No, this isn’t the MasterChef version of the Mystery Box I’m unveiling today. No, I didn’t have to cook a dish using a mish-mash of ingredients that don’t fit together. This Mystery Box is different. This Mystery Box comes laden with goodies of the sweet and savory kind. This Mystery Box is a lovely patisserie in Mumbai’s sugar capital, Bandra. Read on to know more.

This six month old patisserie and cafe, is helmed by co-partners Chef Shahzad Variava and marketing man Ajay Agarwal. If the former name rings a bell because you’ve seen him on the small screen during his stint as a MasterChef India season two contestant. That explains the name of the patisserie, doesn’t it? I spent a lovely evening at The Mystery Box among croissants, chocolates, and conversation with the chef.

Lets play one of those word association games. I say the words – Mexican cuisine. You react with one of the following – nachos, tacos, burritos, quesadillas, spicy, beans, salsa, and/or guacamole. Debunking all myths associated with our version of Mexican cuisine was Chef Tania Tovar, an Excecutive Mexican chef flown down all the way from Mexico city. She’s spending over a month in the country, travelling to major metros and giving Indians a taste of authentic Mexican cuisine.

I had the opportunity to meet Chef Tania at Sofitel Hotel, Mumbai where she’s cooking up her creations as a part of the Hola Mexicana food festival on till the 5th of February with a rotating menu everyday. Here are excerpts from the chat I had with her:

On True Mexican Cuisine: She spoke deeply about how the Mexican food that the world over has known to love are Tex-Mex and adapted recipes. Authentic Mexican food is a lot more than tacos and nachos, is fairly simple, and includes a lot of fresh ingredients used as a whole – Tomatoes, jalapenos, olives, avocados, seafood, meat and loads of chillies. Hold back on the refried beans she says! Though Mexican food has the potential to be very versatile, case in point – a mexican sushi she has created. I’d love to see an Indian-Mexican fusion on the similar lines. (Masala Library does an interesting Baingan Bharta Quesadilla FYI).

On Cooking in India: She draws parallels between Indian and Mexican food over the use of a lot of similar ingredients and the spice palette. We Indians are very experimental and open to trying newer cuisines is what has surprised her. Her greatest challenge so far has been trying to create a Jain Mexican dish without onion and garlic on request of a diner.  

On Being Mistaken for an Indian: Having a common Indian name and some desi features has led to a lot of people asking her if she has Indian roots.

Very rarely when we go out for a fine-dine, gourmet meal in the city do we eat Indian food. It’s usually the Oriental, Italian, Continental route that we pick instead of desi fare. There are a few establishments in the city that offer gourmet Indian fare may it be North Indian or South Indian food. Soma at the Grand Hyatt, Santacruz is one such restaurant that I’ve been wanting to visit since a while. 

Having eaten at all of the Hyatt’s restaurants, each of which offer top notch food, Soma was yet to be struck off my list. I recently got the opportunity to dine at this restaurant that offers authentic Indian and North West Frontier province cuisine, as a part of their Punjab-Di-Shaan food festival. On from January 25th to February 15th, they’re serving up some delicious, authentic Punjabi street food and ghar ka khaana. Makkhan maar ke!

Soma is done up in the most subtle neutrals along with contemporary art murals that highlight the walls here. Very classy and simple unlike Indian restaurants. Also they have an open show-kitchen so that you can see your kebabs and have them too!

If you’ve been following me on social media you would have noticed me making a huge spectacle of my birthday week. I love birthdays, more so my birthdays. A week long celebration that includes family, friends, fun, shopping and of course food! Out of all the places I ate out at, here are three I visited for the first time and thought were noteworthy enough to share with you’ll. These three places have been on my ‘Must-Eat-At’ list since a while, and I was glad I got to strike them out. In no specific order, here they are! 

I. Bombay Salad Co.

I’ve been dying to visit this place ever since it’s launch because I’ve eaten Chef Karishma Dalal’s food before and I know she’s a maverick when it comes to making healthy food taste good. I’m the last to order salad at a restaurant, let alone celebrate my birthday lunch at a place that serves only salads, multigrain sandwiches, wraps, smoothies, and juices. But here I was, after having heard some wonderful reviews.

The ‘Wow’ Factors: The salad menu is exhaustive with tons of options for vegetarians as well. The items go beyond the basic Ceasar salad et al., and include a number of quirky ingredients you wouldn’t imagine in a salad along with your healthy basics. There’s also a salad bar, to mix and match your ingredients, if customization is your thing. Moderately priced, the salads come in a large or a small bowl, and the server gives you the option of eating it cold or warm.

The Samurai (Rs. 215/- for a small bowl) comes with lettuce, a bed of soba noodles flavored with teriyaki and a soy dressing along with mushrooms, brocolli, peanuts- and was my favorite of the lot. The Protein Overdose (Rs. 215/- for a small bowl) comes with egg white, shredded beef and assorted greens which makes it a must order if you’re a meat lover. Our juices came freshly squeezed and barring any sugar. Our Goan Pork Sausage sandwich (Rs. 295/-) may not be a healthy pick, but upped the ante on the taste front. Ask for their Dark Chocolate sorbet which isn’t on the menu, you’ll be shocked anything healthy can taste that good!