Volare-Flying High with Chef Antonello at The Westin Garden City, Mumbai

The Westin Garden City is the last five star property on the map of Mumbai as one travels from South to North and is often an unsung hero where F&B is concerned, despite boasting of some remarkably fabulous chefs like Chef Ajay Chopra and Chef Rahul Dhavale manning its kitchens. Chef Antonello Cancedda is the latest addition to this team and we were recently invited to taste his newly curated menu.

As we entered into the foyer of The Westin Garden City and made our way towards Prego, we were greeted at their Island bBar with flutes of a spritzy and delightfully refreshing Sparkling along with some antipasti of cheese and olives to the tune of Dean Martin’s rendition of Volare playing in the background, thus setting the tone for the evening.

Our tasting session opens off with an Amuse Bouche of red currants and microgreens on a bed of asparagus pannacotta. Served in tiny jars, the presentation was beautiful and looked every bit worthy of the finest restaurants in the world. The flavourful explosion in my mouth as I put in a scoop of the creamy pannacotta in my mouth is indescribable. The currants and microgreens added to the textures, providing the dish with the necessary tanginess and crunchiness.

The Burrata trio salad which was brought in next screamed Garden Fresh with each bite. The creamy runny burrata, the tomatoes and the baby spinach, delicately brought together with a delicious Italian dressing made by the chef, was a simple but elegant serving to the table.

As we tucked into our next glorious rounds of Swiss Chards and ricotta cheese filled Vegetable Pie and a delicious platter of Prosciutto, we heard the strumming of a guitar and we noticed Chef Antonello walk in doing his rendition of the popular Dean Martin song‌.Volare ! In the happy space that we were, the entire table also joined in, and soon the song turned into a medley of Volare with Chura Liya Hai Tumne, the Bollywood youth anthem from the 70s. Chef Antonello,apart from being a wizard in the kitchen, also happens to be a magician with the guitar and has picked up quite a few Hindi numbers during his previous stint at Bangalore.
With the table already jamming, the dinner service was transformed into a medley of chatter, laughter, singing and one after the other, orgasmic delights from his kitchen that included a Duck Ragu, a Lobster & Fennel bisque, an eggplant and zucchini pizza topped with truffle oil (which was beautifully rustic and oozing with cheesy goodness, just the way I love), and a platter of Grilled Australian Lamb chops with a rosemary jus. This was very ably paired with some wonderful Italian wines ranging from a PinotGrigio to a Barolo from the catalog of The Wine Park.
The medley of desserts weredelicious tidbits, including a canola, a traditional tiramisu and the Bavarian cream, which rounded off the meal quite well.

The tasting was indeed a journey through Italy in its truest form. Not only did the dishes evoke memories of the Mediterranean, the sea, the mountains, the green fields and the fresh air in its entirety, but the music, the chatter, the laughter and the wines created an ambiance that made us feel that we were in Italy sitting with an Italian Famiglia on a terrace overlooking the deep blue sea over an endless meal. As I reflect back, the words from Volare ring in my ears and kind of stand atestimonyto what that evening truly was –

Volare, oh oh…  

Cantare, ohohoho… 

Nel blu dipinto di blu  

Felice di stare lassù  

E volavo, volavo felice  

Più in alto del sole ed ancora più su

Mentre il mondo pian piano spariva, lontano laggiù  

Una musica dolce suonava soltanto per me  

(Flying, oh oh…

Singing, ohohoho…

Blue painted in the blue

Happy to be up there

And I was flying, flying happily

Higher than the sun and even higher

While the world was slowly disappearing, far beneath

A soft music was playing just for me)

Meal per person: Rs.2000 plus taxes | Alcohol: Yes | Credit Card: Yes|
Timing: 12 pm to 12 am | Wheelchair access : Yes

Address: International Business Park, Oberoi Garden City, Goregaon East, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400063

Telephone: 022 6736 1050

Disclaimer: This review was done on an invitation from the restaurant. Due judgment and care
has been applied by the author to remain objective and unbiased in the review, but readers
need to consider this review keeping this fact in mind.