A large number of books were harmed in the making of Fable. At the all-day books-themed cafe that opened in Juhu last month, paperbacks and hardbound tomes have been painted over and turned into wall art, employed to make papier mache animals and stacked up to serve as stands for lamps and vintage telephones. While they’ve creatively repurposed the books into photo-friendly showpieces, restaurateur Ankit Anand hasn’t been able to spin a clear narrative for his maiden venture itself.
It’s billed as a cafe and pizzeria, but its menu spans regional and global cuisines, which is the malaise with most menus these days. In a bid to be inclusive, multi-cuisine menus do little justice to each type of food and every meal feels like an echo of the ones we’ve eaten at restaurants with similar fare. At Fable, a thepla quesadilla and Malvani calamari share print space with a butter-poached lobster sandwich, Irish lamb stew and Maggi Bolognese. The bar only serves sangria (not even wine) and for a venue inspired by books, they have surprisingly not kept any around for browsing. If spared this scrutiny however, Fable is what Juhu has too little of, a decent stand-alone restaurant. Apart from a few good regional cuisine establishments (Mahesh Lunch Home, Dakshinayan, Gajalee), the suburb’s dining choices are limited to five-star restaurants such as Arola at the J. W. Marriott and middling but popular joints like Alfredo’s.
Fable has occupied a bungalow that is surrounded by sprawling trees and is filled with natural light in the daytime. The outdoor dining area of the restaurant looks like a living room straight out of an illustrated fairy tale. It’s kitted out with picket fences, potted plants, chintz sofas and dainty china and could belong to a fairy godmother-type figure. The inner dining chamber, on the other hand, is a dreamy combination of vintage lights, papier mache busts and book installations.
While the decor has a ethereal effect, the food selection is a reminder that you’re still in Mumbai where menus burdened with choice have become the norm. The restaurant was out of The Bombay Canteen-inspired thepla quesadillas by 9pm, so we opted for mushroom ragout with creamy polenta and toasties (Rs275). The bland and mushy mix is avoidable. But the Malvani calamari (Rs345) is an outstanding appetiser of al dente squid cloaked in a tangy and pungent Malvani masala that we licked clean. As a pizzeria with a brick oven, Fable let us down with their pizza Genovese (Rs475), an undercooked abomination topped with pedestrian pesto, a stingy smattering of feta and an uncut clump of out-of-place rocket.
The pulled chicken burger (Rs375) that came with two well-toasted multi-grain buns, cheddar and succulent chicken that had soaked up BBQ sauce, was generous and tasty. Equally satisfying was the Indian salmon with peppercorn butter (RsRs575), in which a fat, juicy fillet of rawas was plated with a piquant, velvety and aromatic green peppercorn and butter sauce. Sadly we were denied a sweet ending, as the restaurant had run out of dessert.
Get: Malvani calamari (Rs345), pulled chicken burger (Rs375), Indian salmon with peppercorn butter (RsRs575).
Skip: Pizza Genovese (Rs475), mushroom ragout with creamy polenta and toasties (Rs275).
It is our policy to wait at least a week after an establishment has opened before we review it.
Prices exclude taxes. This review was conducted anonymously.
Fable, Shop No.3, Ashiyana Apartments, N. S. Road No. 13, next to Arogyanidhi Hospital and Copa, J. V. P. D., Juhu. Tel: 022 2620 6500. Open daily, from 8.30am to 12.30am. Get directions here.