Restaurant Review: SmokeHouse Deli, Pali Hill, Bandra

Hey from EL The Cook!

Mumbai has some of the hippest and tastiest restaurants in the country and we decided to swing by Smoke House Deli in Bandra this past week for some great food!

Smoke House Deli is a cozy place located on Pali Hill.. It is also one of the few places which accepts children below the age of 15 on a Saturday night, we scouted 3 restaurants before landing up at Smoke House, relieved.

The staff was quite hospitable and accommodated us without a reservation too.

The ambiance is classic and reflects the traditional Bandra atmosphere with murals of catholic ladies and gents on the walls. Smoke House Deli, takes pride in the stories told on its walls and have especially made tiny QR codes which you can scan on your phone to tell you more about the graffiti!   

ASSORTED BRUSCHETTA

Tomato, Feta Chickpea, Onion Spinach and Artichoke bit sized bruschetta is served up on a cheese board. The assortment served missed out on the artichoke one.

The tomato one is fresh and the umami of the feta is unique! The chick pea one is earthy and moderately heavy on the palette. The onion-spinach has a leafy, buttery texture with garlicky notes!

A great dish, except the artichoke bruschetta wasn't served which was a miss.

GRILLED VEGETABLE AND CHEDDAR TART

Smoke House Deli, served us their Grilled Veggie tart next, grilled veggies enveloped in a cheesy sauce is baked into a tart shell!

 Homely flavors shine through this lovely dish. The peppery argula salad compliments the cheesy sauce, bringing a great balance to the dish! 

PORK CHORIZO RISOTTO

A special on the menu, we decided on a Pork Chorizo Risotto. The presentation of the dish is outstanding, really highlighting the creamy risotto center!

The smear of balsamic works well with the smoky pork choriz meat. The rice is perfectly cooked and seasoned well.  

SAUTEED TENDERLOIN STRIPS WITH SHITAKE

Buff tenderloin is always a questionable experience as the meat is not as tender as beef. Nevertheless Smoke House Deli steak pit, written on the menu was inviting!

The meat we ordered was medium and was cooked precisely to that. The shitake sauce gave a wonderful meaty texture to the gravy! The sour cream added a nice tang and made the gravy creamier and smoother!

The hidden surprise was the herbed mash, which came as a shock to us as we had almost finished the brilliantly cooked meat and encountered a dollop of mash below..It was a challenge to finish the spud and resulted in an uncanny heavy dish.

VANILLA PANNACOTTA WITH SWEET BASIL SEEDS

Pannacotta is a dessert chefs true test, with patrons now examining the wobble, touch, texture etc. of the dessert!

Smoke House Deli, served us some psychedelic looking pannacotta with a smears of chocolate interrupted by sabja (sweet basil seeds)

The pannacotta is undoubtedly made brilliantly with its wobble and other geometric features perfect. But what really confused us was the slimy sabja seeds, which didn't compliment the vanilla nor the chocolate. A dish which clearly needs to be more refined!

Smoke House Deli, a hospitable and quaint restaurant located at the bustling Pali Hill, Bandra

The food is rustic and homely; coupled with the ambiance, really sets the joint apart from the rest!

The taste and textures of great food are bought out in most dishes, however slight refinement in terms of ingredient pairing and presentation on a plate need to be worked on!

EL The Cook recommends a visit to Smoke House Deli for some real soul food!