Out of the Blue, Pali Hill, Mumbai

Out of the Blue is arguably one of Suburban Mumbai’s best places to eat, but is definitely one of the best places to hang out. This is a restaurant that appeals to your senses because of the ambiance and the décor. The food is quite good but is not the highlight. The atmosphere at the restaurant is what keeps me going back to Out of the Blue and will doubtless make you want more of the same. Out of the Blue offers its visitors four different options in terms of seating. There is a brightly lit café like option as soon as you enter the restaurant to your left. There is an indoor section on your right. The main seating area is further up which appears like an outdoors option but you realize that is a really high asbestos roof. The outdoor eating area offers two types of seating. The main area is regular tables and chairs, slightly erring on the side of being over crowded. The other option is the table on the sides which are slightly elevated having floor cushions where you will see a whole horde of people whiling away time, drinking and nibbling at very well cooked food – essentially capturing the value proposition of the restaurant. Out of the Blue did have a 5^th option which was actually outdoors on the terrace which was my favorite but they seem to have done away with the same a couple of years back.

The staff is friendly and smart if slightly slow. The lighting is dim, apart from the café seating on the left and they believe in candle light which are covered in some very nice wooden lanterns placed at your tables. The music is not too loud and during times I have visited have been selections from Dire Straits, Clapton and other artists of the 1980’s. The combination of the décor, the lights, the music and the non-interfering casual service make the restaurant a great place to visit someone you love as well as the perfect setting to catch up with a bunch of old friends. The food? It is good without being spectacular. The last time I was there, we ordered the leafy spinach and mushroom soup, the ham and chicken fondue and the Spaghetti Bolognese. The leafy spinach and mushroom soup is a definite re-order in my book. The soup is based in cream and there is a very obvious stock of mushroom used. The leafy spinach add a great texture to the soup and went excellently well with the mushrooms which were cooked just right. The fondue was a disappointment. The chicken and the ham which are pieces served on the side as an alternative to the bread were the savior as the cheese sauce was just not up to the mark and was quite flavorless and tasted of flour more than anything else. We ended up wasting half the bread that was served although the diced meat was juicy and tender. I would recommend that you order the fondue only if you are in a group of 8 or more which would leave two to three pieces of bread for everybody to dip their skewers into the cheese sauce which would be the maximum that one can take before starting to hate the taste. The Spaghetti Bolognese was ok. The sauce was tasty but had a bit too much of an overdose of basil for my liking, there was also too much meat sauce for the amount of spaghetti in the preparation. We rounded off the dinner with some chocolate mud pie which was a highlight but then dessert is one of the specialties of Out of the Blue and you must save space for it if you visit.

Overall a definite recommended for the overall experience. Go there and have a really great evening.

A meal for two at Out of the Blue without drinks would cost you approximately Rs 1600/-. I would usually crib slightly at the expense given the food quality but the ambiance makes it worthwhile.

How to get there: Out of the Blue is at Union Park, Pali Hill. It is located right next to Olive Bar & Kitchen. If you are unfamiliar with Bandra, the easiest way to reach is to take the right at the Café Coffee Day on Carter Road and keep going up the road. The restaurant will fall on your left.