A heavy price to pay
Located in the extremely posh Phoenix mall of Lower Parel, Typhoon Shelter takes fine dining to the next level. Although, we were visiting on a weekday, we deemed it best to make a reservation. However, the Mumbai traffic delayed us and we reached about half an hour late but the staff was kind enough to hold the table. The fact that the restaurant wasn’t full probably helped.
As soon as we were seated, we got to ordering. The waiter introduced himself and went on to politely ask us if we would like to start with a bottle of liquor. They serve signature cocktails as well as popular concoctions. We asked the waiter to suggest two vodka-based cocktails and he recommended the Ba (₹895) and Tidal Mist (₹895), which he explained in detail. We trusted his instinct and went with it, and we were not disappointed. The drinks were subtle and had fresh flavours. But for the price that they charged, it seemed highly inadequate.
We also ordered for starters simultaneously. Their options are not as varied as we would have liked them to be. We went with the Succulent Lamb Crystal Ball Dim Sum (₹445) and Sing-A-Ling King Fish (₹595). The portions seemed rather small, with the dim sum dish having just three pieces, and the fish being only a medium-sized piece of kingfish. The lamb in the dim sums was perfectly cooked, had a clear covering with strong flavours, and pleasantly melted in the mouth. The fish was just rightly cooked and the spicy sauce that it was cooked in made it an absolute delight.
As we were observing the décor, we noticed that the ceiling had created an illusion of thunder and lightning which was interesting. The restaurant, being an Asian outlet, was also playing historic videos of Hong Kong, in an attempt to spread more information about the country and culture. The bar was extensive and the entire place had a very authentic Asian vibe to it.
For the main course, the waiter suggested the Yuan Dynasty Lamb Clay Pot (₹695) paired with Steamed Jasmine Rice (₹445). The lamb dish was aplenty with vegetables such as green beans and carrots but lacked flavour. It felt like the lamb was trying to overcompensate for the lack of texture in the dish.
We wanted to round off the meal with desserts and decided to go with the Colourcomb (₹475), only because we felt the description was extremely interesting. The dish was made of berries, cucumber granite, honey ganache and nougatine, among other fancy ingredients. All in all, the restaurant seemed extremely fancy, but the food failed to impress us, especially considering the price they charged.