The gourmet has landed

With a name that pays tribute to the ultimate food experience, Apicius, Andheri's newest restaurant, whips up a delectable spread aced by impressive presentations that will make you a foodie, even if you're not

The gourmet has landed

Even though it’s just opened, and is surrounded by numerous eating-out options in the vicinity, Apicius, located on the eighth floor of a new building, seems to be giving stiff competition to its counterparts. This was evident when we walked into a packed house one weekend. The expansive area is divided into two sections: an alfresco space with seating arrangements and an indoor space, primarily for those who would like to dance. Both sections had their individual bar corners.

Scallopini di Pollo al Limone (Rs 480) is finely prepared with thin chicken slices and butter sauce. Pics/Sunil Tiwari

We decided to find ourselves a place in the open area, where the extremely friendly staff guided us and offered us a place of our choice. Without losing any time, we satiated our hunger pangs with the first order of the night: Fettuccine Alfredo Con Pollo Affumicato (Rs 470), a creamy pasta with mushrooms and smoked chicken that went well with our drinks — Fruit Punch (Rs 150) and Shirley Temple (Rs 150).

The Fruit Punch (Rs 150) is a refreshingly cool, fruity drink

Our food looked very inviting with its splendid presentation. The pasta, with its creamy layering and perfect preparation, proved to be a scrumptious affair and the drinks, especially the Fruit Punch was amazingly refreshing. Not ready to stop at just that, we were ready to go all out for our Italian rendezvous. This time around, we called for the Risotto Quattro Stagiano with Artichokes Asparagus and Baby Corn, Mushrooms and vegetables (Rs 450) and Scallopini di Pollo al Limone (Thin Chicken slices with Lemon Parley Butter Sauce, Rs 480). While the risotto, made in red sauce with vegetables tossed in it was able to live up to our expectations, the grilled chicken actually surpassed them.

We rounded off our rather delightful food experience with a Strawberry Cheese Cake (Rs 220). Needless to say, the dessert was brilliant too. Not just the food and the presentation, the service needs to be given credit as well. The attendants were well-informed about what they were serving and were quick with suggestions as well to make our dinner even more fulfilling.

Apicius didn't know we were there. The Guide reviews anonymously and pays for meals.