Inspired by the ‘daily’ or the morning newspaper, The Daily Bar and Kitchen (formerly known as simply ‘The Daily’) used to be a popular watering hole just behind Shoppers Stop in Bandra. Since they’ve undergone a renovation late last year, there’s been a lot of changes taking place at this restaurant – the latest being that they’re open for lunch all week long!
Bar comes before Kitchen at the Daily and that’s because they’ve got their drinks down to a science. While experimenting with classic drinks like Sangrias, they’ve also got refreshing cocktails and mocktails and an impressive range of alcohol!
The new menu is fresh, healthy and downright delicious! Vegans will find plenty of options here –salads like Three Watermelon, Herbed Quinoa and Poached Pear & Baby Arugula is just the tip of the iceberg!
AMBIANCE
While there’s no dearth of bars and eateries in the area, the Daily Bar and Kitchen has been a long-time favourite thanks to its ability to stand out with quality and consistency. This monochrome themed restaurant has an alfresco section that’s slightly larger than the a/c section. The theme of the restaurant is upheld by posting various news articles all over, similar to the viral ones you see on Buzzfeed. Overhead as well, you’ll find sheets of news hanging from the ceiling. They have a great choice of upbeat music too.
SERVICE
The service was particularly slow on the weekend that I visited. When I entered, the place was empty and our first dish came to us quickly. From there on, the place filled up and service lacked in almost every aspect but politeness. The staff seemed a little scattered and dishes took painfully long to arrive. At one point, we were so bored that we ordered French Fries. After having main course (which again took an eternity to arrive), our French Fries arrived along with dessert.
I will give them full marks for their recommendations though. A couple of times, we went with their selection even though we had mentally crossed it off and it was spectacular!
FOOD
Price-wise, the menu centres around Rs. 300 to Rs. 450, which is quite reasonable for the quality and quantity served. But like I said, the food took forever and a day to arrive but in most cases, it was definitely worth the wait!
Mocktails
I ordered the Midas Touch (super sweet) and Tiffany Twisted (pretty good!)
Haloumi Cheese and Watermelon Bites
I LOVED this dish and it was one of the better starters of the day. It was pretty to look at, fun to eat and was an explosion of flavour and texture. The figs give it a fabulous meat-like, yet nutty taste; the cheese was flavoursome and watermelon was sweet and juicy. Decorative dots of various sauces all over the plate and mango salsa made it visually appealing and added more flavour.
Pan-Seared Tofu Stir-Fry
I didn’t like this one! It had a weird after-taste that was off-putting but we ate all the yummy baby bok choy on the plate.
Slow Roasted Pork Sandwich
Loved everything about this sandwich! The bread was buttery and toasted to perfection. The pork is said to be imported and I must say it was spiced wonderfully! I wouldn’t have thought that pineapple paired well with pork but it added a whole new depth of flavour. Every bite of this home-cooked-like sandwich was a pleasure!
Buerre Noisette John Dory
I hadn’t even considered ordering this but did so on the strong recommendation of the wait staff. This was the best one at the Daily Bar and Kitchen. A Pan Roasted Australian white fish served in plum tomato and kafir lime risotto with a butter-line sauce! The tanginess and tartness of the sauce was complimented by the delicately seasoned, perfectly cooked fish. The perfect crispy skin on the fillet was brilliant and we couldn’t stop digging in. Highly recommended!
Nutella Sea Salt Pancakes
The pancakes looked like more of a cake than a pancake and had more flour than nutella. It was delicious, nevertheless and I could get the saliva-inducing taste of sea salt mixed in with the chocolate. Only, after a large meal, a heavy dessert like this one was a struggle. I’m not sure if it was the long wait time or the hot pancake, but the whipped cream on top melted into a puddle of milk by the time I got it.
Dark Chocolate Chip Waffles
The dessert selection is limited to 4 heavy items namely waffles, two kinds of pancakes and French Toast. I’d have loved to see something cream or chocolate based on the menu such as a cheesecake, sundae or panna cotta. Anyway, the waffles were decent. Could have done with some chocolate sauce!
Drop in for a Sunday Brunch or weekday lunch and you’ll have the place all to yourself. If you drink, you’re bound to love it!
Price for 2 – Rs. 2000 with alcohol
Address – Ground Floor Behind Shoppers Stop, SV Road, Linking Road, Bandra West
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