Skky, located at the Ramada Hotel in Powai, is being promoted as Mumbai’s “First Official Roof Top Restro Lounge & Bar”. This is just a bit of PR blather as the likes of Indigo, Bonobo and Vineet Bhatia’s lovely but short-lived Azok could have all claimed bragging rights to that description long before Skky took root. There’s also Aer and Dome, but their cursory menus make them more parts bar and lounge and less that clumsily-coined hybrid “restro lounge & bar”.
As Skky’s website promises, you do indeed get to dine under the stars, but most of the nature promised is in the form of (real) shrubs, plants and creepers and a (artificial) water body. If you peek over the walls of the terrace however, there isn’t much to see apart from slums. Keep your gaze firmly upwards and forwards, and the long bar, open kitchen and comfortable seating achieve a pleasingly cosy al fresco setting.
The menu is vast, requiring much annoying scrolling back and forth on a tablet (which they use instead of old-school paper to list the dishes). Most of the dishes fall into the pan-Asian category, though they’ve also thrown in pizzas and tandoori items, we presume, to cover all bases. We decided to go with the chef’s recommendation for our appetisers. While waiting for the Dragon Roll to arrive, we ordered a strawberry margherita. The drink, made with fresh strawberries, was stiff yet fruity, just the way we like it.
The dragon shaped sushi roll (decorated with a tail, ears, eyes et al) of prawn tempura, tuna and grilled eel might prompt a smile for its presentation but even a generous amount of mayo couldn’t better the taste of the not-so-fresh ingredients. The vegetable dumplings, stuffed with mildly spiced cabbage and peppers, were much better.
This inconsistency continued through the main course. The chicken rendang with lemongrass, kaffir lime and coconut milk was appropriately spicy particularly when paired with the garlic and spring onion fried rice. But the grilled salmon, served with a garlic-y black bean sauce, was overcooked and dry. Just when we were ready to throw in the proverbial napkin, the chef insisted we try their made-in-house ice-cream flavours of green tea and paan. The green tea was top notch, but it was the minty-hued paan with bits of crunchy saunf and sweet gulkand that trumped everything else.
We were also impressed by the service. The staff was friendly without being overbearing, though we should mention that as Skky was mostly empty on the Friday night we went by, we received special attention from the chef and the bartender. Given its relatively out-of-the-way location and five-star prices, the restaurant is unlikely to lure people to visit the area specially for a meal here. That said, if you live in Powai or its neighbouring suburbs, and have looked at Dome and Indigo longingly from afar, Skky is worth a try. In this nippy January weather, the ambience almost makes up for the average fare.
This review was conducted anonymously. A meal for two without alcohol costs approximately Rs4,000.