Eating places are dime a dozen everywhere, and of late East Coast Road (ECR) is seeing new places open up in succession. Besides the chain restaurants, a number of independent eating places are also coming up , competing with each other in terms of variety and taste. We recently visited Hibiscus for a meal, located in the ECR, a restaurant with a different look, feel and purpose than its contemporaries. Intrigued by the name Hibiscus, owner Kayal explained to us that since a Hibiscus flower has five petals, they have five elements here including the restaurant. The ground floor houses an organic food store called Vaer; a traditional kitchenware brand Essential Traditions and Matriarch, which curates handloom sarees sourced from weaving clusters across India. There is also a place to hold events. A bakery space called ‘Sweet Story’ has just opened up in the premises as well, and one more dining space, a secret for now, will open up soon here.
The interiors are bright with a lot of plants, emphasizing greenery. There is both casual seating and cosy cabanas, should you like to visit with someone special. The menu is an extensive list of both continental and pan Asian food, so we decided to sample a few dishes. The first of course was an old favourite – bruschettas. They have around three varieties here, however the one we tasted had Feta cheese, fresh tomatoes and garlic on freshly baked bread, drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil. The taste of the bread was fresh and what was good was that the cheese was not extra salty like many Feta cheeses tend to be. This one had been soaked in brine just perfectly.
Next came a dish which really blew us over. Chicken wings which were fried, but served with chillies and curry leaves – the crunch of the chicken extended to crispy curry leaves and the chillies added just the right amount of sharpness to elevate the taste to another level. The humble potato was not ignored either and we had the rather amazing Kung Pao Potato, the first time we had it in a vegetarian iteration. The peanuts went really well with the sweet and sour sauce, and gave a whole new taste profile to a root that we could not even have thought off. This was really smashing.
Time for a pasta. We have always been favourable to spaghetti, so we were delighted with beef meatballs in Arrabbiata sauce in spaghetti. The meatballs were cooked very well with just the right amount of spicing, whilst the sauce had just the right amount of parsley, garlic and tomato sauce, with no one ingredient overpowering the other. We also like the application of dried red chillies, giving the spaghetti just the right amount of hotness. This one comes well recommended.
Hibiscus Café is a place that you need to go when you have some time in hand. The food is unhurried and it shows in the taste. Don’t forget to try their signature iced tea, which is just the thing for a humid day, instilling a freshness in you that’s difficult to describe. Just go there, sit back and relax…you are sure to feel the power of the Hibiscus flower.
Open all days, 12pm to 11pm
Meal for 2: INR 950++