As a restaurant, Rohit Khattar’s Fireback redefines Thai cuisine. After chomping success in Comorin below (on the premises of the elegantly arranged Nilaya Anthology, a design store), his company EHV International brings Fireback to Mumbai, fresh with the riverside success of the restaurant in Goa’s culinary atlas.
The Space
The seductive streaks of ribbon lights, mocking an infinity mirror, usher you from the elevator into the dining space that sets a rather contemporary rhythm. The sculptural light—a powerhouse gesture in the décor—lazily loops the ceiling. It is a sense of comfort-first restraint that runs through the space, the handiwork of London’s Russell Sage Studio, with the keen detailing by Rashmi Khattar, director design at EHV International. Khattar’s legion has brought in culinary winners in Indian Accent, Hosa, Fireback, Comorin and more to the Indian foodscape. Perhaps the play of the natural light spilling in through the windows and the amber pools that mark the restaurant by evening has something to do with the easy vibe of the restaurant. Frosted glass separators, quiet mosaic flooring, green fronds, an expansive bar and a peep of the expansive kitchen, with the handsome Josper grill at work, adds to the inviting experience.
The Food
Australian Chef David Thompson, culinary director of Fireback, draws on his four decades of expertise in Thai cuisine to create flavourful renditions on the menu. The creative heart is the god of Thai cuisine with Sydney’s Darley Street Thai and London’s Michelin-starred Nahm part of his legendary repertoire. Based in Bangkok, he powers the Michelin-starred Aaharn in Hong Kong, and Aksorn in Bangkok. “Rohit has put me on a karmic trail of Thai food in India. He keeps taking me to eat at Thai restaurants!” laughs David, gesturing towards his able team, led by Chef Kaustubh Haldipur, who trained under him in Thailand.
“I’d like to think I do decent Thai food, but blame them if any flavour is off-mark!” he adds, lending a peep into his signature, sardonic jocularity. While Thompson contours the dishes with his expertise—and effrontery of a born gambler—he brings in a brilliant engagement with spices, crowning Fireback on the Goa and Mumbai foodie circuits. A doff at his treasured takeaways from years spent in Thailand, since 1986, when he began his romance with the cuisine, gleaning kitchen recipes by cooking with locals.
“There’s much more to Thai food than spicy curries,” he says, lining the menu with lip-smacking plays in the fiery and the fabulous in both vegetarian and non-vegetarian formats. The hiss of galangal and fried garlic sings sheer happiness in the simple, succinct Coconut and Galangal soup. Piquant, yet lilting. Corn fritters nestling with Thai cucumber salad arrive prettily poised on brooding plates, filling the mouth with sticky, sweet, spicy interplays. Easy encore.
The unglamorous corn emerges as a dark horse in the culinary sweepstakes, especially in the dry red curry, with baby corn and palm heart salad that maps out a sheer atlas of flavours in a robust, jungle curry format and in a marked departure from the coconut milk suffused gravies dotting the Thai restaurants in the city. The whiff and the whip of spice isn’t harsh, but plays out like a decidedly delicious background score, letting the fullness of the ingredients unfurl in a rather soul-satisfying spread. That’s culinary mastery of a different kind, especially in Thai cuisine, with the tender texture of hearts of palm—sourced locally—mating with the crunch of baby corn and the sharp chillies. Here are complex flavours that reveal gems in every bite.
The spice sears through the sweetness of pineapple chunks, hot off the grill and seasoned superbly. But the winner in the small plates is the crispy pork belly—mouth melting cubes—accompanied by a dot of homemade chilli jam and charred cabbage leaves. Simply stunning as the clever pairing simply elevates the dish, like a silent superstar. Protein is the new Prada, and the menu plays up desirably in all meats. The delicious crab meat fried rice, turmeric prawns with toasty garlic, hotstepper chicken gorlae with ajad, and the lamb massaman…There is equal focus on the sides. Like the ajad with chunky potatoes nestles with briny bits of cucumber. Finger-licking good.
The Drinks
The bar program is a powerful serenade, fine-tuned by the able mixology of Varun Sharma, Head of Bars at EHV International. Basil is an ode to the Indian jamun, with nothing of the fruit included in the pour, but the skilful spin of gin, Thai basil, citrus accents and blue pea lending it a diva-esque complexion and a taste to match the purple fruit. Lemongrass brings in a tequila twist with coconut infusions. It is as if the cocktails strut in on stilettos to charm the flavours as they unfurl and grow on your palate. Elegant, and kicky in an endearing spin.
RR Verdict
Here's a refined, yet approachable Thai culinary experience that unravels at a convenient downtown location in space starved sin city. Taking you to Thailand without the air travel. Make it yours.
You May Also Like
Tried & Tasted: Mister Merchant's in Goa Promises a Burst of Mediterranean Flavours
Tried & Tasted: Chef Amninder Sandhu's Newest Outpost Kikli in Delhi is All About Punjabi Cultures & Kitchens
Tried & Tasted: Here’s How Dhilli’s New Menu is Offering a Fresh Spin on All Our Favourites
