Perched on the second floor of the Phoenix Palladium mall is Julius, a fine dining restaurant that pays homage to the Roman dictator it is named after. During our brief trip to the city of dreams (Mumbai) last week, we stopped by the restaurant to grab lunch. Drawing inspiration from Europe’s seasonal approach to cooking, the restaurant offers a modern take on royal feasts of 49 BC - 44 BC with delicacies from regions like Romagna, Sicily, Greek, Regional France, South Germany, and Turkey among others.
We visited the recently opened spot on a Monday afternoon and had the place pretty much to ourselves. A ginormous bar covering the wall greets the diners at the entrance and the elegant interiors in the hues of light blue and white escort us inside to a regal dining hall lined with sapphire chesterfield sofas, hand-painted chandeliers and a gold framed mirror featuring an illustration of Julius.
Soon after we chose a cosy nook and settled in, a plate with a mini macaron and a basket of soft bread made their way to our table. With no leftover of the scrumptious amuse-bouche on the table, we were off to a promising start. On the chef’s recommendation, we began the meal with Cream of Asparagus, a soup prepared with fresh asparagus, sour cream and milk as the primary ingredients. The creamy delight was on point.
We then raised a small toast with a couple of drinks, Peach Ice Tea and a gin-based elderflower cocktail. A special shout out to the former drink, whose aroma sent us to a laid-back mode. The gin on the other hand was a perfect pairing to our starter, which was the Cold Talastas Platter. The platter boasting hummus, labneh, moutabal and house-baked pita bread was visually appealing, thanks to the plating that followed the rule of odds. We took time to savour each element served and to say the least, everything on the plate complimented each other very well.
For mains, we sampled a Roman classic titled Fettuccine Aglio E Olio. The dish where fettuccine pasta is tossed with sliced garlic, fresh herbs and more in olive oil. It was buttery, chewy and luscious. We skipped dessert but we hear the Baklava and the Chestnut Brulee are to die for. The enchanting allure of this sophisticated restaurant and its delectable European fare will definitely keep us coming back for more.
₹2,000 for two approximately. At Lower Parel