Skky, Mumbai – Romancing the Stars, Through the Stomach!

Located behind the Rennaisance hotel in Powai next to the Powai lake and on the outskirts of the Aarey Milk Colony, the Skky Resto bar and lounge is a visual delight, with water bodies surrounding the seating arrangement giving it a serene eclectic feel. The giant screen showing off psychedelic images adds to the effect. The starry skies above make it a perfect place for a romantic evening for a couple or a chill out zone for larger groups. The mosquitoes, however, can play havoc at times (which the management assures to keep in check through repellent coils and consistent pest control – both of which were lacking when I was there)!

Apart from the beautiful setting, another upside for the place is its extensive menu covering Chinese, Indian,

Sashimi sampler

Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Malaysian, Thai, and Vietnamese cuisines. Their forte however seems strongly to be in their oriental fare. Ram Kumar Rana-their Junior Sous chef was very kind in suggesting us a tasting of several specialities criss-crossing over several cuisines of the far east and started off our evening with a Tom kha phak (Rs.200) which I found a bit heavy on coco milk and lacking in the distinctive flavor of kafir lime leaves. The California rolls (Rs.300) and the Assorted Sashimi Platter(Rs.1200) was very nicely done using fresh ingredients, I also rated the Chicken Crystal dumplings (Rs.300) and the Veg Crystal Dumplings (Rs.200) quite high as the wrappers were thin and translucent and the filling very flavourful and light. Another very interesting dish of the night was the Sichuan corn curd (Rs. 300), fried corn curd crunchy on the outside and soft and silky on the inside married intelligently with a slightly tangy and spicy Sichuan sauce a complete fusion ofspicy, sweet and savoury.

The Wasabi Prawns with Tobiko (Rs. 900) was a bit of a let-down as it was quite chewy and hard. The chef very kindly brought me a small portion of the Crispy Peking duck (Rs.2200) to try, though the skin was not too crunchy, the duck was quite soft and melt in the mouth. In the mains we tried the Lotus fried rice (Rs. 350) served in lotus leaf, a Barbeque Chicken fried rice(Rs.350), a Cantonese Style Tenderloin (Rs. 475), Sichuan MapoTofu (Rs. 350) and Wok tossed pokchoy (Rs.300). What stood out in all these items was that the chef had done true justice to each and every ingredient used to bring the dish together. The Pokchoy dish was my favorite as it had clean flavours and each ingredient retained their individual identity and yet brought the dish together as one.

To finish off we tried a sampler of desserts which consisted of a Coconut n pine nut pancake(Rs.250), a White Chocolate and Grand Marnier Cheese cake (Rs. 250), a Banoffee Pie(Rs.250) and a Hand crafted Kiwi Basil ice cream (Rs. 250). The coconut and pine nut pancake was crisp, wafery with sweet pine nuts filling (reminded me of baklava and yet not so dense), though the star was most certainly the hand crafted soft and creamy ice cream with the strong basil flavor.

Though the meal was satisfying and the chef and his attention to details top notch, the same cannot be said of the poor service that we received at the restaurant. At one point, my partner asked a question regarding a drink to a server who never came back to the table. Dirty plates took their time to be cleaned and green tea was served cold. If it not had been for the chef and his attention, the amazing food experience would have faded due to the lack of service.

I wish the management can work out the kinks in its service and, off course – the ubiquitous mosquitoes, Skky lounge would most definitely be a place of choice for romancing couples and groups alike.It most certainly would be mine for sure!

Ratings (Out of 5)

Food: 3.0 | Ambience: 3.5 | Service: 2.5 | Overall: 3.0

Meal for two:Rs.2000 – Rs.2500 (Without Alcohol)| Alcohol: Yes | Credit Card: Yes | Timing: 5.00 PM to 1:00 AM|

Address: Ramada Hotel & Convention Centre, Saki Vihar Road, Powai, Mumbai Tel: 022 6777 6000

Sashimi sampler