Mix Bar and Grill

Critic´s Review

• Food: 3.5 / 5
• Service: 2.5 / 5
• Decor: 2.5 / 5

-By Odette Mascarenhas

This place in Arpora is a heady mix of alternative cuisine and the proprietor couple Manav and Lovely Paul have aptly named it the Mix Bar Grill and More. It is a trendy space with psychedelic colours blue and orange. The ambience is ‘young’ but comfortable even for the ‘traditional’ frame of mind. As for food, let’s start with the Aged Tenderloin Carpaccio. to start with, this is a conventional preparation. Carpaccio was invented at Harry's Bar (Venice) in 1950. It was served to the countess Amalia Nani Mocenigo, when she informed the bar's owner that her doctor had recommended she eat only raw meat. Manav has used a balsamic and parmesan dressing. Remember his ‘tweak’ to the conventional? The thinly pounded ‘slice’ of meat is a cross-cut of the tenderloinsoft melting moments. For those who like to experiment on classy gourmet food, this preparation is a must. The Blackened Chicken is the restaurant’s signature dish. It is grilled chicken, soft and succulent, marinated in Manav’s special ingredients - a fusion of sesame oil, soya, honey and orange. Mediterranean? Asian? Indian? A blend of flavours that have captured the Conti foodies. But the pièce de résistance is the steak. Using an old Scottish method, Manav ages the steak for 3–6 weeks by hanging the tenderloin on hooks after curing it with olive oil and salt in a separate freezer at 0-2 degrees C. The leathery trimmings are removed and the meat when cooked is tender. The Teriyaki Steak - the tenderloin filet with the Terriyaki sauce and shitake mushrooms - is delicious even for ‘aged’ teeth. Whatever the cuisine, it is a Heady Mix, Manav’s very own experimentations, and he recommends a waiting time of 20–25 minutes as the dishes are prepared by him personally.