Recca, Fort, Mumbai

Restaurant Name: Recca, Fort, Mumbai
Phone: +918433737344
Address: 1st Floor, Kala Ghoda Society, 30, K Dubash Marg, Kala Ghoda, Fort, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400001 India
Time: 12:00 Noon – 10:00 PM
Meals for two: Rs.2,400
Cuisines: Seafood, Italian, Pizza, Healthy Food, Mediterranean, Turkish, Greek, Beverages
Facilities: Home Delivery, Full Bar Available, Indoor Seating, Desserts and Bakes, Vegan Options, LGBTQIA Friendly, Romantic Dining

Recca, Fort, Mumbai: Progressive Mediterranean

Move over gloom! It’s time to celebrate! To congratulate! We salute gutsy new restaurants that have opened in spite of the pandemic. They are striding in with a young, good-looking and refreshingly new vibe. Much like my lunch companions today. We pop in to the brand new Recca in Kala Ghoda. Its the festive season and we are suitably attired and vegetarian, too (more than plenty vegetarian options here). Our lunch is peppered with the gorgeous globetrotting gourmet couple’s unique insights into the Mediterranean fare with indigenous ingredients. Actor-turned-food entrepreneur Armaan Jain and his marketing consultant and fashion influencer wife Anissa Malhotra Jain make time in their hectic schedules to lunch with me here. Armaan Jain, fourth generation Kapoor, the first family of film and food, sure has gourmet genes. He loves food, cooks brilliantly and is taking his hugely popular Junglee Kitchen catering to new heights. Over the years, dining with him and his gourmet Kapoor family (Rishi in Mumbai and NY, Karan in London, Shashi in Goa, Chimpu in Mumbai) has been a continuing treat for me. Like it is today — for more than one reason.

Recca, Fort, Mumbai: Decor

I lunch here and I dine here. It’s luminous and sun dappled by day. Glamorously lit by night. Easy going, casual. Pristine white walls, wooden floors, open seating plan, heritage bay windows, and chesterfield leather couches complete the laid back vibe. The brightly lit bar, (fully stocked Indian and international labels, cocktails) is the focal point. Music from the 70s and 80s playlist (Abba, Bee Gees, Madonna and Whitney Houston) has a familiar happy ring to it.

Mixed Marriages… Happily Ever Afters

Mediterranean fare with a flair takes within its sweep Armenia, Turkey and Eastern Europe, and does so with a difference. Only indigenous ingredients are used.

Manti… soft plump dumplings from Armenia wed the firm mushrooms from Imphal and are dressed in the creamy sauce of bandel cheese from Bengal, Kalari cheese from Kashmir and kalimpong cheese, too. Tangy tomato hing broth enlivens the Manti served in a terracotta pot. Equally delightful lamb option, too. Three versions of hummus — horse gram, white butter bean and black soy bean — have a delicious balance of texture and flavour. Ask for and muddle the rustic roasted tomatoes, basil, garlic and kachampuli vinegar and devour with the sour dough bread. Paper Thin Lavash Pizza with its chewy topping of smoked artisanal Bengali cheese, Spinach rolled in crisp phyllo… Succulent pork chops, pide topped with a runny egg and crisply fried bacon? Pide heady with truffle? Try both. Fish plancha of Bombay betki is flavour-packed with Madras onion, jalapenos and roasted garlic.

Espetada of tapioca and jackfruit (paneer option good, too). Succulent Koobideh (Mediterranean kebabs). There’s the unique burnt cheese cake… Chenna Poda from the Orissa temple cuisine. The Malabar Devil cake of Nolen Gur (date palm jaggery from West Bengal), orange zest is worth trying. For me the chocoholic, it’s the flourless ragi chocolate cake which comes up tops with all its chocolate intensity.

Recca Surprises

Sure! It’s commendable that Recca follows the blue zone philosophy. Of healthier food choices and that more than twothirds of the menu is plant-based. It’s also commendable that the co-founder Arup Saini along with the consulting chef Sabyasachi Gorai and team ensure that only indigenous ingredients are used. But ultimately, what’s most crucial is what lands on our plates. Its taste, its flavour and texture and, of course, the consistency of dining experiences. In order to check it out, we share a predominantly non-vegetarian dinner with discerning gourmets Maya and Vikram Merchant, too. Our vegetarian lunch experience with Armaan and Anissa is equally worth going back for.

The dishes can be inventive and delicate, they can be luxurious and earthy, too. We welcome Recca — a gutsy new arrival full of delicious surprises!