Pot Pourri is a small and neat restaurant with a glass enclosed kitchen, which is visible to the diner. Chef Jacob and his team make culinary magic in the open kitchen. What's more, the chef is open to ideas. For instance, if one wants a non-veg item to be made into a vegetarian dish, the chef will do that. The Maitre D', George Alexander ensures that the request of the client goes to the kitchen and food of ones choice arrives at the table.

Frequented mostly by TV actors and actresses and a motley college crowd, the restaurant has gaily painted chairs and tables, which are welcoming.

We began with the Black Currant Virgin Daiquiri (Rs 30), which was slightly sour. The Cappuccino of Mushroom (Rs 66) was a rich creamy two mushroom cappuccino, finished with juliennes of black mushroom and grated nutmeg.

Served with a poppy crusted bread stick, it was delicious. The restaurant which opened last October is more known for its Bandra outlet at Mumbai. It is also famous for innovatively made pizzas which too can be designed according to the customer's preference. The Thai Seafood Broth (Rs 74), a tangy Thai lemon broth of fish, prawn and squid, garnished with fresh basil and served with a crisp prawn wafer offers a taste of many fishes and is yummy. One can have it in a vegetarian variety too, though it is not on the menu.

For the starters, the Paprika and Cheese Nachos (Rs 118) is a crispy and very creamy combination of a haystack of corn chips, with scoop of Mexican salsa and pico de gallo with melted monterey jack cheese and tomato salsa.

The Spinach and Cheddar Wraps (Rs 82)-vermicelli-coated fingers of hot and oozy cheddar, bound in spinach and Creole spice and crisp fired and served with chilli garlic sauce-is akin to our paani puri. In fact, it is a meal in itself. The Banana Leaf Chicken (Rs 88) is worth a repeat order.

The Lebanese Platter (Rs 145) is a large platter of cool Mediterranean favourites such as falafal, fatayar and boreks with salads and large helping hummus, plus labneh and pita bread. The Louisiana Blackened Fish with Brown Rice Risotto (Rs 175) is a hit here. It is a Cajun special of grilled fish fillet with blackened Creole spice, pan-fried onions, salad du jour, veggies and brown rice risotto. The Bruschetta Basket with a choice of toppings (ranging from Rs 35-Rs 70) on crispy country bread, toasted with garlic butter is a mouth watering affair.

The owners of the restaurant, Mr Nitin Tandon and Mr Kishore, are known for their desserts sold under the name of Melting Moments. The bestsellers which are available at Pot Pourri include the chocolate and rhum (spelt as such) Mousse (Rs 27), Irish Whiskey Mousse (Rs 36) and exotic offerings like chocolate almandine, white chocolate and Kiwi marquise and Kiwi Almond shortcakes. A melting way to end a filling meal.

Sulekha Nair