SoBo’s beloved Pan-Asian diner ‘East’ now re-opens as 36 Oak and Barley and will serve comfort food for the hungry soul.
If you’re thinking that this 68-seater all-day diner is a whiskey bar, you couldn’t be more wrong. 36 Oak and Barley serves something much more comforting – comfort food from across cuisines.
Main man Chef Nachiket Shetye continues to spin his magic but he now does so with his friends-turned-partners, Nipoon Aggarwal and Avinash Gupta. The trio obviously shares their passion for food, but what they also mutually believe is to serve fresh, quality food, farm-to-fork style. This is apparent in every dish that comes out of the 36 Oak and Barley kitchen, as it used to be when it was ‘East’.
The décor
Located near August Kranti Maidan, 36 Oak and Barley has chic red walls, a wooden and brass flooring and a stylish black jaguar leaping from the ceiling from above the bar. It is very spacious so you don’t have to share your meal with strangers.
The bar seems to take centre-stage and occupies a huge area in the middle. New additions also include a huge 6×8 projector screen for big matches and a smoking alley for the nicotine addict.
The food
You could shut your eyes and pick any dish from the menu and you’d love it! They have soups, salads, appetizers, charcoal grills, sandwiches, sliders (small burgers), pizzas, pastas, risottos, mains, and of course, desserts.
Soup: We ordered a tomato and basil soup and a curried chicken broth. The tomato soup was a huge serving and could even double up as an entire meal if you are a small eater and aren’t too hungry. It was a tad sweeter than expected and the lemon sorbet (which is a surprise element if you order the 36 O and B special!) made it even more so.
The chicken broth was decent but could do with some more flavour and fewer vegetable pieces. But in both cases, the freshness of the ingredients was evident.
Salad: For salad, we went all out and tried the warm zucchini salad as well as the arugula salad. The warm salad of grilled zucchini, tomato and basil with katsiki cheese was nice but we’d recommend the other one with roasted beet, orange arugula, goat cheese salad with orange dressing, despite the beet! The pungency of arugula went perfectly with the earthy taste of the beet and the freshness of the orange. The only complain we had for both salads was the dearth of cheese!
We also asked for the salami salad that came with assorted lettuce, bell peppers, onion and tomato with red wine vinaigrette. The fresh salami and the veggies ensured that it had enough crunch and juiciness. It was just right with the perfect amount of flavour.
Appetisers: Even if you don’t eat anything here, you absolutely must try the 36 O and B cheese fondue. The cheese is clean without any white cream and the bread is crispy. What we absolutely loved about it was the three bowls of freshly chopped green chillies, tomatoes and onions that came with it. A dip in the cheese followed by three dips in each bowl ensured that you got a taste of heaven!
Main course: In vegetarian, we ordered the good ‘ol macaroni and cheese and ratatouille with basil couscous. One can hardly go wrong with mac ‘n cheese but here it was exceptionally good – the cheese was light and the macaroni cooked just right. The ratatouille was a tad bland for our taste but as far as non-fattening comfort food goes, it was a hit. The over-riding element in all these dishes was freshness.
Hardcore meat-eaters must absolutely try the tenderloin steak with peppercorn sauce. The medallion steak was very well done with just the right consistency in the texture of the meat giving one the impression that the steak was definitely imported. But we were told it was sourced from Kerala. The sauce was perfectly spiced and paired very well with the mashed potatoes. The pork vindaloo on the other hand didn’t have the right consistency of a vindaloo and tasted more like pork chilli fry, but a very good pork chilly fry cooked in a masala except for a slightly over-powering taste of vinegar.
Dessert: Desserts are an important element of comfort food and the only thing we could see on the menu was the 36 O and B Choco Bomb. It was a shot of pure, warm chocolate (not milk chocolate) with high cocoa content! And it was delicious. We asked for a vanilla and berry panna cotta to balance it out. The berry sauce made in-house was just perfect and went perfectly with the panna cotta, which itself was light and fluffy. We loved the flurry of basil seeds on the smooth whiteness of the panna cotta.
They also have more exotic entries like the chocolate and chilli vodka mousse and the prune and brandied chocolate mousse but you can also order the good old-fashioned jelly custard here. But whatever you order, you cannot miss the 36 O and B Johnny Black! But make sure you’re not driving because this baby has 30ml of whiskey soaked in it! It is sinful and perfect for teetotalers who are into desserts.
The drinks
Apart from the bar specials, you will find exotic cocktails like Anarkali Martini and mocktails like Spicy Guava. The 24-hour liquor license helps! For those who teetotal, there’s a range of coffees and juices.
Timing: Open from 12pm through 1am. But doesn't serve main course between 4pm and 7pm. Kids not allowed post 7pm.
Average meal for 2: Rs 1,500 + taxes (without alcohol)
