherry on top. Accompanying it were fries (we would have preferred them crispier, but others on our table argued that they were perfect) and a pile of coleslaw that we all agreed could use more dressing. The burger itself was yum, with garlicky mayo, sharp cheese, fresh tomatoes and a juicy patty, all sandwiched between a soft bun whose bottom had been firmed up in the toaster.

Another good choice was the chicken teriyaki wrap, a near-perfect medley of soft tortillas, sautéed onions, pillowy chicken strips and darkly piquant sauce.

Pie in the Sky

The spanakopita, however, was the high point of our meal. Here, the kitchen did a riff on the traditional spinach pie, upgrading it to crackling philo pastry pockets filled with a creamy mixture of corn, spinach and cheese. Accompanying these were salty Kalamata olives, deeply flavourful basil pesto and herby, tomato-flecked rice. This dish is a complete meal in itself, one that we’ll happily go back to again and again.

Dessert of apple pie (ask for it warm with a side of ice cream) and Jack Daniels torte was adequate, but not awesome. This was particularly disappointing as the place is an extension of the adjoining Deli Fresh bakery, popular for its sweets.

Restaurant Resurrection

According to the manager, the owners of Deli Fresh used to run a restaurant called Tulips two decades ago, which was a fixture on Bombay’s culinary scene before it shut down in 1995. This new avatar, they hope, will equal the glory of its predecessor.

Amen to that.

Getting there: Dhun-Abad, 106 Bhulabhai Desai Road, opposite Muchchad Paanwala, call 23683655, Rs 800 for a meal for two, including wine and dessert.