Gaylord, Mumbai: How an icon changed and remained the same

Gaylord’s new menu comprises of (sic) perfectly presented molecular dishes,” said the press release, and my heart sank a little. Gaylord, a Mumbai institution, my one-time favourite haunt, one of the few still-standing, old-time stalwarts, where the service was always warm and the food delectable. I hadn’t visited Gaylord since breaking away from the corporate world more than five years ago; many a team lunch had been devoured there, followed by the inevitable post-lunch stupor at the desk, willing the clock to move faster. I had to see first-hand this new, molecular avatar, and I roped in a friend, a long-time Churchgate resident and a regular at restaurant (though she too hadn’t visited it for at least five years).

Walking through the doors of Gaylord was like stepping through a time portal—the outdoor patio with its wrought-iron garden chairs, the warmly lit indoor seating, the striped upholstery, everything looked exactly as I remembered it; even the maître d’ and at least two of the servers looked familiar. We perused the menu and were happy to note that it remained much the same, with a few tweaks in each section, a “star” highlighting the “new treats”. We decided to stick to the new dishes.

Our first pick was Dahi Cheese Rolls ( ₹ 300), soft roulades of paneer, crisp on the outside, with a creamy yogurt and cream cheese filling, spiked with chillies. The dish was presented prettily on a wooden board, with the six rolls arranged on individual plating spoons—a distinctly non-Gaylord style of serving (perhaps this is what they meant by molecular?). The rolls are deliciously crunchy and spicy and make for a lovely start to the meal.

We skipped the soups and salads and headed for the mains. Since the “Continental” menu doesn’t have many new dishes (there’s a Chicken Hawaii, but I refuse to eat cooked pineapple), we focused on the Indian menu. We were sorely tempted to order the Murg Makhani (perhaps the best butter chicken in town), but the maître d’ interjected with, “It’s the same old butter chicken, try something new.” Something new is the Cooker da Kukkad ( ₹ 480), which arrived at the table in a cute, red-enamelled pressure cooker. As the server lifted the lid, the aroma of chicken and khada masala had us salivating. The dish was generously portioned (two drumsticks and two large breast pieces), the chicken beautifully cooked, tender and juicy, and the spice-infused thick curry spectacular. We ordered a Butter Naan ( ₹ 89) to mop up the gravy.

Next we eyed the seafood and the Samundar Ka Sher (lobster medallions in curry) sounded perfect, but it was not available. So we moved on to the next “new” item in the “Machhli Benazeer” section and asked for the West Coast Pomfret. Without hesitation, the maître d’ informed us that because of the monsoon they only had frozen pomfret. We decided to skip the fish altogether and moved to the “Gosht La-Jawab” section. The new treat is Gosht Shahi Korma ( ₹ 515), a mildly spiced, creamy lamb curry with perfectly cooked lamb, the cashew-nut gravy redolent with saffron, and slivers of almonds adding a pleasing texture. We also tried the sole new treat from the vegetarian mains: Chatpata Aloo ( ₹ 430) is a dry preparation of spicy baby potatoes which is flavourful but pales in comparison to the stellar meat dishes.

The dessert menu remains unchanged, though the restaurant does offer a new, not-on-the-menu dessert, Khubani Ka Meetha, the Hyderabadi halwa made with dried apricots. It wasn’t available so we settled for the classic Gaylord dessert of Baked Alaska ( ₹ 370). This house speciality has been on the menu since inception and involves a bit of drama at the table. Vanilla sponge layered with fruit and ice cream is completely covered with soft meringue peaks, doused with brandy, and flambéed at the table. I ate this for the first time at age 15 or thereabouts, and I remember being quite taken in by the flambé and the sweet concoction of cake and ice cream. Two decades later, with a mature (or jaded?) palate, I found the dessert too sweet, the canned fruit (and the un-pitted cherries) jarring, and the flambé no longer fascinating. The dessert serving was huge and we had a few bites each before abandoning it; sometimes a dash of nostalgia is just not enough.

There’s nothing particularly molecular about the new dishes at Gaylord, other than perhaps just an updated plating style. The food is still quintessentially Gaylord—well made and flavourful. Despite the less-than-perfect end to the meal, we had satisfied smiles on our faces—a rare phenomenon these days despite an overcrowded restaurant scene and a plethora of cuisine choices. In a sea of debutantes, sometimes it’s the grande dame who steals the show. We will return another time for the Murg Makhani and the “Conti” favourite, Chicken à la Kiev.

Talk plastic

Our meal—one appetizer, three mains, one bread, and one dessert—cost ₹ 2,588, all inclusive (service charge not included in the bill).

Gaylord, Mayfair Building, Veer Nariman Road, Churchgate, Mumbai (22821259/22044693). Open from noon-3.30pm and 7.30-11.30pm (the bakery and patio seating is open from 10am-11pm).