All Aboard the Gourmet Cruise

Always wanted to sail into the sunset with some good food for company? Mumbai’s AB Celestial lets you do just that.

Its shiny, white exteriors glint in the sunlight, as it gently bobs in the waves that lap the pier at Mahim Bay. Dark glass windows hide behind them the boat’s impressive interiors, all swish and new. Now, these interiors will have liveried waiters bustling about with platters of food as diners sit back and enjoy a pleasant evening in Mumbai’s first floating restaurant, AB Celestial.

Set up by 21-year-old Aishwarya Bhende, the restaurant has been through months of research and planning; not to forget the 108 permissions it needed.

According to Bhende, this was her attempt at offering Mumbai an experience they’d never forget. “During my travels, I’ve dined on several boats, especially in Sweden. I wanted to bring a similar experience to the city; moreover, Mumbai has a great coastline. So my family and I thought this was a great idea,” she says.

 

 

The Tour

The first floor of the floatel is the restaurant and café. The menu will include pastas, risottos and ravioli, among other delicacies. The banquet hall is on the second floor and can accommodate 100 people; the space will be used to host birthdays, anniversaries, and cocktail parties. Bhende says one can opt to book all the floors as well for events such as weddings. The lounge and sky deck are on the third floor, replete with a DJ booth and bar.

Other than seafood, continental and modern European fare will also be served aboard AB Celestial. “When guests are aboard the boat, I want them to feel like they’ve left Mumbai, hence the menu,” Bhende said. While the floatel has a DJ booth, live performances on board the vessel aren’t on the cards yet.

Nautical Expressions

In order to make AB Celestial a surreal experience, Bhende and her mother Manju, a fashion designer, have personally looked into the décor of every floor. From the bathrooms, to the furniture, paintings and colour scheme, they have all been decided by the two. “The whole theme is nautical. From the colour scheme, which is blue and white, to the cutlery and the menu, everything is inspired by the sea,” Bhende added.

Safety First

Bhende has also looked extensively into the safety protocols. “Guests can dine only through reservation. This will ensure only a fixed number of people can be on board at a time. Also, children below 12 years of age are not allowed for safety reasons,” she explained.

The Journey so Far

Bhende points out that though it may have been an uphill task at times, she is happy that they’ve made it. “We’ve had a lot of support from a lot of people, including the government. I still have to work on a few things and I want to keep introducing new things to keep things interesting,” Bhende concludes.

From the Kitchen

Having done his masters in France, Navneet Yadav, head chef of AB Celestial, plans to present signature dishes.

 

On the Menu

Our focus is to work with quality ingredients. The restaurant and café will serve mostly Italian fare. There will be pasta, ravioli, sliders and salads. We will also have seafood dishes such as seafood risotto and crispy almond prawns.

We are working on the dessert menu and will start the trials soon.

For the lounge and the upper deck, we have an appetisers menu. The bar menu is being handled by the F&B team. We plan to match the appetisers with the cocktails served on board.

The Challenges

It is different working on a ship because we can’t use gas. All the cooking has to be done on induction stoves.

Also, we have to keep in mind the space restrictions. The capacity of the ship is up to 500 guests, so we have to be very organised and plan everything to the last detail.

As per the law, we have smoke detectors everywhere. If something burns, we might all have to evacuate.

The USP

I am working with a very talented team. One of the chefs has worked in China, so he’ll be bringing a lot of flavours from there. I have trained in France and you will see that influence. The entire team has collaborated to put together some unique dishes.

Published: The Hindu