JW Marriott Mumbai has added another feather to its bouquet of novelties; they have recently introduced ‘Arola Musica’, a unique music offering at the two-Michelin starred Chef, Sergi Arola’s, flagship restaurant, Arola Restaurant and Bar.

Since the restaurant’s launch in mid 2012, Arola’s gourmet venture has been getting rave reviews. While its decor may not bring you images of Spain, the food surely transports you there. Very spacious with a generous sprawling alfresco terrace, this is reserved as the smoking area overlooking the hotel’s pool and the Arabian Sea, the seating with large sofas is comfortable for the twosome. Within this, there’s also a small enclosure for those who want some privacy, but it comes with a massive price tag.

The indoor dining area has a large semi circular bar with cushioned bar stools. Dimly lit with dark pastels, drum shaped lamps, and printed cushions, the bar is visible from any point in the restaurant. Arola boasts a separate seating area for the numerous celebs who visit the place from time to time. Benson G Varghese, F & B Executive at Arola states that everyone from the Khans to the Bachchans has dined at Arola. “We usually reserve a separate section for our celebrated guests who wish to have a meal in private.” Varghese says that Chef Bienvenido Arola brings his unique flavors of Spain to Mumbai which is masterfully served by his protégé Chef Manuel Oliveira, who has worked with Sergi Arola Gastro in Madrid. Chef Oliveira is presently the main Chef at the restaurant. With many other restaurants in other parts of the world, he states that Chef Arola does makes an appearance at his Mumbai flagship restaurant at times. Besides the huge varieties of gin, the restaurant also serves domestic as well as imported alcoholic beverages, including various Spanish wines.

Located in the lobby level of the hotel, the restaurant recently introduced ‘Arola Musica’, a unique music offering combining electronic beats with acoustic instruments to accompany the authentic Spanish tapas and signature drinks. Arola sets the night alive after 9.30pm until 1 am. Arola Musica in association with Electric Zoo Goa brings in local and international DJs for fusion nights on every Friday and Saturday. Last weekend (11^th and 12^th July) saw German DJ Raimund spinning his cutting-edge electronic mixes  alongwith Devanand Gandharv a gifted composer, arranger, keyboardist, in a fusion set. On 12^th July we had DJ Lekha Raman who took over the console and jammed with keyboardist Gandharv over some tight folk and eclectic sounds. As the night wears on, the music tempo is pumped up to a steady groove from the masters or the ‘miss’ on the mix.

The menu at Arola has a variety of Spanish dishes. Instead of the usual beer and wine, we opted for the Sangria de Sergi (Rs. 800/-) a signature recipe by Chef Sergi Arola. The Sangria de Sergi is a combination of four alcoholic beverages with a dash of fruit served with blocks of ice cubes. As for starters we had Polla de Coral - Chicken Wings (Rs. 595/-) with Salcifi, confit for 12 hours, deboned and layered with spices. Salcifi is a root of a tree we were told, which after being cooked is used to hold the chicken wings. Another savory we tried was Potatas (Bravas) (Rs. 525/-) which is basically deep fried cylindrical potato rolls filled with tomato concasse topped with alioli. Again great tapas to go with drinks. Just before we could take on our main course we had Gambas al Ajilo - Garlic Prawns (Rs. 725/-) Fresh Prawns tossed in chilli, garlic, parsley and olive oil. The prawns were quite chunky and simmered in the sparse gravy alongside. Deliciously unadulterated flavors we’d say. The main course was Arroz de Bogohante (Prawns and rice) (Rs. 1175/-). We ended the evening with a delicious desert of white chocolate mousse with a bit of chocolate pieces.

A pretty cozy spot for a family dinner, Arola undoubtedly has attentive, very courteous and friendly staff who are not only well versed on the Spanish menu, but go all out of their way to pamper you. If you haven’t visited Spain, dining at Arola is the closest you could get to taste Spanish cuisine.

Arola Restaurant and Bar:

Timings: 17.00 pm to 1 am

Food: Spanish, Tapas, Appetizers

Happy Hours: 18:30 pm - 20:30 pm, daily

Phone: 022-66933220, 022-66933000

n  By Verus Ferreira