Stepping into Mumbai’s charming new café, Terttulia, is enough to transport you to a café tucked away in a cobbled street in a tiny little European town. Except this restaurant is in the heart of Mumbai’s bustling Shivaji Park district. After establishing itself as one of Pune’s most loved cafes seven years ago, Terttulia recently opened its second branch in Mumbai to rave reviews. It is not often that a restaurant’s décor is as praised as the food. Terttulia impresses with its gorgeous décor.
The design concept is the handiwork of Shweta Kaushik, who worked closely with the restaurant’s dynamic young owner Imrun Sethi. “Terttulia Mumbai is supposed to be a more grown-up version of the Pune one. We wanted it to be warm, cosy and homely,” she says.
Sethi describes his menu to us as an interpretation of modern European cuisine. As I pored over it, I couldn’t help but notice how unpretentious the menu was. A quintessential all-day menu is divided into different sections featuring soups, salads, sandwiches, tapas, appetizers, pizzas, pastas and mains.
My meal started off with what is arguably the best wafer-thin pizza I’ve tasted in Mumbai. The Pizza Terttylia-aah is a crispy thin-crust pizza topped with creamy spinach, tossed rucola, scarmoza and parmesan cheese, with generous dousing of olive oil. To accompany, I ordered a portion of the Bacon and Parmesan Wrapped Dates, an interesting mix of sweet and savoury flavours, embellished with honey mustard creme fraiche relish. The third starter was a portion of Portobello mushrooms stuffed with feta cheese and a sort of olive tapenade. Another interesting item was the karari roti—a crisp, giant papad, in the shape of a large saucer, peppered with a pungent masala.
We decided to order a variety of mains to sample a bit of everything. We began with TT’s Half Pounder burger, a tenderloin fillet done to perfection, served on a delicately flavoured sesame bun. This was followed by a portion of the ever comforting grilled chicken, rubbed with sea salt and infused with red wine jus. The mains had traditional favourites like Mac n Cheese (it had us raving), fish and chips (opt for beer batter) and the Spaghetti Aglio Oglio. Your mains can be supplemented with an extra portion of potatoes, or you can choose a salad side or even a bite from the extensive tapas and mezze selection.
For dessert, the creme brulée cheesecake was a clear winner. The mud cake and the red velvet cake also had us raving.
The cocktail and wine list was impressive. We loved TT’s Orange Basil Mojito, the Green Appletini, Muskmelon Martini and the Sweetlime Mint Martini. For those fond of nursing their tipple all evening, Terttulia’s barman offers to serve you an entire pitcher of your favourite .
Terttulia impresses on all fronts. In terms of décor, it is unique. Food remains top-notch. Service is attentive but not intrusive. Is this a must-visit in Mumbai? I’d say yes.