Sky View Café when I came across this name, the first thing that came to my mind was a café somewhere on the terrace or an open air café or a café on the top floor of a tall skyscraper with glass windows exposing a view toward the open sky. But when I actually visited this cafe (not a café it’s more of restaurant) all my imagination flew in the Sky. It was nothing like what I had imagined; there was not a single corner where I would view the sky.
As I entered the restaurant, I felt it quite cozy and welcoming. The classic wooden chairs with soft cushion seats, the sofas toward the wall side, the walls painted in pale yellow and chocolate brown & the dim focus lights at certain intervals exuded a rustic Italian ambiance.
There were few frames and artifacts that actually caught my attention. There were a couple of frame with the quirky quotes like “Cooking with love PROVIDES Food for the SOUL” and another which said “IF ‘Plan A’ didn’t work, the alphabet has 25 more letters | Stay Cool.” One wall had African artifacts like tribal masks, traditional bongo, ceramic urn etc…
Whilst I was admiring the interiors, I was welcomed by the manager Mr. Frank, who handed me the menu and asked me to place an order. However, I thought it’s better to try his recommendations & hence asked him to order as per his choice.
We were first served the welcome drinks Passionate Basil and Pecsa Blast. Both the mocktails were served in exclusive jars, which was quite classy. Passionate Basil was a blend of Basil, lime juice, passion fruit juice topped with sprite. The freshness of basil and tanginess of lime & passion fruit juice was refreshingly soothing in the scorching sun. Pecsa Blast had peach syrup, lime juice, pineapple juice and cranberry juice. This mocktail had a very eye appealing presentation depicting the hues of a sunrise. The dominating taste of cranberry and pineapple with the aftertaste of peach, was less appealing to my taste. By all means my vote goes to the Refreshing Passionate Basil.
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| Pecsa Blast and Passionate Basil Mocktails |
Our meal began with appetizing Corn Curried Chowder Soup which was thick, rich, creamy and a bit chunky. The smooth creamy texture of corn and prominent aftertaste of curry was lip smacking and I wanted to called for more. This soup actually activated all my taste buds. A must try !
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| Corn Curried Chowder Soup |
Soup was followed by starters & we began with Mini Mexican Tostadas, which I felt had too much of refried beans. It lacked cheese, infact I was disappointed to know that they had grated cabbage to look like cheese. A Mexican dish without cheese is incomplete & was downer for me.
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| Mini Mexican Tostadas |
Then came Zucchini Feta Bite with Spicy Salsa. This was one of the best dishes of the day. It was little crispy cup canapé of goodness, filled with yellow squash/zucchini creamy sauce, topped with feta cheese and a dollop of sweet & spicy salsa. Garnished with cherry tomato and parsley. It gave the dish a different dimension and texture. The crispy canapé on the outside and creamy smoothness of sauce and feta with hint of sweet-spicy salsa at the end was like a burst of flavours & textures in the mouth. One should not miss out on this.
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| Zucchini Feta Bite with Spicy Salsa |
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| Zucchini Feta Bite with Spicy Salsa |
We were served Squash Roulade, which was artistically made. Thin slices of grilled green and yellow squash stuffed with ricotta, red bell pepper, broccoli & baby corn. Then brilliantly rolled out into a roulade, secured with a toothpick and basil and served on the bed of Cajun sauce. Such simple elements, yet so brilliantly executed.
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| Squash Roulade |
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| Squash Roulade |
An Italian join without a famous pizza is like food without salt. So now it was Pizza Time ….Veg Pesto Pizza & Mac and Cheese Pizza. Unlike the traditional round pizza base, here they serve rectangle thin crust pizza, which they call it ‘Flat Breads’.
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| Flat Bread (Pizza) |
Veg Pesto Pizza / Flat Bread, was very flavorful, it had perfect layer of pesto sauce topped with crunchy bell peppers, broccoli and zucchini and tangy sun-dried tomatoes. In every bite we could actually get the taste of each individual vegetable. The thin crust was also nice and crisp.
Mac and Cheese Pizza/Flat Bread had thin layer of tomato base pizza sauce topped with creamy macaroni, mozzarella cheese and sprinkled with seasoning. It was mild & bland in taste, more on the typically Italian style of pizza. My vote goes to the flavorsome Veg Pesto Pizza.
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Mac and Cheese Flat Bread
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Veg Pesto Flat Bread |
When we talk about Italian cuisine, Pasta is something we picture in our mind. The Pasta took a ramp walk on our table. First to walk on the ramp was Gnocchi with Lemon Butter Sauce. The Gnocchi was as soft as a pillow, a melt in a mouth. However, I would prefer my gnocchi to be a little firm, but for those who like pillow soft gnocchi would love this. It was coated with a citrusy lemon butter sauce and sprinkled with fresh herbs giving it the hint of tanginess tickling the tip of our tongues.
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| Gnocchi with Lemon Butter Sauce |
Then second on the walk was Ravioli with Marinara Cheese Sauce. This was one of the best dishes. The Ravioli was stuffed with Spinach and Pine nuts. It was served on the bed of tangy marinara sauce, topped with cheese sauce and sprinkled with chilli flakes & fresh herbs. This perfectly cooked ravioli with soft blanched spinach and crunchy pine nut to bite on, combined with the tangy marinara and cheesy sauce with slight pungency of chilles, actually took us into a hysteria. This one for me was like a show-stopper.
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| Ravioli with Marinara Cheese Sauce |
Next in the line was Cajun Spice Pasta. This was Penne pasta in creamy white sauce sprinkle with some Cajun spice mix, served with garlic bread. Simple and classic presentation, rich and creamy sauce that coated the pasta well.
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| Cajun Spice Pasta |
Now came Risotto Contadina on the ramp. This was a tradition risotto with Arborio rice cooked in white sauce and mozzarella cheese. Served with crunchy stir fried vegetable and cheese sauce. The rice was perfectly cooked – Al`dente when mixed with smooth cheese sauce and crunchy vegetable gave it an amazing feel to our mouth.
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| Risotto Contadina |
Finally, it was dessert time. We were served Oreo with Chocolate Mousse. It was presented in a jar with layers of chocolate crumb and whipped cream, topped with Oreo cookie and chocolate sauce. Though it looked good but was very disappointing in taste. The mousse was no where close to what a ‘Mousse’ should be. A complete downer ...
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| Oreo with Chocolate Mousse |
Overall a very good Italian joint for all, especially vegetarians. I was a believer that any continental cuisine tastes good only if its non-veg. But I am glad Sky View Café has proved me wrong. I am hard core non-vegetarian when it comes to continental dishes, but surprisingly I didn’t miss any meat. Loved the flavours and food so much that I had strong cravings to dig into more Italian grub for the next few days.
Since I was on invite the meal was complimentary, but all views and opinions are my own.
Where:
3rd Floor, Trade View Building,
Gate 4, Kamla Mills,
Lower Parel, Mumbai
Phone: 022 30151630
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