HITCHKI
Where: 59, Dr VB Gandhi Marg, Behind Rhythm House, Kala Ghoda
When: 8 am to 1 am
Cost: About Rs 1,800 for a meal for two with one cocktail each
Rating: 2 / 5
The music is roaring when we step in. We flee upstairs to the dining section to distance ourselves from the thump of the bar. It helps, though most the tables are occupied by a gang of boisterous school teachers celebrating a colleague’s farewell.
Hitchki is an amalgam of several popular restaurant food, drink and design trends. It’s not difficult to spot elements taken from Social, The Bombay Canteen, Bombay Vintage and almost every newly opened, cheaply priced bar. It’s almost like watching a Hindi film and pointing out scenes lifted from Hollywood movies.
We start with a deconstructed missile pav. Served in a compartmentalised steel tray, it didn’t look or taste very different from a misal served in any office canteen.
The Indian-Chinese steamed baos with a chilli chicken filling were fluffy, spicy and fun, but hardly noteworthy.
There were only two hits: the khana makana, with lotus puffs served separately from a watermelon curry with cubes of the fruit. You got the crunchiness of the makana, the crisp fruit and the sweet-sourness of the curry. And there was the light, firm, delicately flavoured, tender coconut panna cotta. The chopped pineapple topping can be removed.
Our drinks though were disasters. The lemongrass was so overpowering in the vodka-based swadeeka that it tasted like liquid Odomos. The overly sweet jeera kokum had an unpleasant finish of bitters, and the only thing you could taste in the smoke da sour made with orange marmalade, whisky, orange juice, sweet-sour mix and cherry-flavoured smoke was smoke.
What works in Hitchki’s favour is the pricing. A single pour of Indian rum costs as little as Rs 69 during happy hours and Rs 99 after; many of the cocktails are Rs 149 during happy hours and Rs 249 after.
For some, that’s a good to revisit; those who think the food and drink should also taste good, aren’t likely to return.
(HT pays for all meals and reviews anonymously)
