Mumbai's new restaurant with a side of art, Circle Sixty Nine

While the majority of restaurant owners will assure you that the art displayed on their walls isn't an afterthought, some establishments go over and above with works that would be worthy of a museum. At these places there is just as much to admire on the walls as there is to enjoy on the plate. Circle Sixty Nine in Mumbai is one of them.

Circle Sixty Nine is the work of Sangita Kathiwada an avid patron of the arts and Aditi Dugar who comes with a formidable gastronomic reputation as the woman behind award winning restaurant Masque. Add to that the location — a 1940s art deco building! It’s no surprise that Circle Sixty Nine is heaving with people when I visited it on the second day of its launch.

The women behind Circle Sixty Nine, Sangita Kathiwada and Aditi Dugar.

This newest art bistro is a feast for the senses. The magic unfolds as soon as you push past the wooden gates into a lush canopied walkway dotted with swaying barringtonia trees. This is the alfresco space designed for leisurely breakfasts and romantic candlelit dinners. It also houses a small shiva temple.

The main dining room at Circle Sixty Nine has been designed by Kathiwada herself with a playful palette of dusky pink, marshmallow white and smouldering lamps. The most arresting feature here is a giant, somewhat trippy mural by Shilo Shiv Suleiman an award-winning Indian artist. The work is a nod to the spirit of the women behind Circle Sixty Nine (Sangita Kathiwada and Aditi Dugar) and also reflects the flora and fauna around the house. Further inside shelves dance with ceramic pieces from Japanese ceramist Hiro Ajiki and American studio potter Ray Meeker, all from Kathiwada’s personal collection.

MF Husain's furniture sketches at Circle Sixty Nine, Mumbai.

There’s also a Husain lurking on the walls! Not his famous horses but furniture sketches. Much before he became ‘Husain the artist,’ MF Husain also dabbled in furniture making. The framed sketches at Circle Sixty Nine are his drawings for the furniture he made for the royal family of Dhrangadgra. Kathiwada snagged it when it came up for auction. More artworks from FN Souza and P Barwe add to the earthy aesthetics.

Evenings at Circle Sixty Nine

But it’s not just all art at Circle Sixty Nine. Equally delightful is the food — put together with skill and plated with precision. First to come on the table was the flat bread with a lingering chew and the fresh, nudging tang of light San Marzano tomatoes. The roasted beetroot and orange salad looked like a work of fine art and tasted just as divine. The orange and chili dressing shook the palate awake with its tart, herbal freshness.

Roasted Beetroot & Orange

Then there was the charred eggplant brûlée with its lip-tingling, sweet and sour glaze. And though the roasted cauliflower was a bit overdone there was ample consolation in the deftly spiced goat cheese-stuffed shishito peppers.

Goat Cheese-Stuffed Shishito Peppers

The raw mango ceviche added a memorable punch to the party. Mains include a nuanced lasagna bobbing with basil oil and also a dramatically braised pork belly on a bed of pickled cabbage. I finished with a warm chocolate custard (more a souffle than a custard) with impossible lightness and a limoncello sorbet that had the vivaciousness and punch I had been searching for. An eyeful of the vibrant Souza painting was the perfect accompaniment.

Mulberry Sorbet

Where: Kathiwada City House, 69, Sir Pochkhanwala Road, Worli, Mumbai. Timings: 10am-11pm. Only by reservations. Call: +91-8169894240. Meal for two: Rs 3,000 (without alcohol)