Imagine France’s vibrant Ratatouille paired with Mangalorean spicy Gassi curry. Or South India’s comforting Rasam with Japan’s Ramen. At the newly launched Trippy Goat, a Bengaluru-based cafe that recently made its entry in Mumbai, such pairings come together rather beautifully.
Parked inside Kamala Mills in Lower Parel, the 85-seater restaurant spread across 2,800 square feet boasts minimalistic design, elegance and warmth. The wooden tables and rattan cane armchairs, wall partitions and lamps set the tone for the night.
Malnad Kismuri Salad, inspired by Malnad, a hilly region in Karnataka, sees vegetables tempered in mustard yoghurt dressing with crispy lotus stems, raisins and candied apple. (Special Arrangement)
We began with Sundal (Rs 325), a dish inspired by Chennai’s Marina Beach, featuring a bowl of chickpea tossed in peri-peri masala and another of edamame, both tempered with mustard seeds and curry leaves and topped with grated coconut. Next came Puchka Paya (Rs 575), a take on Bengal’s version of gol gappe/pani puri but here it was filled with a rich 12-hour cooked lamb shank paya, a soup that is believed to have originated in the 8th to 4th century BC.
Puchka Paya (Special Arrangement)
We also enjoyed the It’s Not A Mutton Sukka (Rs 390), a vegan dish made from soya and thick sukka masala. The non-vegetarians on our table agreed that it could easily pass off as mutton sukka.
While they have brought down signature dishes from Bengaluru outpost like Truffle’d Mushroom (Rs 425), a must-try dish made from frying battered Shiitake, Button and Oyster mushroom and tossed in a creamy sauce, the menu at the Mumbai restaurant has largely been curated from scratch.
Ratatouille paired with Mangalorean spicy Gassi curry (Special Arrangement)
“We wanted to bring the niche flavours of Southern India and make them palatable to a population who may not have grown up having them,” said Vishal Nagpal, the restaurateur who along with his two partners launched Trippy Goat in January 2020 as an experiential cafe with a strong focus on coffee and wine.
While the focus continues to be on these beverages, they have also put together a cocktail menu for the Mumbai outlet. Among the must-try are Trippy Beet (Rs 625), a refreshing Gin-based cocktail that also uses goat milk washed fresh beetroot juice and ginger, and Espresso Martini (Rs 550), a delicious Vodka-based cocktail made from their house ground coffee from Chikkamagaluru.
Ragi Mudde (Special Arrangement)
Back to our plate, we really enjoyed Rasam Ramen (Rs 350/Veg), Malnad Kismuri Salad (Rs 375) and Ragi Mudde (Rs 475/Veg). Replacing the noodles in the bowl of ramen was idiyappam, and giving it perfect company were sweet corn, mushroom and warm and comforting rasam with notes of black pepper.
The salad inspired by Malnad, a hilly region in Karnataka saw vegetables tempered in mustard yoghurt dressing with crispy lotus stems adding the right crunch, and raisins and candied apple adding the right sweetness. Ragi Mudde was a novel dish for this writer. Here the dumplings were smaller in size compared to the original dish, and accompanying it was a portion of ghee rice topped with cooked horsegram and microgreens and served with gravy on the side, making it a very wholesome and hearty meal.
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Trippy Beet, a refreshing Gin-based cocktail that also uses goat milk washed fresh beetroot juice and ginger. (Special Arrangement)
We rounded it off with Poached Pear, a light and aptly sweet dessert that saw pear cooked in mulled wine and served with Bombay Kulfi.
For those who love their bread, there are about eight sourdough flatbreads made from flour from the Himalayas, black rice from Coorg, and a starter that’s as old as the brand. Piquant (Rs 375) with a topping of pickled vegetables gave us perfect company with our drinks.
Want more? There is also a private dining space, which would follow the suit of the cafe in Bengaluru and host experiential events and pop-ups.