The Wine Rack Mumbai | Not Just For Wine Lovers | Food Review | Restaurant Review

I am not an alcohol fan. I don't go to nightclubs. I am the boring girl who stays home on weekends re-reading Harry Potter or binge watching Parks & Recreation than chill out with a glass of wine at some happening hot-spot. So how does The Wine Rack figure in my scheme of things? Well, I was here for a review and places like these are of special interest to me. If a pure vegetarian non-drinker like me can find a place (specially targeted towards wine lovers) worthy of repeat visit, then it is worth it. And yes, The Wine Rack is worth it :)

Situated inside High Street Phoenix mall, it is a pretty spacious dining destination with 3 distinct areas. Walk in to a lounge/community table area (they conduct wine tastings throughout the week here), followed by a bar/ high chairs area and finally a proper sit-down fine dining area (dimmed lighting). Unmissable array of over 300 varieties of wine from 35 regions around the world, stacked through entire wall length, clearly shows the core focus. The perceived snootiness of wine consumption is completely waved away here as the casual relaxed ambiance is coupled with quick-on-their feet, always smiling and helpful staff who will make just the right suggestion for your wine and dine needs :-) 

For our review session, we started off with a couple of delicious Red & White Wine Sangrias. Not being aware of even A-B-C of any alcohol based drink, I have no idea which brand of wine it was. My sister vouches that both were delicious. I stuck to Fresh Lime Soda and it was freakishly good so I reordered that :D

Started off with KARARI ROTI, the famous dome-shaped crispy roomali roti people usually have as chakhna with drinks, this one had just the right proportion of butter and hint of red chilli + masalas. If we did not know that we had to taste other dishes we would have filled up on this alone.

My absolute FAVORITE of the evening was CHARGRILLED ZUCCHINI KULCHA, with Pesto, Pine Nuts, Goat Cheese elevating it to another level. Masterchef Sarah Todd has done beautiful fusion of Indian and European elements. It was soft, cheesy, gooey coupled with crunchy and fresh, good portion too. 2 of this is enough to fill up a light eater.

GOAT CHEESE CHURROS served with Truffle Cream and Chilli Sauce were my sister's favorite. I am not into Churros much but these were crispy on outside and real cheesy, flavorful, soft inside and felt like heaven with truffle cream dip. My sister would definitely come back for these.

SHIITAKE-WOMBOK MOMO with Ponzu, Chilli Dip - The usual soft texture of momo was gives a crispy cover and shiitake-wombok filling was extremely generous, loved it. BUT I felt that Ponzu (tangy soy based dip) was very salty and made the momo toooo salty, so I suggest stay away from that if you are over-sensitive to salt like me. Otherwise momo was good.

CRISPY TOFU, ENOKI MUSHROOM, HOLY BASIL all Stir Fried, this is one dish that would not generate much excitement on paper, but together the textures of tofu, 2 types of mushroom and basil are explosively good in reality and the gravy it was presented in was flavorful. Recommended for anyone who wants to venture into something unique. 

HALF & HALF PIZZA with one half of MUSHROOM, THYME, GORGONZOLA, CARAMELISED ONIONS and other half of RICOTTA, PARSLEY, PARMESAN WHITE SAUCE, ROCKET. These will warm the heart of anyone who does not like thin crust pizzas that are in vogue nowadays. Thick crust (baked in-house) sourdough pizzas with generous cheese and decent amount of premium toppings. I loved the crust more than the toppings actually :D

SPINACH, GOAT CHEESE, ARTICHOKE Pastilla- My second FAVORITE of the night, this is one healthy option with generous spinach encased in flaky buttery pastry and just a hint of goat cheese. This is for health nuts because spinach is not fancy dressed up,it is just plain boiled version which will not be everyone's cup of tea. I like that they have got this on the menu. 

For desserts, chocolate lovers can go for CHOCOLATE CHILLI MOUSSE with vanilla paprika anglaise- very dense chocolate mousse, I did not really discern any chilli flavor but the chocoholic in me was happy with dark choco deliciousness. It is actually a meal in itself!

 

ICED NOUGAT with red wine pomegranate coulis is for light dessert lovers, this is loaded with nuts and pistachio and creamy to the hilt. It might remind you of the best kesar pista kulfi you have ever had, just a much creamier and gourmet version that I would certainly reorder when I am back here.

So you see, even a non-drinker, pure vegetarian foodie like me loved some choicest dishes here. The Wine Rack, while certainly a heaven for wine lovers, is a welcoming foodie destination for everyone (wine lover or not) with a comprehensive menu designed by Masterchef Sarah Todd and don't forget, it is perpetually Friday Night in here, so brings your friends along to relax :--)