Olive Gets Jazzier

Thursdays were always special for insiders at the Olive Bar & Kitchen in Mumbai’s Bandra.

This is when the Mediterranean themed restaurant turns into a casual lounge in the evening with patrons moving across the floor, drinks in hand, chatting with friends and strangers too. The mood is very relaxed and dressed down. Thursdays are quite the mid-week institution here.

Well, there is one more reason to celebrate at Olive with owner A D Singh introducing Jazz Wednesdays.

They now feature live jazz performances in the inner, air conditioned section, of the restaurant on Wednesdays. One of the earliest performances in the series featured Jazz artists who used to play in the now shut Just Desserts, the venture which shot A D Singh into the limelight once upon a time in Mumbai.

The music was lively and powerful. The mood electric. If you were lucky enough to get a table inside then you would be in a Jazz lover’s heaven.

The section outside on the white pebbled passage was a nice place to enjoy conversations to the strains of some lively Jazz music coming from the inside section.

They have a new French chef who has joined the Olive and it will be interesting to see what changes he brings to the menu. Olive is caught in a bit of a trap where menu changes are always met with howls of protests from regulars!

One dish that you must try out is not on the menu right now but a part of the specials. This is a seven hour slow cooked confit lamb which is then shredded and mixed with caramelized onions. The lamb is incredibly tender and the sweetness of the onions combines beautifully for a rather poetic meaty experience.

So if you love your jazz you know where to head to.

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