The Library opened to the public at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre in Mumbai on November 1st. This new restaurant offers a quiet space away from the city noise. It follows a star-studded launch party held on October 31, where many famous guests gathered to celebrate the grand opening.
Set in the heart of BKC, Mumbai, The Library is Nita Mukesh Ambani's latest offering to a city that thrives on hustle, but craves the slow life. Read on to know more.
Trust Nita Mukesh Ambani to bring something to Mumbai that we didn't even know we needed. That too with a blend of panache, vivacity, grandeur and a sense of nostalgia that only she can pull off.
It is safe to say that the city has a lot of culinary offerings that cater to several pockets. As someone who covers Mumbai's food scene, trust me when I say that at any given time of the month, depending on your bank balance, you can have a delicious meal and even a fun experience. If you know where to look.
Yes, there are the boujee Bandra cafes, fine Italian dining, and chefs who are experimenting with ingredients you have most likely never heard of. Mumbai even has those limited-seater restaurants that you need to set alarms for and book a year in advance. But you also have your local vada pav stall, the anna who sells out his wares within 2 hours in the morning, that one place close to home that serves Indo-Chinese, Mughlai and South Indian food, and the misal stall that you go to for a hurried meal. Mumbai has it all.
But The Library, which opened to the public on November 1st, doesn't fit into any of these categories.
I could write reams about the star-studded launch party that took place on Halloween (October 31). Where celebs like Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan, Shahid Kapoor and Mira Rajput, Orry, Kajol, Vikrant Massey, Rajkummar Rao and more attended. Dressed in their best and enjoying finger food, delicious cocktails and a good laugh, the event looked just as impressively magnificent as all Ambani events are. At the fore stood Nita Ambani and her daughter, Isha Ambani. With them in the room, power, fashion, and grace followed.
But that's just not the story I want to tell.
Set in the expansive Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC), The Library is a place to be experienced. It is the first restaurant in the line of eateries at the cultural centre, opposite Amadeo and next to the box office. But when you take a step in, the noise and hullabaloo of the city fall away.
The first thing you notice when you enter is the living, breathing Asian banyan tree in the middle of the coffee counter. The staff work around it, and the vennoisery, with its separate grab-and-go window, is behind it. I was shocked and amazed that they managed to bring in a fully grown tree that's native to India into a restaurant in a cramped city like Mumbai and actually get it to thrive. Its signature rounded canopy and vibrant green leaves are signs of all the love and attention it receives.
While many food enthusiasts look down on a gimmick or the 'show' aspect of a restaurant, I have developed a childlike enjoyment for them. Judge me all you want; they are fun, give you something to talk about after the meal, and when executed well, you can't help but give the restaurant props for trying.
And The Library has something like this. They have a 'drink printer'! If your drink - tea, coffee or a cocktail - has some froth on it, you can personalise it with a special image. How cool is that? A little kitschy, but really fun to experience in person.
To set your mind at ease, the printer uses a food-grade or plant-based ink that is safe to be consumed. These extracts are odourless and don't really affect the taste of the drink either. It is just pretty and very Instagrammable.
The space has been divided into 5 sections - the cafe, aka The Edit Room; a space for book launches, readings and more or The Programming Room; The Heart of the restaurant, with a crackling fireplace; the bar; and the reading nook, which is named The Mezzanine.
The Library is a restaurant, cafe, bar and a reading room all rolled into one. Spanning a mix of fashion, history, food, architecture, art, design, travel, mythology and anything else you might think of, The Library will have a book to meet your demand. It features over 4,500 books from publishers across the world along with the entire Amar Chitra Katha collection. And if something catches your fancy, you can even opt to buy the book.
In the programming room, there is an extensive and thoughtfully curated programme of literary experiences that will bridge the gap between readers and their favourite writers. From storytelling, spoken-word performances, author conversations and workshops to activities for children and families, there will be experiences for everyone.
The bar serves up an array of cocktails, so there is surely you will like. For teetotallers, you can grab some great mocktails too. The food menu has been created in tandem with restaurateur Aditi Dugar of Masque Bar Paradox and TwentySevenBakehouse fame. It is a mix of familiar favourites like can't-go-wrong pastas, yummy salads, and breakfast items like French toast, eggs, crepes, potato hash browns, and more. There are also freshly baked goodies, all done in-house, like the croissants, savoury danishes, pies, muffins, tea cakes, and more.
The food is faultless. Everything I tried was presented beautifully and had the right balance of flavours, with several elements that came together to make a dish that was done right. And despite going to preview the space a few days before it opened to the public and amidst the mad dash to put the final touches on, the staff knew the menu and had a grasp of each dish - a small but significant detail.
The Library is a cosy space that can turn into whatever you are in the mood for. In the heart of the bustling BKC, where everyone is always on the go and traffic is never-ending, it offers people a quiet space to disappear for a while. And in Mumbai, that is a luxury you never take for granted.