ITP Indian Travel Places: Food, Travel, Tourism Business Events and Trade Shows
Phone: 022 67363601, 022 67363602
Address: Ground Floor, Atria Mall, Worli, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Time: 12 Noon – 1:00 AM
Meals for two: Rs. 1,600
Cuisines: North Indian, South Indian, Mughlai
Facilities: Home Delivery, Full Bar Available, Mall Parking, Nightlife, Indoor Seating, Group Meal, Kid Friendly, Serves Jain Food
Serendipity. Again. Authentic cuisine from each country is the subject of our tasting and discussion. I write from the Maldivian island-paradise. And in the midst of our Maldivian food tasting, I’m taking time off to write a review of Mumbai’s authentic Pan Indian cuisine restaurant, interestingly named ‘Talli Turmeric’. It sure is a family restaurant. The inspirational fit and foodie family (travelled and eaten their way through 40 countries) helped us eat our way through the menu and simultaneously enlightened us about fitness. Post grad in sports science, Sunil Kudva’s fitness centres are always overbooked. Model actress turned fitness nutritionist Madhuri, and their vivacious children Aryan and Khushi, had definite palate opinions about Talli Turmeric. Our review follows…
Talli Turmeric, Worli, Mumbai: Decor
Tucked into the ground floor of Atria Mall, Talli Turmeric’s 50-feet long showstopper bar with floral motifs and fluted wooden corners was the centre of attention. Tall chairs, plush sofa seating, communal table, paisley motifs and chunks of Jaisalmer stones made up the decor.
Talli Turmeric, Worli, Mumbai: Food & Drink
The menu zigzags all over India and serves up interesting dishes. Homemade pickles on the table set the tone – Louki Ka Murabba, Chilli Mustard Pickle and Amba Haldar.
We dined there thrice to check for consistency, and each time, the succulent Dum Ki Nalli suffused with spices came up tops, as did the Bheja Curry and the melt-in-the-mouth Kebabs from Lucknow, Kakori and Galoti. Happily, even the not-so-commonly served in restaurants Laal Maas from Rajasthan hit the right notes.
From South India, the mellow coconutty notes of Prawn Pollichattu, the spongy-bellied, lacy-edged Appam and stew delighted, as did the soft shell crab and fluffy Mini Idlis. End with the crisp golden Jalebis, the Kavuni Arisi, black rice pudding.
Talli (means drunk or tipsy) serves up cocktails with an Indian twist – Aamchi Rita, Imli Sour, alcohol infused with kokum, etc.
Minus Points:
Too dimly lit. Loud and inappropriate music. It was a mystery why they did not get the staple dishes right — be it the dosas (soggy) stodgy veg Galoti, Haleem, which was lacking flavour. Ditto for the Bissi Beli and the Mangalorean Ghee Roast.
My Point:
Don’t get misled by the ‘Turmeric’ in the name. This restaurant serves up many a worth trying, sans-turmeric, authentic dish from North and South India. Talli Turmeric opened quietly at the beginning of this year, and did so without any media hype (kudos). It’s only now while writing this column that I found out that Chef Fareed Qureshi, (North Indian food maestro) and Chef Arasa Kumar (South Indian food specialist) are responsible for the regional dishes. Served through the day. Atria Mall is beginning to rock with French-Bengali, Japanese, barbecue, bars, modern Indian, Japanese and multi-cuisine buffets. Many more and Thai, too. Happy!
