Soy Story

Rashmi Uday Singh

Good Food Guide

Trendy. Trendier. Trendiest. Mumbai's new restaurants are blazing trails. The latest one is twin-levelled, has a fully retractable glass roof, Manish Malhotra’s styling and an Oriental menu. The high-ceiling and airy Soy already has a large fan following. “I love almost everything about this restaurant of Ashok Datwani’s” says my guest for the evening, Preity Zinta, an adventurous foodie (who lives down the street). Here’s a quick look at the pros and cons to help you decide, whether you should visit Soy or not…

GOOD NEWS

• Relaxed and yet glamourous ambience. Enjoy the large airy feel of the high, retractable glass roof. Deft use of glass, sandstone, pinewood veneer, punctuated by Manish Malhotra’s signature styling with pearl pink and orange fabric.
• Check out the delicious, above average Chinese fare here. For starters, try ‘chilly pepper squid’ (Rs 250), subtle ‘chicken suimai’ (Rs 225) and ‘oriental mushrooms’ (Rs 195 ). Worth trying are the delicately flavorsome ‘lemon chilly prawns’ (Rs 350) the crunchy fiery ‘triple mushroom, baby corn dry red chilly’ (Rs 250 ), ‘chicken with chilly basil’ (Rs 325 ) with pot rice (Rs 175).
• Dessert buffs delight in the luscious ‘hot almond and chocolate slice’ (Rs 150) and ‘banana toffee with coconut ice cream’ (Rs 150).

BAD NEWS

• I found the Thai dishes too fiery the curries too thin and too low on coconut. There is no papaya salad and no Chinese tea.
• The place can get noisy and the music overpowering.
• The tables are placed too close together and some of the seating can get uncomfy for old fogies like me.
• Some of the meats are over done (‘sliced lamb with Broccoli’).
• Service can be slow and the food was served a bit cold to several of my neighbouring tables.Teething troubles!
• Children under 15 not allowed as place is open only for dinner.

MY VIEW

Do visit now that there is winter nip in the air and enjoy it under the retractable roof and the glamourously understated ambience. Ignore the noise, indulge in the above average Chinese fare, skip the Thai food, but do visit Soy once atleast to keep up with Mumbai’s trendy times!