Dolce Vita, the newly launched gourmet food hub in Mumbai, promises to change the way Indians buy their kitchen ingredients. Read on to find out how.
With the advent of multi-brand food stores coming up in every area of metropolitan cities in India, the way Indians buy their dailies is undergoing a transformation. As Indians ‘westernize’ their palates, they are also experimenting with flavours, ingredients and garnishes. So while there was the humble home-made curd till a decade back, Indians now like to try flavoured yogurt, and that too not just any brand, but the particular one that is low-fat strawberry! A few years ago Godrej paid heed to the needs of the well-travelled and exploring Indian and founded Nature’s Basket, where Indians could indulge in international brands of food products, which they would otherwise have to ship from abroad. Star Bazaar, another popular supermarket in Mumbai, recently introduced a ‘Tesco Corner’ which made available some of the products by the eponymous grocery store which is the largest in Britain.
Dolce Vita is the latest entrant to this league of connoisseur grocery stores that promises to take this concept of gourmet food shopping to the next level. Brought to Mumbai by Racchit and Rohet Khanna of SarojNidhi Hospitality Pvt Ltd, Dolce Vita is a food-store-café at the Grand-Galleria mall of Phoenix Mills, which stocks some of the most renowned brands and names in food and beverage products. It is a fusion of various concepts which lead to the formation of a complete food-hub, where you can not only find your choice of blue cheese, but also pick the perfect rosé wine that would go along with it. Inculcated within the store are a fromagerie, winery, butchery and patisserie, which add to the already diverse variety of products available at the store.
Fill up the basket
Speaking to Mr Khanna about Dolce Vita’s various dimensions, he said “This is the place where you can come for any food related requirement you may have. If you have a requirement for a particular product or meat, that can be arranged for you as well! May it be ostrich meat, or a choice of Ravioli only available in Italy, Dolce Vita can make it available to you.”
Dolce Vita is placed out structurally with a casual décor and bright lighting. The low yellow-brown ceiling and maroon walls are complemented with feng-shui plants sprinkled around tastefully. As you enter, the café is positioned on one side facing the fromagerie and patisserie. The winery and butchery are placed next to each other facing the store on the other side. Being a store essentially, the décor has not been paid much attention to, which is compensated by the structurally placed sections that complete the store. The store stocks a wide variety of food products, may it be fine chocolates, Thai and Chinese cooking ingredients, Zatar seasoning, sushi sheets or ready to eat Kashmiri meals, imported chips, yogurts, packaged milk and cereals. The drawback of Dolce Vita is that it does not offer a wide choice to pick from, in the case of fresh food, except for certain packaged fruits and vegetables, which is definitely a missing element in an ’all in one’ gourmet food-store.
Dolce Vita prides itself in its variety of international beers ranging from Hoegarden, Leffe, Sagres Murphys and Eirdinger to Asahi, Chateaunuff du Pappe, Barollo and Baron Phillipe Rothschilde, which would probably not be available anywhere else under one roof in India. The fromagerie includes an assortment of diverse Made in India cheeses including Edam, Porvolone and Gorgonzola along with international varieties of fresh, hard, semi-hard and processed Blue Vein and Goat cheese which provides the customers a larger selection to make their pick from. The USP of the meat shop was the availability of exotic meats ranging from venison and ostrich to crocodile or even emu bird on request. That being said, Mr Khanna said that the extensive availability of exotic meat is a gradual process which depends upon the rules and regulations of the country for importing specific meats. Dolce Vita, at the moment, is concentrating more on the local exotic produce like emu and a variety of local and imported seafood.
The appetite deal
After a tour of the store, we were invited for a sit-down lunch at the café. The menu is limited with a few appetizers, burgers, steaks and some quintessential dishes from Thai, Japanese and Mediterranean cuisines. The teriyaki chicken was too flavoured and lacked balance in its preparation. On the other hand, though the cucumber mojito was prepared well, it would still be forgettable for me. The strawberry cheesecake was the saving grace with its scrumptious base topped with a deliciously creamy finish. Overall, is Dolce Vita the best place for a memorable meal? Probably not! However a ‘death-by-chocolate’ or a glass of your favorite rosé from the store isn’t a bad way to finish off a tiring day at the mall.
Dolce Vita has opened doors to a new concept of gourmet food shopping. It strategically amalgamates different elements to make a complete store that is designed for a customer who has opened their minds and appetite to an international and experimenting diet. Dolce Vita literally translates to ’Good Life’, and if you are one of those discerning connoisseurs who believe that good food translates to good living, then Dolce Vita is the right place for you.
