La Pôz Place churns up European charm in Mumbai

Five years ago, perhaps one of the biggest conundrums you faced if you were a vegetarian was the sheer lack of variety in the city. You may have had trudge along grudgingly to a celebratory lunch or dinner and made the few usual choices.

That is no longer the case.

Chefs are now straddling creativity with great taste when it comes to veg cuisine, making it anything but a limited option. In keeping with the trend is La Pôz Place, a casual dining spot that packs a surprisingly long (and good) menu.

What gives La Pôz Place an added edge is that it’s located at Kala Ghoda. This may be one of the city’s oldest business districts, but it’s also an up-and-coming address of haute labels and fashion houses, discerning shoppers, foreign tourists and the well-travelled corporate frat.

YS Life spent an easy-going afternoon at the restaurant to find out why it stands out in this neighbourhood.

Artesque interiors

The restaurant is housed in a colonial building, a nod to the area it is in. The décor, by well-known interior designer Minnie Bhatt, takes that nuance several notches further. She has fashioned La Pôz Place to be warm and elegant. A large macrame swing placed at the entrance greets you and once you are inside, you are met by a relaxing vibe—pretty, pastel-pink textured walls, sober lighting and wooden arches. You settle indoors as the quiet quickly drowns out all vestiges of Mumbai’s summer heat and notorious traffic jams that probably led you here.

South Mumbai is known for its sheer space, in its residences, offices, and homes. This eatery has that signature look, too. A lavish dining area with high ceilings dominates, so do the bungalow-like faux wooden windows affixed on the walls. There are circular orb-like black, wrought iron wire chandeliers, wooden beams, and teakwood doors that complement the European theme along with plants that perk up the odd corners. 

To add to the vintage setting, the entire facing wall has a wooden shelf running along its length with a few small artworks and two large antique mirrors. A corridor leads you to a separate bar section. On weekdays and weekends, the restaurant has got a sizeable crowd from the nearby law and corporate offices to ladies who lunch and others.

Travel plays catalyst

Why La Pôz Place is the first question that comes to mind, and owner Kaneesha Jain explains, “La Pôz means ‘the pause’, but in slang it means to chill, so it’s ‘the chilling place’.”

While the décor ticks off those notes, the proof of the pudding is in the eating so it’s the menu that faces the test. And La Pôz … has a long and interesting one. Take your time to savour the interesting options from small plate salads, to raviolis, pizzas, pastas, with vegan and gluten-free options. 

Kaneesha explains the thought that went into it. She says, “As vegetarians ourselves, we always faced a dilemma when we would head out for dinner. The restaurants were is either very Indianised or were cafés with not enough places that offered authentic global vegetarian food. That’s what drove us to open La Pôz Place.”

Here's the case for someone who has had no hospitality background and still hit the right notes. An electrical engineer by profession, who now looks after operations in her family’s foundry for machine parts, Kaneesha shares how she and her husband (also a businessman) saw the potential in premises for La Pôz Place (it was an office before this). They fell in love with its high ceilings and wood panels and other elements, knew this had to be it. It then became their passion project. 

“Bhavesh (her husband) and I always wanted to work on something together and since the factor that binds us the most is food, this was perfect,” she admits. 

Much of the menu is inspired from their travels in Europe. Kaneesha states how the cheese ice cream in Spain has a place on their menu and also how they’re planning to a introduce a cheese fondue and raclette similar to like the ones they have enjoyed in Switzerland.

Flavoursome plates

One glance at the menu and you are pleased to see how easily navigable it is – with a salad section moving to small plates, large plates, and then desserts, with a separate spot for soup, burger and pizza lovers. 

I start with the Citrus Avo Salad. It comprises caramelised grapefruit, malta orange mixed with lollo rosso and arugula leaves, a few soft brie cheese balls, and a honey-kasundi mustard dressing, imparting a mildly sharp-sweet taste to the dish. The Brie and Fig Salad and Spicy Green Bean Salad also present a mix of textures and flavours. 

The small plates are a showcase of the Mediterranean region with locally sourced ingredients going into each dish. Each small plate is also generous in its appearance and easily enjoyed by two people. The nachos is the usual assemblage of tortilla chips, salsa, and cheese, but has crispy lasagne sheets in pomodoro sauce with herbed cream, basil pesto, whipped mascarpone and sauteed vegetables (did someone say small?).  

I ride the Spanish wave Kaneesha has spoken so much about and went in for the Spanakopita. The spinach and feta filo parcels are baked and light to eat and are served with a house dip made of vegan mayonnaise and smoked sesame, and as the chef reveals “an added touch of gherkins for a touch of sourness”. 

The Harissa Cottage Cheese served with bean puree and confit tomatoes may not quite have the piquancy of the original hot chilli pepper sauce from Tunisia, but is flavoursome all the same. If you’re in a group, the Patata Bravas and Truffle Fries make for a great pass around, as does the Middle Eastern Mezze Platter, well endowed with hummus, baba ghanoush, garlic toum, muhammara, crudites, and falafel. 

Chef Arnez Driver has conjured up an extensive large plates section as well. Mock meat is having its moment with millennials so it makes sense to try Spaghetti and Mock Meat Balls. The faux meat croquettes go well with the spiced tomato sauce. If lasagna and ravioli are more your thing, La Pôz dishes these up with delicious in-house sauces. The organic buckwheat crepes with ratatouille and goat cheese make for a healthy savoury option.  

What the menu also stands out for is its sheer celebration of cheese! There is fresh bocconcini in one dish, whipped mascarpone in another, ricotta and feta in a third, and a cheese ice cream that is unmissable! They could do with a few more dessert options in keeping with the rest of the menu, but with people largely on a healthy swing, this is perhaps a well-thought-about move.

You can’t help but relax and sip on mocktails as you savour your meal in this tranquil restaurant that’s catching on in Mumbai’s social scene.

“We’ve got a steady loyal clientele with people coming back to dine here, even from as far as Borivali and Navi Mumbai. Many want to celebrate their special occasions here,” adds Kaneesha. With summer approaching and the focus being on salads and soups and other light fare, La Pôz Place is well worth a visit.