I love it when an under dog wins. And Brent Owens’s journey on MasterChef Australia was just that. A dark horse if you may, running stealthily and silently towards the finish line without anyone noticing. A dark knight if you may, performing his tasks and challenges quietly and perfectly to the best of his abilities. While everyone cheered for Sarah because of her Indian roots, or Laura because we were all amazed at this young girl’s ability to perform magic with Italian cuisine, or ‘panna cotta’ lady Emilia and her no-nonsense demeanour, a man in the foreground began to steal my heart.

I first noticed Brent Owens for the same reason every woman noticed Brent Owens…he was so darn cute! And every time I saw that half ponytail on his head while he cooked my heart skipped a beat. A bobcat driver, who gave up his job after being forced to audition for the sixth season of the world’s most popular cooking show courtesy his girlfriend of many years; his was the turn-around, success story that was guaranteed to grab eyeballs and warm hearts. On his recent visit to Mumbai, to promote the upcoming seventh season of MasterChef Australia premiering in May, I had the wonderful opportunity to meet him thanks to The Grand Hyatt and Food Bloggers Association of India (FBAI). 

Greeting us wearing folded khakhis, rolled up shirt sleeves, and a mysterious glint in his eyes, Brent is effortlessly good looking. But when you get talking with him do you actually realize what a warm, friendly person is. Easy to talk to, patient enough to answer all of our randomest questions, and generous enough to oblige all the ogling women at the table with a peck on the cheek, I was floored. And then I tasted the meal he had especially curated for us at Celini, and I was floored so bad that I never wanted to get up.

I remember learning the meaning of santé during my short and futile stint at studying French during my junior college days. ‘A votre santé’ is what is typically said when you raise a toast ‘to your health’. The Santé closer back home also forces you to raise a toast and make merry. Santé in Bandra is one of the many bars that infest the Queen of the Suburbs, but I’m not complaining. More the merrier, I say! Hic Hic Hurray!

After many that came and went, Santé is the latest entrant to occupy space at the C’est La Vie club in Hill road. Divided into an outside section with exposed brick walls…yet again, twinkling fairy light, and a chariot that’s converted into a love seat for two; along with an inside section which we couldn’t step into that night because of a group of exuberant adolescents celebrating their graduation. A table filled with food lovers/bloggers, mid week drinking, and finger food – my evening was looking bright. 

Out of all the appetizers I stuffed my face with, and all the cocktails I gulped down, here are my picks off Sante’s menu. Yes, you’ll are welcome.

Burma Burma, Fort’s all vegetarian Burmese restaurant is over a year old, is still running packed, and has received brilliant reviews. Then why eat there, and review it now, after all this time? Because sometimes your meal is just so spectacular or lackluster that I feel it’s mandatory to blog about it. This meal was a bit of both. Started off beautifully only to end with a sour taste in my mouth.

Burma Burma has been in the news ever since it has launched, and I’ve never heard such contradictory opinions about any place. Bloggers have been raving about the food, I know friends who frequent the place on a monthly basis – they love the food that much. And then there is the social media outrage over their reservation policy and how exclusively snooty they are behaving. Always booked, no tables whenever you call and reserve. 

Bee and I were in that part of the city one Sunday afternoon, and I decided to pay a visit and clear the confusion myself. I also believe that the best reviews are done a few weeks after a restaurant is launched. All teething troubles get eliminated, staff is trained, and you get to see the actual representation of the restaurant. This on the other hand is a tad bit too late. LOL