Canto - Restaurant and Banquet — Restaurant in Mumbai

CANTO means chapter or section in which long poetry or prose is divided. The title also indicates a new chapter in fine / luxury dining scenario in Lower Parel. Literally speaking, this is their 2nd outpost after the 1st one at Charni Road and a 3rd one is in the discussion stage already; hence chapters are being added at a fast pace.

Canto is located on the 5th level in the Club House section in Peninsula Business Park. It is the only occupant on that level with a dine-in facility & a banquet hall facility. They also have an open-air section which is rented out for functions. The dine-in area is done up in a very classy way & signifies opulence all the way. The décor, the ambiance, the seating arrangement all speak for the attention paid to the details. The lighting is ambient & music is played at a non-intrusive decibel. I loved the feel of sitting there to savor a meal.

We were attended to by Mr. Aakash who was always looking out for us till the time we left. An exemplary service rendered by him in every aspect; right from suggesting what to order, refilling the mocktails, giving us a break in between dishes, taking us for a tour of the place & signing off with a smile.

Without much further ado, I will dive into the description of the food which we had here:

CREAM OF BROCCOLI & JALAPENO [INR 180] This one is a classical French soup with mild flavors & thick texture. The finely chopped bits of broccoli & jalapneo are infused with Wisconsin cheddar cheese & cream. The Soup is a fine tasting broth which was a nice respite to the cold & windy climate.

BASIL PANEER TIKKA [INR 330] Paneer Cubes were marinated using a basil & herb paste and lightly grilled. The Paneer was melt-in-the-mouth soft & fresh. The chunks were decently sized. The marinade had a good flavoring of basil which was not very overpowering to the other spices. It was served with pesto mayonnaise, which was amazing & gave a fillip to the overall taste. RECOMMENDED

FULLY LOADED CANTO NACHOS [INR 350] The Nachos were made in-house & it was true to its name; FULLY LOADED. It was nice in all aspects; the crunch of the Nachos, the flavor of the guacamole, the tanginess of the salsa, the sourness of the cream, the softness of the beans & the viscosity of the cheese sauce. This dish actually filled us up in a big way.

VEG & GRILLED COTTAGE CHEESE TAGINE WITH COUSCOUS [INR 390] A Moroccan specialty which had a nice interplay of flavors in between Tagine & Couscous. The Couscous was mild with minimal flavoring with the addition of only bell peppers & cilantro. The Tagine on the contrast has a plethora of ingredients & flavors. It was slightly spicy & tangy and had a lot of vegetables like zucchini, carrots, peppers, tomatoes along with cottage cheese.

DUM ALOO KASHMIRI [INR 360] For me personally, this dish was the STAR of the day. The Chef displayed his expertise in the use of the spices & the manner in which they played out on the palate. First of all, it is rare to spot an authentically prepared Dum Aloo Kashmiri. Though many spices were used, the stand out was the fennel or Saunf which lends a very good after-taste. The gravy made using onions & tomatoes is decently thick and the potatoes are nicely boiled yet whole. We had it with a Kulcha & Tandoori Roti; still can’t forget the flavor of the dish. Hats off to Chef Priyank. CERTAINLY RECOMMENDED.

MOTICHOOR RABDI PARFAIT [INR 210] A medley of vanilla cream mousse, chopped bananas, chocolate chips & motichoor laddoo crumbs. This is a tricky dessert to perfect but the one we had was nice.

BITTER CHOCOLATE PRALINE MOUSSE [INR 250] Dark bitter chocolate mousse was poured over creamy praline crumbs & chocolate ganache. I liked it because I love dark chocolate.

BAKED CHEESECAKE [INR 210] This is a must-have dessert at Canto. You cannot leave without having it. One of the best cheesecakes that I have had.

Canto does live up to the expectations that a customer has from it when a...

I was really impressed with the multi-cuisine restaurant Canto Lower Patel's menu options, so many things to choose from. There is Indian, Italian, Mexican, Fast Food, Sushi and Bao. Located on Level 5 inside Peninsula Business Park, Canto Restaurant and Banquet is superb option for friends or family get together or even office parties. Place is really spacious, very high ceilings, good distancing between tables. Real upscale feeling when you go for your meal here at Canto. Adjacent to the restaurant is the open to sky lawn, where one can have parties, engagements, weddings etc. I believe they have a moving capacity of almost 500 or more guests.

Talking about what all we ordered here - we started our meal with Cream of Tomato and Basil soup, loved the smokey flavour as well as the flavour of basil leaves. Next we called for the fully loaded Canto Nachos, they serve the Nachos chips separate and all toppings seperate. I generally prefer it with all toppings rather than DIY, however nothing wrong with the taste though. You get salsa salad, guacamole, sour cream, cheese and refried beans in bowls to be added to the chips.

Moving to the mains, we called for Penne Tomato Pasta and Ortolana Pizza. Pasta was stuffed with bell peppers tossed in light Italian Pomodoro tomato creamy sauce, served with thin garlic breads. Ortolana Pizza was a thin crust 10 inch onion, capsicum, mushroom and American corn as toppings. Nothing to complain here, both were yum! Finally, we ordered the Veg Biryani, came with Papad and Raita. Finally to end our meal, we called for something quite different, the 1st time I have tried such a dessert - triple chocolate Biscotti which has layers of brownie crumbs, Biscotti and apple as fresh fruit layer topped with Vanilla ice cream scoops. Lovely dessert I must say, something one must try here at Canto. All-in-all a satiable meal and...

The more I say about this place the less it is. To summarise my dining experience in one word would be to say “Fabulous” What an amazing place like a total hidden gem. Located in lower parel this place has such a beautiful ambience. Huge high ceilings and a huge open garden on the outside with seating inside and some outside. Soo much of natural light coming during the day that they do not need any artificial lighting’s. The decor of the place is beautiful with huge projector screens and comfortable seating. The reason i liked this place is not just the ambience but the main thing FOOD!. They have superb food. They have taken care of even minute details in their food to give it that perfection. The chicken jojeh kebabs the chicken Shish taouk are made with soo much of perfection and authenticity with a total burst of flavours on the correct notes . The mutton Seekh Kebab of this place is on a whole different level. Hummus with chicken and pita went soo well. This place just left me speechless with their taste and the value for money they are providing. Portion sizes are huge. They have a full operational bar as well. Desserts are out of the world never had such a perfect and fresh Tiramisu and Chocolate Lava at such pocket friendly prices just amazed by this place. I am surely coming back again to even try their other variety of dishes. Special thanks to the entire Team Canto for providing such wonderful...