The new entrant to the restaurant scene in Andheri goes by the name of The Canary. More than a food joint, it is a London-inspired mead taproom showcasing modern British pub culture. The space is split into two zones — the sit-out which is recommended for the evenings and the inside restaurant, where the décor is unobtrusive lending an informal vibe. Tables and seating are simple with no unnecessary décor element thrust upon the guests.
The Canary belongs to the hospitality start-up Origin Restaurants. It promises to deliver a modern and fresh episode through its food, music, alongwith Origin’s painstakingly produced experimental craft meads on tap with Continental cuisine and a dash of everything else thrown in. The menu even has a mead-battered fish with chips and tartar dip.
The mead concept is relatively new in comparison to fine wines and craft beer. It is an alcoholic beverage made by fermenting honey mixed with water. The Restaurant Manager Nikhil explains that The Wild Series is Origin’s style-defying approach to creating commercial sour meads — which means most of the yeast used to ferment the mead comes naturally from whatever fruit/ flower they put in.
We couldn’t resist trying our first mead. So it was the ladies-mead Geisha for me. It is a basil honey mead aged intensely over peach. A mead fermented with locally sourced basil honey aged on peach pulp. It impresses with its sweet and savoury notes — a peachy flavour and a basil-y undertone hit your palate. We also tried the wild-fermented hibiscus mead called The Potion Ivy fermented with the yeast from hibiscus flower.
Grilled Veg Burger |
They have the Full Monty English breakfast served with sausage, baked beans, grilled balsamic tomato, and sauteed mushrooms. For a mid-day snacky meal their Burger pockets should suffice. From Shawarma pockets — sumac scented chicken with garlic toum, fries and pickles — to Grilled Veg patty with cheddar or Fried Chicken burger, they are as good as one can expect.
As it was a lunch visit, we opted for a full course meal. Watermelon and feta salad drizzled with balsamic reduction and crushed peanuts was followed by starters of Disco fries with gravy, sour cream salsa. Delectable Toasted Nachos with guacamole, salsa and sour cream is a must-try here.
Toasted Nachos |
A section of the menu puts forth Bowl Meals like Thai Curry loaded with veggies in a coconut and herb gravy over jasmine rice, Cheese Curry with rice and Tikka Masala with paratha or rice. We skipped this and went with the rich, creamy Penne pasta in alfredo sauce and garlic bread. We wound up with yummy sizzling brownie with black sesame ice cream.
For those interested in meads — they have seasonal/rotational meads which they continually brew. There’s a Germany’s Gose-inspired Sheeng Wan Psychosis, a mind-erupting Limon Portal, a fruity-yet-hoppy Pandawine, a spicy and desserty Stone Temple and The Newton, which is an apple-cidery mead. Ask the bar for their seasonal small-batch meads on tap.
Cost for two: Rs 2500+ taxes
