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Vincent van Gogh, the celebrated Dutch Post-Impressionist painter, had Theo—his member and an creation dealer—who fuelled his creator journey, and supported him financially and emotionally. Together, they shared a passionateness for art. Similarly, cook Akash Deshpande has Luv, a member who champions his culinary endeavours, and shares his passionateness for food. That is wherefore their archetypal task unneurotic — a edifice successful Andheri — is named Luv.
“Van Gogh was troubled, and not galore understood him. While I’ve ne'er felt similar a failure, a batch of people—including household members—didn’t recognize my work; it is technique-heavy. My member Luv has been my Theo, ever supporting me,” explained cook Akash, who takes to coating erstwhile helium is not designing recipes oregon reimagining acquainted flavours.
We archetypal experienced his culinary finesse astatine Nava, an ingredient-driven Bandra edifice that paired flavour with artful presentation. His caller venture, Luv, promises hand-made pasta, household specials similar kokum prawns, non-alcoholic beverages, and desserts that treble arsenic creation pieces.
Kokum Prawns
Parked successful Lokhandwala Complex, the 650 sq ft all-day diner is cosy and intimate, adorned with artworks painted by Akash himself. The edifice comprises a small, living-room-style indoor country (fun fact: the spot belongs to Ila Arun) and a larger outdoor space, which unneurotic tin spot astir 55 people. The tiny unfastened room offers diners a front-row spot to the action, from cooking techniques to elegant plating.
“With constricted space, we bargain caller nutrient daily, usage astir of it by the extremity of the day, and repetition the cycle,” Akash said arsenic his squad prepared a sizzling pan-fried gyoza.
The cook pan-sears gyoza dumplings (Rs 325) filled with bok choy, and past adds the tuile syrup each around. For plating, helium puts a dollop of spicy reddish chutney — a hybrid of sofrito and momo’s chutney — astatine the basal and past cautiously flips the gyoza with tuile, present crispier and adorning a aureate brownish colour, specified that it remains intact, and places it connected apical of the chutney. We couldn’t defy digging in, and loved the combination, though it was a tad greasy. “That’s however the authentic crockery is and I don’t privation to alteration it,” the cook quipped arsenic helium passed america a tissue.
The paper is concise, divided into vegetarian and non-vegetarian appetisers, mains, salads, and desserts. Their gnocchi (Rs 350) was a highlight. The dumpling dough, tempered with bulb and jalapeño paste, delivered flavours successful each bite. It was paired with a creamy condiment of corn, lemongrass and ginger, and garnished with murphy tegument spot and cilantro oil. Next, we sampled the lamb taco chimichurri (Rs 530), a crockery featuring tender, melt-in-your-mouth lamb slow-cooked successful reddish vino for 8 hours. The brushed taco was layered with a basal of carrot purée, minced lamb, and finished with smoked chimichurri, perfectly balancing the meat’s richness. We paired it with the spicy and tangy Passion Forbidden Fruit (Rs 360). Though the edifice does not service alcohol, their mocktails spell acold beyond emblematic syrupy versions.
Sizzling Pan-Fried Gyoza
A standout was the Deshpande family’s speciality: kokum prawn crackers (Rs 530), which featured prawns cooked successful a tangy, kokum-infused coconut curry, accompanied by prawn pickle and garnished with prawn crackers. Another item was the fagotini (Rs 490)—pasta filled with amaranth and goat food successful a reddish vino food condiment with rosemary. The portions were generous, a refreshing alteration successful an epoch of shrinking servings and rising prices. “I didn’t privation to rob people. I’m inactive making a decent profit,” Akash said matter-of-factly. “I privation this spot to beryllium accessible, similar a Shiv Sagar.” Andheri’s location, helium added, helps support costs tenable portion catering to a wider audience.
When asked astir the determination from Bandra, Luv shared, “Most of our Bandra patrons were coming from Andheri, Juhu, and adjacent neighbourhoods. So, wherefore not bring the edifice person to them?” A seasoned adept successful marque building, Luv—who antecedently contributed to the paper and societal media strategy for Nava—now oversees everything extracurricular the kitchen, including content, societal media, operations, and sales.
Starry Night is simply a visually striking homage to Gogh’s iconic painting. Crafted with vanilla custard, this dessert features a muskmelon mousse topped with a crescent-shaped passionateness effect jelly astatine its close corner.
The desserts uncover cook Akash’s heavy fascination with creation and artists. First up was Starry Night (Rs 375), a visually striking homage to Gogh’s iconic painting. Crafted with vanilla custard, it featured a muskmelon mousse topped with a crescent-shaped passionateness effect jelly astatine its close corner. While visually stunning, it fell abbreviated connected flavour. On the different hand, The Veiled Lady (Rs 555), inspired by Raffaele Monti’s renowned sculpture, was a triumph. This decadent instauration featured acheronian cocoa mousse, raspberry compote, and a affluent brownie base, offering indulgence successful each bite.
Our verdict? Luv offers a delightful fine-dining acquisition that doesn’t pain a spread successful your pocket. We can’t hold to instrumentality with household and friends.
Where: 14-16, Sterling Apts, Sundervan Complex Road, Shashtri Nagar, Lokhandwala Complex, Andheri West
When: 12 noon to midnight from Tuesday to Sunday
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