You can come one evening, consume half a bottle of whatever and polish off the rest another evening!

Vinod Advani steps into the newly-opened Spring, in Mumbai, and finds himself succumbing to the appetising aromas of Shrimp Ajiello and Spanish Picante Chorizo.

How do the stylishly turned out Sabina Chopra and partner-in-thyme, chef, Dino Martelli, strike you? As the kind of people to do things by halves? Blink again. When their first venture, Café Sesso, showed no signs of obtaining a fully operational liquor license, the dashing duo had the sense to close shop. And walk away from a bleak season into a welcoming Spring. Clever name, that. Spring. Great location too. Moksh, the spa-gym opposite Breach Candy’s American Consulate, has seen a healthy rise in its membership. But its joined-at-the-hip erstwhile restaurant, Sin, never saw a muscular clientele list.

Spring is as welcoming as a carpet of sunshine, its ambience, electron blue, its food even more daring and flavourful than what we loved at Sesso. Chef Dino, explaining their aim of capturing the essence of bistro dining in Europe while not falling into the haute cuisine trap, says, “We didn’t want to give the impression of being ‘somewhere flash’ and only ‘special occasion’.”

Inviting and unfussy, the vast dining area, with its lofty height is festooned on one side with colourful ceiling to floor cloth banners. Beyond, and up two steps, is the bar with its giant-sized bottles and beyond that, a small intimate lounge room for those who want to chill, away from the crowds.

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