Bastian’s Bengaluru outpost continues the theme of bohemian decor from Bastian Mumbai—interior designer Minal Chopra who’s done all the other spaces for the group was tapped for this project as well. The high rooftop lends it a cavernous feel with Polynesia-inspired patterns painted across the space—a chic tiki, one would say. Plans to have a waterfall in the alfresco area to further accentuate the holiday home vibe have been unfortunately put on hold due to the city with longest name’s water woes.
For Bastian regulars, this experience–with all the signature show and pomp–will feel familiar. The tried and tested menu will feel similar—a lot of the favourites from Mumbai are there. But Chef Amol Phute has taken his chance to do a lot more with the meat. Dishes like a Peruvian tenderloin tiradito with chipotle ponzu, pico de gallo relish, and avocado paste, topped with crispy corn strips add beef to the menu, giving company to a salmon and snapper ceviché with mango to bring in the summer.
Right since its Bandra days, Bastian has been known for seafood and you’d be forgiven for not looking at the meat. Do not miss the crab roll—with chipotle, basil, and coriander plated on a base of housemade ponzu and truffle oil—deceptively simple, but you’ll want to wipe the plate clean. Or, the appropriately named Lobstaa Bomb—a pani-puri filled with litchi-lobster ceviche that you pour a vinaigrette of mint, orange, shoyu, and mirin into. A pan-seared snapper may be a classic, but sometimes all you want is crispy skin on delicate flakes of fish. Vegetarians will like the warm broccoli salad, where the broccoli has been roasted to a delicate softness and dressed with mint oil and garlic chips sitting on a bed of homemade labneh.