Tucked near the Airport Road Metro Station, slightly off the busy Andheri -Kurla road is the newly opened boutique business hotel called T24 Residency. Few days back Suprio asked if I could join him to check out Toast, their Bistro & Bar. I happily tagged along. Now a little confession – my job makes me go to Andheri- Kurla road, exactly near the same place at least once a month and I had never seen or heard about this place; I was curious too.
Once I reached the place, the first thing that caught my eyes was the “Travellers Library” right in the middle of the lobby. You can pick a book and you can either replace or return on your next visit. Impressive!
Toast is on the eight floor of the hotel. The moment we stepped out of the lift, we were surely impressed by the whole décor and ambience of the place. A combination of Retro and Urban styling, the place had a very positive vibe to it. There is a Terrace Bar outside from where the view is spectacular. The ever busy Mumbai road, the stylish new terminal of Mumbai International Airport T2, Mumbai Metro zooming past below, the high rises adoring the city skyline – I was looking at the familiar city with a new admiration. They have a rooftop pool and sitting arrangements near it too. However, as of now the pool is only for In-House guests.
We were seated inside. Captain Abhishek introduced us to the bartender Soren. We ordered our first drinks for the evening, T Sour (Rs.375) and A – Kela Daiquiry (Rs.425). The drinks were well prepared and presented. For starters we asked for Lehsooni Tikka (Rs.450), Rajma ki Gilavat (Rs.410) and Crisp Fried Calamary (Rs.510). While the Indian snacks were really tasty, well cooked and well presented; the calamari was slightly high on salt and a bit too chewy to our liking. The tikkas were placed on paper thin Fillo Pastry sheets which we liked. Both the tikkas and the galautis were served with 2 chutneys/dips – Mango and Walnut, and green chutney.
For next set of drinks, Soren recommended High on Chai (Rs.400) and I asked for a Caiprioska with pineapple (Rs.350). High on Chai was really a good drink made of Bacardi, Dark Rum, Spiced Tea, Milk and Honey. There’s such a “Christmassy” feel to it – commented Suprio.
Now was the time for mains and we decided to stick to their Indian offerings. We asked for Moti Mahal Murgh Malai (Rs.550) and Laal Maas (Rs.590). The mains were served with 2 rotis, a small bowl of rice, a small bowl of daal, salad and papad. Unfortunately, Laal Maas could not live upto our expectations. The mutton was slightly chewy and the smokiness in the gravy was too strong inside the mouth. But the star of the evening was definitely Moti Mahal Murgh Malai. The chef has done full justice to this iconic dish from North India and managed to recreate the authentic taste here in Mumbai. In fact it made Suprio declare that, that was the best Butter Chicken he had had in Mumbai till date! That’s some compliment I say. Daal was very well cooked and had this dhaba kind of taste to it which I loved.
Finally it was time for Dessert and we ordered for Duo tart (Rs.290) – they served 4 small tarts, 2 each of Lemon and Chocolate. Sorry, but for me the best Lemon tart in Mumbai still remains somewhere else. The Chocolate tart was better than the lemon tart.
Overall, Toast is the perfect place for an evening’s outing with a group of friends or even for a date over drinks and starters. If you plan to go on a date with that special someone, I would recommend calling and booking a table outside. The staff was courteous and attentive and the bar was well stocked.
The hotel T24 Residency is only 3 months old. But going by the number of in-house guests that we saw that evening, it is surely getting popular. So next time when you plan an evening out with a bunch of friends, do check this place out. Oh yes, they play some cool retro music too.
Ratings (out of 5)
Food: 3 .5| Drinks: 3.5 | Ambience: 4 | Service: 4 | Overall: 3.5
Meal for Two: Rs. 2500 (With alcohol) | Credit Cards: Yes | Alcohol: Yes |Timings: 7 :30 AM to 1:30 AM | Wheel Chair Friendly: Yes
Address: T24 Residency, Church Road, Near Airport Metro Station, Andheri East, Marol, Mumbai| Telephone: 022 30151080
This Post has been contributed by Ms. Mayuri Konwar
Disclaimer: This review was done on an invitation from the restaurant. Due judgement and care has been applied by the author to remain objective and unbiased in the review, but readers need to consider this review keeping this fact in mind.
