The Well-Fed Bong

A few days ago, I had a very expensive lunch. Beer, two courses and no dessert the bill came to a staggering Rs 6,000 for two. No, I wasn’t on Wall Street chewing gold-plated hamburgers (that would have cost more). We were in Mumbai, on a normal weekday lunch, with a friend who had just been offered a great job (yesyes, he paid). The restaurant was Pure , in the Taj Lands End. This was only the second time I was eating lunch there, and I must say its a restaurant of interest for more than just the prices on the menu. Though usually empty at lunch (indeed, both times we were the only diners) its a gorgeous space – pastel latticework faintly reminiscent of Mughal architecture, large tables, stylish flower centerpieces, service more polished than the polite but intrusive kinds you usually get (check the Taj site out for all the brand names attached, if you’re inclined). Its also backed by a culinary philosophy that the waiters and the menu try to explain. Michel Nischan , the chef-inspi...