Travel » Oasis Restaurant

OASIS - MUMBAI
Cozily tucked away from the hurly-burly of the busy thoroughfare outside, the cool and quiet interiors of this restaurant verily made it an Oasis, we thought gratefully, as we sank into the cushioned seats. More literally, the decor continues a logical transition of the name, to present camels etched on the glass panels and a vast canopied ceiling that billows gently in an array of silken stripes.

The menu, however, plays safe with a tried and trusted portfolio. It presents not only kebabs and kormas, as one would expect but Chinese and continental fare, in all the categories, from starters and soups, through main courses and desserts as well.

Both our Chinese menu and the Indian one are equally popular, said the steward staunchly, when we asked his advice. But following the nebulous ambience and the caravanserai sketched on the menu, we took the Indian route. Pehli chahat offered paneer koliwada in an interesting takeoff on the popular fish offering for the vegetarians. We, however, bypassed this, and the cheesy chicken, for the mutton tawa. Typically served on a sizzling metal platter, the piquantly spiced morsels of meat were an agreeable aperitif to the meal that was to follow. The murg shola kebabs, likewise, appeared attractively arrayed atop a small sigri of steaming coal, and the smoky flavor enhanced the lightly flavored chicken.

More robust were the gravy dishes we chose for the main course (Rs 170-230). As anticipated, the green methi gosht was redolent with the distinctive aroma of fresh fenugreek leaves. The murg chatpata was as tongue tingling as the name suggested, and the servings generous enough to leave us comfortably sated. We chose plain rotis to mop up the rich curries, though there were lachedar and reshmi parathas as well as Kashmiri naans on offer (Rs 18-40). Interestingly, the rather extensive list of pulaos and biryanis also included khichadi! A gentle pineapple raita rounded off a meal that, unfortunately, gave us no scope to samplethe vegetarian fare which included paneer and baby corn in several variations, along with the usual kormas and koftas (Rs 110-180).

Glancing through the Chinese menu, we amused ourselves till our dinner arrived by planning a mock meal. We’d start with our favorite paper wrapped chicken, we decided, or perhaps the intriguingly named lamb drink kebab. And follow with a Thai style seafood soup. The main course would be a toss up between drunken chicken and lamb in spicy onion, matched with kung pao prawns. Of course, we’d have our staple, mixed fried rice, but would opt for steamed noodles in place of the pan-fried ones. And just as we were debating the virtues of toffee lychee vis-a-vis the more conventional ice cream, an appetizing sizzle brought us back to our table.