A theatre of food

A theatre of food
Bella Jaisinghani

The Oberoi Hotel in Mumbai recently unveiled what it calls a "contemporary, all-day restaurant", Frangipani, at the Oberoi Towers. The design of the restaurant revolves around the metaphor of a "theatre of food", where the preparation and presentation of the cuisine play the lead role.

The unique selling proposition of this "culinary theatre" is the Italian Soul, a state-of-the-art, wood-fired pizza oven coated in platinum. Here, diners can watch resident Italian chef Igor at work on authentic Italian pizzas, which naturally have a variety of toppings.

Frangipani also provides two "chef's tables", which are compared to "the best seats in town". They allow the guests an even better view of the goings-on.

The restaurant has set up a "hot stage" and a "cold stage" that serve a selection of hot and cold appetisers and salads. The Dessert and Coffee Deli claims to offer the largest selection of freshly brewed coffee in this part of the town. Count among this Jamaican Blue Mountain and Brazil Santos.

The selection of teas includes Earl Grey, Peppermint and Camomile. Chef Ralph is proud of his dessert spread, which includes Tiramisu made with Mascarporne Cheese and Baked Bitter Chocolate Topped with Ganache and Crunchy Coffee Nougatine.

An etched glass wall beyond the "stages" lists the names of herbs and spices in English, and Sanskrit, though you wonder why. The stress does seem to lie heavy on the spices used in their kitchen, for spice displays have been set up along the facade and in the restaurant.

The rest of Frangipani has been done up in white Calcutta marble in order to convey a quiet elegance and make dining there an easy and pleasant experience. Artefacts have been displayed along the walls and the drapes used are purple and orange, to complement the rest of the decor.