Terroir, in the Galaxy Mall, is just a quick ride up the escalator and a short walk further. The stylishly done entrance is opposite the Howzzat Pub, famous for its in-house brews. The interiors are marvelously done with dim lighting, comfortable seating and open spaces. Terroir projects itself as a sophisticated grill and offers its guests a large selection of wines and liquor to complement their platters.

There are some restaurants that you expect great things of from the moment you walk in. The slick decor, huge wine storage, and soft rugs underfoot lull you into a sense of snug security. You just know the food is going to be awesome and the mixes outstanding. The grand, sweeping staircase leading up to the cozy seating beside the bar ups your expectations till you’re poised to leap off the edge of reality into the soothing cradle of professional hospitality.

In my case the euphoria lasted all the way till the first bite.

 

My first course at Terroir was their House Made Anchovy ‘Ceasar’, which I assumed was a ‘Caesar’; however, it must have been a ‘Ceasar’, because it definitely wasn’t a ‘Caesar’. The lack of croutons, Parmesan, Worcestershire sauce and nearly every ingredient that identifies a Caesar Salad definitely made it a ‘Ceasar’. What it did have were lettuce, iceberg lettuce, olives, and bell peppers dressed with mayonnaise and splattered with a teaspoon of highly salted anchovy paste. I suggest Terroir cease the Ceasar.

Food is such a huge area, it just isn’t possible to ‘know it all’ or even a large part. Yes, one can specialize in a cuisine or two, but that’s it. I came across a ‘know it all’ on one of my culinary jaunts. During the course of our conversation he announced to the company at the table, “I don’t use anything but Chilean Sea Bass in my food” . If that wasn’t enough, he continued, “It has much lower Mercury levels you see, which most people aren’t aware of”. I really didn’t have the heart to tell him that to begin with there isn’t anything called the ‘Chilean Sea Bass’, it’s actually the Patagonian toothfish. Secondly, environmental programs of repute such as Seafood Watch advise consumers to avoid this fish because of concerns of high levels of Mercury and other contaminants. The Patagonian tooth is also severely overfished. You can see this here and here.

Lobster Tail, Bay Catch with Lemon Garlic Butter was my second course. The lobster was served with snow peas, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers and a portion of rice with kidney beans. I failed to detect flavor in the rice or on the lobster, while the lobster itself was overcooked. We also tried Terroir’s Cajun Spiced Char Grilled River Sole with Garlic Buerre Blanc. The Sole was served on a bed of brunoised vegetables with potato wedges and sauteed asparagus. The buerre blanc, white butter by any other name, was missing. The fish was well-grilled, though the flavors were indiscernible. The asparagus was overcooked and badly trimmed, which left us chewing the cud. Baby Spinach with Caramelised Leeks was our side dish. I really couldn’t comment on the age of the spinach as it was nearly a puree , but I did notice that the leeks were caramelized with loads of sugar, which made it sweeter than our dessert! We were also served some crusty bread with pats of butter, which I would have liked, had the bread been of recent vintage and the butter not frozen.

Dessert was Pineapple Pine Nuts – flavored mousse on ginger and orange sauce served with a crisp looking biscuit. The mousse didn’t appear to have any sugar or pineapple in it and the biscuit was quite pliable.

I suggest postponing your visit until Terroir closes the gap between expectations and delivery.
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Meal for Two: Rs 2500| Credit Cards: V, MC | Alcohol: YES | Takeaway: NO | Home Delivery: NO